Complete works of Swami Abhedananda

by Swami Prajnanananda | 1967 | 318,120 words

Swami Abhedananda was one of the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa and a spiritual brother of Swami Vivekananda. He deals with the subject of spiritual unfoldment purely from the yogic standpoint. These discourses represent a study of the Social, Religious, Cultural, Educational and Political aspects of India. Swami Abhedananda says t...

I

This book contains illuminating lectures on reincarnation, transmigration, resurrection, evolution, heredity, etc. The great mystic philosopher, Swami Abhedananda has raised various critical problems and has given satisfactory rational and scientific solution of them. His mode of treatment is very fascinating and logical and the language is lucid. The thought and ideas underlying and impregnated in them are very deep and penetrating. He maintains throughout all his lectures the Vedantic non-dualistic viewpoint and the great Indian spirit. He says that the visible phenomena of the universe are bound by the universal law of cause and sequence. The effect is visible and perceptible, while the cause is invisible and imperceptible. Everything gross is the outcome of a subtle cause. There is something behind this gigantic manifold universe and it was not created out of nothing. The Swami upholds the satkaryavad [satkaryavada] of Samkhya, Mimamsa and Vedanta. He believes in a unifying ground or substratum of the walking shadows of the world and that ground or substratum is the Brahman, which is all-intelligence and all-bliss.

Swami Abhedananda says that the subtle and sleeping samskaras or impressions are the makers and moulders of man’s character and destiny. The subconscious level of the mind is the storehouse of energized samskaras. Man is an instrument in the hand of his samskaras, but he can get control over them by creating counter-samskaras just as habits are overcome by counter-habits. Man always creates his future by reaping the conesquences of the present, and in the process he is entangled in the cycle of birth and death. The Hindus believe in the theory of reincarnation. They know that spirit or Atman is deathless and immortal; it takes the body as its garment to work for his salvation and to reap the results of his past action in the phenomenal world. The soul or jivatman passes through the grades of gradual progress and reaches at last the Ultimate goal and attains to perfection.

All the lectures of the Swami reflect the lusture [lustre] of his profoundity of knowledge and depth of learning. Especially the last lecture, that on Theory of Transmigration, is as unique as it is gorgeously illuminating. In it the learned Swami exhibits his own original views taking a bold stand on the rock of logical arguments. He accepted the modern science and its truth-seeking method, and rejects strongly the rigid and materialistic theories of the modern scientists, agnostics and direct realists, who advocate the theory of heredity and endeavour to explain everything by it. He refutes the peculiar views of the Christians, Jews, Mohammedans and Parsees about the theory of transmigration. Transmigration or metempsychosis is believed by many philosophers as the passing of a soul from one body after death into another. This belief is found even in Pythagoras, Plato and their followers. Plato described in mythological language in Phaedrus how the human souls go out of the dead bodies and take new ones for getting newer experiences. Again the Platonic idea of transmigration admits the successive lives after death. According to this theory, the souls are allowed to choose their lots in accordance, with their experience or bent of character, and are unaffected by the natural consequences of their good and bad deeds. Plato himself believed that souls generally choose the bodies of lower animals. But the Hindu view of transmigration is different from it. Buddhist rebirth theory also differs from the Hindu one, because the Buddhists do not believe in the permanence of the soul entity, whereas the Hindus believe that soul is permanent while the body is impermanent. Swami Abhedananda shows the difference between the Hindu or Vedantic theory of reincarnation and the Platonic theory of transmigration. He says that according to Hindu or Vedantic theory the soul or germ of life passes through the lower stages and comes at last to higher human plane and after coming to the higher plane, it does not retrograde into lower animal bodies. The Platonic theory is opposed to it, because it teaches that human souls do pass into different animal bodies. It is true, the Swami mentions, that although “there are passages in the scriptural writings of the Hindus which apparently refer to the retrogression of the human soul into animal nature, still such passages do not necessarily mean that the souls will be obliged to take animal bodies. They may have to live like animals even when they have human bodies, as we may find among us many people like cats and dogs and snakes in human form and they are often more vicious than natural cats, dogs and snakes. They are reaping their own Karma and manifesting their animal nature, though physically they look like human beings”. Swami Vivekananda used to uphold the view of the traditional Hindu scriptures, but Swami Abhedananda took a very rational, scientific and most realistic meaning and view. Here lies the difference between Swami Vivekananda and Swami Abhedananda in their respective views. Mr. Tylor, Prof. Seth Pringle-Pattison. Dr. Radhakrishnan and others hold the same view as Swami Abhedananda maintains. Like the Swami, Dr. Radhakrishnan says in his Idealist Views of Life (1937, p. 292): “It is possible for man to degenerate into a savage being but he is still a man. It is possible that rebirth in animal form is a figure of speech for rebirth with animal qualities.” Swami Abhedananda gives a strong and reasonable argument in support of his view that we “have already passed in the evolutionary process through the lower grade of animal organisms. Now that we have outgrown them, why should we go back to them?” However, in the opinion of Swami Abhedananda reincarnation of the soul is the process of the fulfilment of ultimate purpose of earthly life; it is a means to an end; it is a marching towards the prime human goal which is the attainment of God-consciousness.

II

Swami Abhedananda delivered lectures on Reincarnation many times before the learned audiences of the West. The Journal Brahmavadin (Vol. III, April, 1898, No. 14, p. 567) says: “Some of the best lectures, as that on ‘Reincarnation’ for instance, have even been given three times and a fourth time has been requested.” The Swami’s first lecture on Reincarnation was given on 13th February, 1898 in New York, as we find in his Leaves from My Diary: “On February 13th, 3 P.M. on Reincarnation (repeated by request).” The second time he lectured on the same subject and it was Sunday the 13th March, 1898, at 3 P.M. The subject of the lecture was Evolution and Reincarnation. The Swami thus mentions it in his Leaves from My Diary: “On Sunday afternoon March 13th, at 3 P.M. I delivered lecture on Evolution and Reincarnation (which was published afterwards) before an audience of about 200. The lecture was highly appreciated by all who were present in the hall.”

Again the Swami mentions in his Leaves from My Diary: “On Sunday, February 5th at 3 P.M. (1899) I gave a public lecture on Which is scientific—Resurrection or Reincarnation? The audience numbered about 100.” On March 15th 1899, he delivered a lecture again on Evolution and Reincarnation by request. The Swami thus writes in his Leaves from My Diary: “On March 15th at 8 P.M., it rained hard throughout the day. I gave a public lecture on Evolution and Reincarnation (repeated by request) for an hour and a half in Assembly Hall. Prof. Jackson of Columbia University came to the lecture and became deeply interested in the subject. The audience numbered about 100.” “On March 28th (1899),” the Swami writes again, “it rained hard all day long. In the afternoon I went to see Mrs. Coulston at Mr. Leggett’s. Mr. Vanderbilt brought to me the proofs of Reincarnation. He had volunteered to have printed 2000 copies at his own cost and presented them to me. This was the beginning of my printed works. The proceeds from the sale of Reincarnation which at first contained three lectures.... (1) What is Reincarnation, (2) Which is Scientific—Resurrection or Reincarnation, (3) Evolutin and Reincarnation, were kept separate and spent in printing other lectures and pamphlets. Mr. Vanderbilt told me that these lectures were so good and convincing that he wished every body ought to read them. He deserves my hearty thanks for publishing my lectures on Reincarnation under the auspices of the Vedanta Society of New York City.”

A lecture on Reincarnation was again delivered by Swami Abhedananda on 17th April 1899, in Day Building, Room 19 in which audiences were over 130 in number. The Worcester Spy (New York) of April 18th, 1899 says: “The Swami Abhedananda lectured again last night before a large audience in L’arien Hall, 206 Main Street.—The subject last night was The Vital-Force and Reincarnation.”

S. Prajnanananda

FAQ (frequently asked questions):

Which keywords occur in this article of Volume 1?

The most relevant definitions are: soul, souls, samskaras, Plato, Vedanta, Swami Vivekananda; since these occur the most in “preface” of volume 1. There are a total of 18 unique keywords found in this section mentioned 40 times.

Can I buy a print edition of this article as contained in Volume 1?

Yes! The print edition of the Complete works of Swami Abhedananda contains the English discourse “Preface” of Volume 1 and can be bought on the main page. The author is Swami Prajnanananda and the latest edition is from 1994.

Like what you read? Consider supporting this website: