Ananda Coomaraswamy’s Letters

Passport to Greatness

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.” (Shakespeare) Greatness itself needs a definition. Though parentage paves the way for one to become great, it is by achievement only, one becomes great. Just as “Liberty does not descend to a people and a people must raise themselves to liberty,” one becomes great by his deeds and conduct. The world over there have been great saints, philoso­phers, kings, writers, but some great men and women choose to be anonymous and the world comes to know of them after they have left. Especially in the domain of art, anonymity is most prevalent in as much as no trace can be noticed of sculptors, designers and architects involved in the building of massive temples. Except that the names of rulers are associated with art monuments, no material can be winnowed out of them, of the artist or artisan. With regard to literature at least most of the authors’ names are known, though not biographical data. Litera­ture emanating from any country or language is universal and cannot be clanish. Has not the Sangam poet said? “To us all towns are one, all men our kin” – “Yaatum uuree yaavarum keelir.” And the Bard of Universal Man, Tiruvalluvar, puts down emphatically, “All lands and towns the learned hail; to learn life long why fail?” This applies in a great measure to Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, “in the wake of whose writings volumes of accolades have come forth in praise of hiserudition.”

The Versatile Ananda Coomaraswamy

Son of a Tamil father in Ceylon belonging to Yaalppaanam (The Land of the Lyre – Jaffna) and an English mother from Kent, brought up and educated from childhood in England, Ananda Coomaraswamy started life as a geologist in Ceylon, took to the study of Sinhalese and Indian Art and blossomed into a philosopher. It was through a major work, “Mediaeval Sinhalese Art” that Dr. Coomaraswamy was introduced to the world of art. It may be of interest to note that Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya, the historian of the Indian National Congress, wrote in a letter to a friend, of his acquaintance with Ananda K. Coomaraswamy in 1901 at his place in Masulipatam: “In the afternoon Ananda Coomaraswamy unfolded the pages of his Medieval Sinhalese Art. What a delight it was! A new world and vista opened out before our vision and the ancient culture and arts all passed before the mind’s eye in a rich panoply. It remained a source of inspiration for years afterwards.” But many remember him as the author of the Dance of Shiva; his collection of essays under the same title was published by Sunwise Turn, New York, in 1918, but the essay on the “Dance of Shiva” first appeared in the Siddhanta Dipika edited by Nallasamy Pillai in 1912. Dr. Coomuaswamy toured India, returned to England and finally made his way to USA and with his art collections joined the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, as a Curator.

Ananda Coomaraswamy’s life can be divided into two parts: (1) the first forty years of his life and (2) the later 30 years in the USA till death. During the first 40 years, he came to be recognised as an art critic and historian of world eminence. The first forty years witnessed him as a bud in the morn and the same half opened with petals during the day and the later thirty years as full bloom in the evening – Kaalai arumpi-p­akalellaam potaaki maalai malarntaar.

The unbelievable and enormous literary output that flowed from his pen needs no recapitulation here. On the heels of the Bollingen Foundation’s Selected Papers of Coomaraswamy in 1977, now comes his Selected Letters in 1988.*

Coomaraswamy as a Letter-Writer

It is said pertinently that “those who would seek an introduc­tion to the writings of Ananda Coomaraswamy would do no better to start with this book.* It is easy to Walk on fire and the sharp edge of a mini sword – agini aancha. (sugama) sahna (sugama) khadaga kii dhaar – but it is not so easy to understand and assimilate fully the writings of Dr. Coomaraswamy who was a scholars’ scholar. An attempt is here made to highlight his views on different subjects in his letters. Leaving aside for a moment his remarkable contribution in the field of Geology, one sees him making his debut in the literary world as an art critic.

On Art

Dr. Coomaraswamy “judges the work of art as much as by whether the content is clearly expressed, that is, by the extent to which content and shape are fused into a unity.” What he judges “by the content is whether the work of art is of any value” for him, physically or spiritually. If not then he has no use for it, though he can recognise its accomplishment. AKC is fond of quoting Ruskin that “Industry without art is brutality.” What Plato says about art is praise of Greet or Geometric art and dispraise of Greek natural art, while for Aristotle, the representation of character in tragedy is subordinate to that of action, that is, essence, since for him and the ancients generally the man is what he does.”For anything he writes or speaks, Dr. Coomaraswamy quotes chapter and verse from acknowledged authorities on the subject he deals with. Quoting a known passage “on mathematical beauty in Philebus to the effect” that what true art imitates is never itself in a visible form, which does not mean that the work of art was to be looked upon merely as an aesthetic surface, provocative of feelings; it has to satisfy both mind and body.” As a staunch believer in tradition, traditional arts, be it sculpture, music or painting, attracted Coomaraswamy most. He pregnantly observes in one of his letters that “Just as we have isolated painting as something to be seen in galleries, so we have isolated music as something to be heard in halls; whereas it was in all traditional societies bound up with all the activities of life as in India.” AKC does not agree that art is mysterious. “Art is a kind of knowledge about how things, which it had been decided as desiderate, can be made. It is mainly modern aesthetics that has thrown a veil of mystery over art.” Not only was Coomara­swamy an art critic and historian of Indian art and East Asian he was conversant with European art. In a letter to Robert Field of the faculty of fine arts at Harward University, he gives a list of books one should have read to have a ground for European art before 1300.

Involvement in Hindu Scriptures

The essay on the “Dance of Shiva” in 1912 may be taken as the watershed of AKC’s involvement in the deep study of Hindu scriptures and support of Indian nationalism. Even before that in 1907, he wrote a pamphlet, “Deeper Meaning of the struggle” in support of the Indian struggle for freedom. In 1909 came his essays on “National Idealism.” He repudiated the theory of Greek origin for the Buddha image in a paper presented in the conference at Copenhagen in 1908 and his scholarly book, “Buddha and the Gospel of Buddhism” was published in 1916. Later years witnessed a remarkable output of his scholarly pursuits and his Indianness. In a letter of March 19, 1945, Dr. Coomara­swamy observes: “I can only call myself a follower of the philosophia perennis, or if required to be more specific, a Vedantin. I am a Doctor of Science and see no conflict between religion and science, when both are rightly defined.” In an earlier letter written in 1941, he asserts: “Actually my indoctrination with the philosophia perennis is primarily oriental, secondarily mediaeval and thirdly classic now.” He emphasises in another letter that “My interest is in doctrines that are true rather than because they are Indian. The philosophia perennis our Sanatana Dharma is not a private property of any time or place or people, but the birth­right of humanity.” It is on this solid rock of Peter that Dr. Coomaraswamy built his church in interpreting the Hindu scriptures.

Coomaraswamy, a Vedantin

Dr. Coomaraswamy assigned the foremost place to a study of the Rigveda. It may be useful in this connection to bear in mind that the Rigveda hymns might have been composed long before the Aryans moved on to the Gangetic plains. It was from its embryo emerged the other Vedas. Of the 1,549 hymns in Sama­veda, 78 numbers only are not from Rig. Except for the prose compositions, others in Yajur are taken from Rig. Atharvaveda’s twentieth part is wholly taken from Rigveda. The later Aranyakas and Upanishads that go by the name of Vedanta – the Vedas’ end­ – are inevitable for an indepth study of Hinduism. Some of the essential books for India as a guide are mentioned in one of the letters of AKC. “The basic epitome of Indian religion and philosophy is, of course, the Bhagavad Gita”, observes Coomaraswamy. He stresses the importance of the Upanishads by recommending Hume’s “Thirteen Principal Upanishads,” useful but not always accurate. He prefers W. R. Teape’s “The Secret Love of India”. Dr. Coomaraswamy harbours the highest respect for the Brahmanas and Aranyakas and suggests Eggeline’s Satapatha Br., Keith’s Rigveda Brahmanas, Aitareya Aranyaka and Sankhyayana Aranyaka and his own Hinduism and Buddhism. For a further study of Hinduism, he mentions Tiruvacagam of Manikkavacakar translated by G U. Pope (Oxford 1900) in two places. Even opening at random this bunch of letters from the pen of Coomara­swamy, one comes across renderings of Katha Upanishad, a sample of which runs thus: KU IV:

3)         Know thou that the Spirit is the rider in the “chariot”, the “chariot”, the body:
Know that Reason is its fellow, Mind it is that holds the reins.
4)         The powers of the soul are the steeds, as they say; the objects of perception, their pasture.
The Spirit combined with the mind and its powers, men of discernment term “the experiment”.

Referring to the Yama-Yami hymn of the Rigveda, AKC does not forget the Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana where the wooing is brought to a happy ending and the sun child is born. Acknow­ledging receipt of John Layard’s Eronos paper, Coomaraswamy observes that the former’s Ishtar corresponds to Vedic Ushas (“Dawn”); Sri (Fortune, Regnum), Vac (for whom the gods and Titans are ever fighting), all of whom are notably “free women”, who will follow for whatever hero really wins them.

Like the ones given above, we can go on harvesting more from this fertile field of AKC’s letters.

Wizard of Word-meanings

In his Dictionary of Word Origins, Joseph Shiplley, in his copy to Dr. Coomaraswamy, inscribed: “One who knows the ways of words.” Some of the word-meanings of Coomaraswamy are culled here verbatim:

1)      Just as our “nothing” is also evil, viz., naughty so a-sat, non-being, has also precisely this value of “naughty” in Sanskrit contexts.
2)      Regarding “Maya” rendered by illusion; but Maya is that “art” or in Jacob Bochme’s sense “magic” by which the Father manifests himself; the analogues of Maya being Greek Sophia or Hebrew Hochma, that “wisdom” or “cunning” by which God operates.
3)      “Idiot” means virtually one who thinks for himself.
4)      Superstare – primary meaning (i) to stand by ; (ii) upon or over; (iii) but also meaning to survive.
5)      Superstition – etymological significance of “stands over” (superstet) an admirable word from a former age. Another accidental connotation “mistaken belief”. Anonymous letter is an admirable essay on Superstition.
6)      Sannyasin is pretty near to what Eckart calls a “truly poor man.” Sannyasin becomes in fact of what Rumi calls a, “dead man walking”. 
7)      Regarding the use of the word “aestheticism”. The word aesthete has always a bad meaning; which the words like aesthetic, aesthetics and aesthetlcian do not necessarily have.
8)      Metier is etymologically ministerium, a ministry. Another form of the word is “minister”, that is, trade and “trade” is a tread or way of life.
9)      “nirvana” rendered by “annihilation” (no one stops to ask of what?) though the word means “desperation” as Meister Eckart uses the term.

AKC himself says that he is deeply interested in word meanings.

Vehement Critic of Christian Missionaries

Albert Schweitzer was a theologian and medical missionary widely influential in Protestant circles Dr. Coomaraswamy wrote to him on February 7, 1946, that “Although I have due respect for your fine work in Africa, I have lately come across your book, Christianity and Religions of the World, and would like to let you know that I regard it as a fundamentally dishonest work.” AKC recommended him to spend as much time, searching the scriptures of Brahmanism and Buddhism in the original languages,” as you might have spent on the scriptures of Christianity in their original languages, before you say anything more about other religions.” Whitall N. Perry in his Foreword to the book of letters of Coomaraswamy describes that “Coomara­swamy was uncompromisingly honest” in his letter to the missionary. In this context, it may he of interest to know that Albert Schweitzer was the author of the book, Indian Thought and Development and is fondly remembered by Tamil scholars for his views on the Tirukkural, Dr. Coomaraswamy might not have been unaware of that. He, however, contributed an article to the Albert Schweitzer Jubilee Volume, a festschrift, entitled “What is Civilization?”

In a letter to the New English Weekly, London, Dr. Coomara­swamy questions C. F. Andrews’ moralism denying the phallic symbolism of the lingam. He asserts that “the lingam is unquestionably a phallus of which it may be said that they ought not, perhaps, be seen by those who are entirely ignorant of their significance and therefore capable of a shocking irreve­rence.” He quotes Sir John Woodroffe from The Garland of Letters. Andrews’ book related to the year 1939. AKC concludes his letter thus: “Mr. Andrews’ sentimentality is essentially the same as Miss Mayo’s; we could pray to be delivered from our friends as well as from our enemies in this connection. Both Miss Mayo and Mr. Andrews should learn more of Christianity before they presume either to malign or apologise for Hinduism.” Charles Freer Andrews was Vice-President of Rabindranath Tagore’s Santiniketan and a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. AKC’s views, though unassailable, are a bit difficult to be gulped down in having bracketed Andrews with Miss Mayo. Is it the unkindest cut? Suffice it is to give the modus operandi of missionaries by Dr. Coomaraswamy: “Whatever good missions have done, I am very Sure the evil outweighs. One last point: a preacher can be a gentleman. Can a proselytiser?”

Mini Essays

Each and every letter of Dr. Coomaraswamy is a mini essay. Wading through the letters, one comes across his emphasis on the cultural unity of India rather than her apparent diversity. He is bitter about Indian students in the West “a majority of whom are disorganised barbarians and cultural illiterates.” His opinions about contemporaries can also be espied with which one may or may not agree. The letters are worth reading not only because they serve as an introduction to his writings but also because of one getting educated

Superb Editing

Every letter is annotated by the Editors at the end. This is a remarkable book in the presentation of which the Editors Alvin Moore Jr. and Dr. Rama Poonambulam Coomaraswamy have taken the utmost pains to help the reader in every possible manner. Whitall N. Perry’s succinct Foreword and the analytical introduc­tion of the Editors highlight the personality of Coomaraswamy and his writings. The Bibliographic Index at the fag end commen­ces with an introduction and lists: (i) works of Ananda K. Coomaraswamy mentioned in the letters, of the order of 61, (ii) works or authors discussed or cited by Coomaraswamy in the letters, numbering 206 and (iii) 25 each of the published English language versions of Rene Guenon and Frithjof Schuon. One cannot but admire the Editors’ labour, both manual and intel­lectual, in the presentation of the book.

Enrichment of English

Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy was a son of both the East and the West. He was one of the three representatives of Asia revealing Eastern culture along with Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore. He was also one of the three distinguished writers on tradition along with Guenon and the Franco German Frithjof Schuon. To quote Whitall N. Perry, “Coomaraswamy was uncompromisingly honest, uncompromisingly charitable and uncompromisingly generous to three recipients of his letters.” Knowledge droppeth not as the gentle rain from heaven. It is acquired and such acquisition is put to good use only by very few in educating the people. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy belongs to this category with English as the medium of communication. Indubitably, English language has been enriched by Dr. Coomara­wtamy’s writings, the letters too forming an integral part.