Chapter 5.2 - Conclusion (Practical Vedanta)

From the above discussion of Vivekananda’s four lectures on Practical Vedanta the following points can be derived. In his first lecture he has shown us that the Vedanta philosophy is not a philosophy of the recluse. The Bhagavad Gita is its evident. The essence of Vedanta philosophy is the assertion of the divinity of man, as embodied in the cryptic saying; ‘Thou art that’. The spirit of man is always pure and perfect which is beyond the circle of birth and death. Again it is the store house of all the power and glory. This means that all power is within us. So Vivekananda asked us to have self-confidence. We have to remember that not believing in the glory of our own soul is what the Vedanta calls atheism. This Vedantic principle has a great practical aspect. When we know ourselves as eternal self, then going to die, afraid of dying becomes mere superstition. It creates an immense faith on oneself. When we feel ourselves as fountain of divinity then, ‘we are able to do this’ or ‘not able to do this’, such ideas vanish from our mind. Vedanta teaches us to have faith in ourselves, as we all are eternal spirit, not simply a time space caged mind-body. Then we never deflected from path of duty and able to traverse every weakness. We can do everything we want to do. Not believing in the glory of our own soul is what the Vedanta calls atheism. This ideal of Vedanta can be realized by everyone irrespective of race, sex or religion and in all possible condition of life.

In his second lecture we have seen that Vivekananda has shown us the practical method of teaching of the Upanishadic teachers. In the example we have seen that the Upanishadic teachers taught their students with the help of the objects of the nature. The Upanishadic teachers with their practical method of teaching tried to make their students realize that there is nothing which is not Brahman. After knowing Brahman as everything, fire, earth, life, matter everything transformed into Brahman. Thus the central theme of Vedanta is to see Brahman in everything. This realization of oneness is the idea of salvation in Vedanta philosophy.

In his third lecture Vivekananda has tried to establish Vedanta as a scientific religion as Vedanta follows the two basic principles of science. In this lecture it is shown that there are no two entities in the universe. Everywhere there is oneness. The personal idea of God is not different from the Impersonal idea of it. As a matter of fact the personal is included in the impersonal.

In the fourth lecture Vivekananda tried to make us realize the presence of permanent soul as opposed to the Buddhists. According to Advaita both change and changeless exist. We can experience only one at a time, either change or changeless, but not both. According to Vedanta there Change and changeless are not two separate entities.The same changeless is appearing as changeable before us. The soul is changeless and the body is changeable. When one appears, the other vanishes. When we think ourselves as soul the body vanishes and vice versa. Vedanta has ascribed the quality of unchangeability only to the Absolute, Brahman, the Whole. There is nothing outside the whole. Everyone is included in the whole. When this is realized the question of soul and body vanishes. Again Vivekananda has preserved people’s individuality also. An evolving individuality can get a meaning only with reference to an infinite individual.

All through his lectures on practical Vedanta Vivekananda adheres to the divinity of human being and this divinity should be worshiped. He has used here some though metaphysics and logic. We can not avoid metaphysical and logical elements in philosophy. Yet society will be more benefitted if we simply spread the message of divines of all our-fellow beings to the world than to overemphasis on tough metaphysics and logic. This indeed was Vivekananda’s life mission.