Preface

Known as the ‘Emperor of dharma’ (dharma samrat), the eminent Svami Karapatri was among those great men who provided guidance not only to his contemporary society, but also to future generations. He made religious and spiritual values easily understandable for people by giving them a new perspective on Indian tradition and culture. Initiated into the Sarasvati lineage, one of the ten lines of samnyasin started by the first Sankaracarya, the venerable Svamiji took his inspiration from the injunction of the Gita that one should be free from attraction and aversion. Through his conduct – and not merely by sermons and expositions – he lent substance to a definitive articulation of Indian culture. An active proponent of the traditional approach to Sanatana Dharma, Svamiji practiced every rule regarding caste (varnasrama), food, pilgrimage, bathing in the Ganga – so much so that he would even perform the fast of Satyanarayana, usually done only by householders. He was sure to follow the tenets of worship and to ritually drink Ganga water daily, even when on his pilgrimages; this reflects his devotion to the prescribed rules, his obedience to the precepts of the holy texts and the love for tradition he held in his heart.

Though he expounded the dictum of the first Sankaracarya that “Brahman satyam jaganmithya” (Brahman is real, the world is false), he would nevertheless propagate devotion towards the saguna (having attributes) sakara (having forms) aspects of God in His aspects of Rama and Krsna. In the context of devotion, his definition of mithya (illusion) was “brahma sattvapeksaya kimcinnyunasattakam mithyatvam” (Compared to the Supreme reality of Brahman, the level of reality of mithya is somehow inferior). He used to give the example that, just as the ornaments of the Lord have an inferior existence relative to His divine person, similarly the sublimely sweet ambrosiaic fragrance of Brahman – a veritable ocean of Sublime Bliss – is not only in their plans of action, but also in their principles. Svami Karpatriji believed that only through a religious state could public welfare come about – however, he pointed out that although Ravana was both a Hindu and a Brahmin, his kingdom still did not one any good. Therefore, public welfare would not be promoted through the mere creation of a Hindu nation. As a result, Svamiji refuted the arguments of the R.S.S., the Hindu Mahasabha and Jana Sangh, and he made evident to all how the religious and political ideology of the Parishad was different from the ideologies of these other parties. To this end, through his text Vicarapiyusa (Nectar of Thoughts) he refuted the arguments given in books such as Guru Golvallkar’s Vicara navanita (Bunch of Thoughts) and Veer Savarkar’s Bharatiya itihasa ke chah svarnima prsta (Six Golden Pages of the Indian History); he also refuted the ideology of the R.S.S. through his book Rastriya Svayamsevaka Samgha aur Hindu Dharma (The R.S.S. and the Hindu Dharma). He opened the doors of the Parishad to every Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist and so forth who practiced their religion with honesty and rectitude.

In his book Ramarajya Parisad aur anya Dal (The Assembly of the Kingdom of Rama and Other Groups), the venerable Svamiji delineated the differences of the other political parties from the Parishad with the following words: “It is evident that no political party at work in the country is consistent, neither within itself nor before the public; their aim is one thing, their conduct is something quite different. As a result, one never hears about any political stability or faith in the country. Getting votes through false promises has become the sole objective of politics. The objective of the Rama Rajya Parishad is to rise above this lowly state and bring into practice some healthy political ideas. The Parishad is clear about its aims and the means to reach them. Neither is there any type of deceit, nor is there any temptation towards any. It sole aim is ‘the establishment of the politics of impartial dharmasapeksa’.”

His Eminence Svami Karpatri used to speak of a French follower named ‘Siva Saran (Alain Danielou). He believed that “he (that is, Danielou) understands my feelings and has reverence for me”. That is why he would give his blessings to Siva Saran’s English translations of his articles, and we also thought that he was spreading the ideas of Svamiji through the West. His project was extremely praiseworthy. For this, we were rather pleased when an associate of Siva Saran, Mr. J.L. Gabin set about publishing a book comprising some of Svamiji’s essays translated by Siva Saran. But, upon examination, it was found that Siva Saran had tampered with the original articles of Svami Karpatriji and had even been further, editing them from time to time. With a more extensive inquiry, this became more and more evident. None of us had expected this from him. If Svamiji had still been alive, his trust in Siva Saran would surely have been wounded.

Thus, the saying “the truth can be beaten, but not conquered” has come true. None has the right to alter the words of great people. If Siva Saran did so, then the time has indeed arrived when his former associate, Mr. Gabin, would expose this tampering and re-establish the truth. He who kicks dust to sully the sun will find the dust in his own face; this hurts the sun not at all. We praise Mr. Gabin who, learning Hindi with great effort, made this publication possible.

Having stayed in close proximity to the venerable Svami Karpatriji on many occasions, his ideals and ideas are clear to us. If someone finds something in his writings difficult to understand, we will try to make it clear to him.

We hope that this book will give the opportunity to the English – speaking readers to measure the depth of sanatana dharma and philosophy in the light of Svami Karpatriji.