Hinduism in the Modern Era:
Spiritual Masters of the Recent Period

      The modern era maybe considered, for purposes of this book, to be the period of English rule in India. Even though there were many indignities and exploitations associated with British foreign rule, there was also a wave of fresh air. The long period of religious repression was over, and a new age of science and democracy spanned the globe. This led to a spurt of activity in Hindu society.

     The contribution of many Western scholars of Hindu theology and ancient Sanskrit scriptures has been enormous. Although partly backed by the Christian missionary movement and zeal for conversion, there was a genuine academic interest, combined with a spiritual inclination for Hindu philosophy. Toward the end of the eighteenth century, British Orientalists, who were interested in making a serious study of Sanskrit literature, centered themselves in Bengal. Among these were Sir William Jones (1746–1794), C. Wilkins (1749–1836), and Thomas Colebrook (1765–1837)91, who together steered what came to be known as the field of Indology. Later, the formation of a seven-volume Sanskrit dictionary—in German by R. Roth and Otto Bothlingk, and in English by Monier Monier-—gave further
embellishment to such efforts. The arduous work of Friedrich Max Muller (1823–1900) in translating and editing the Upanishads and other sacred books was of pioneer nature. Indeed, his prodigious, scholarly, dedicated, and inspired life may be regarded as the heroic consummation of the pioneering work of all Western thinkers who came before him.92

     The wave of Hindu philosophy spread to many countries of Europe, including England, France, Germany, and Russia. In the United States, too, a similar phenomenon took place. William Dwight Whitney (1827–1894), C. R. Lanman (1850–1941), and Maurice Bloomfield (1885–1925) developed Indology at many centers; for example, at New York, Yale, and Harvard universities. It was mainly because of these scholarly toils that Hinduism came to the center stage in the world. Hindu spiritual teachings, which had remained hidden for millennia, became available to anyone, including the Hindus themselves!

     Apart from the better known scholars, there were number of unsung heroes who toiled hard to study and present the Hindu scriptures in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which may be regarded as the golden period of Hindu philosophy with regard to world impact. Jewish Frenchman Anquetil Duperron (1731–1805)93 and Greek national Demetrius Galanos (1760–1833)94 both worked with unparalleled passion under most difficult circumstances in this field. No less is the contribution of Swami Tathagatananda of the Vedanta Society, New York, in unearthing all these gems of Indology, and publishing their enormous contribution in his masterly book, Journey of the Upanishads to the West.

     Spiritual philosophy in the world, like science, has evolved over millennia as the combined effort of seers and thinkers; their broad vision transgressed the geographical borders time and again. Sanskrit scholar Friedrich Max Muller’s comments in this regard are noteworthy:
How imperfect our knowledge of universal history, our insights into the development of human intellect, must always remain, if we narrow our horizon to the history of Greeks and Romans, Saxons and Celts, with a dim background of Palestine, Egypt, and Babylon, and leave sight of our nearest  and leave sight of our nearest relatives, the Aryans of India, the framers of the most wonderful language, the Sanskrit, the fellow workers in the construction of our fundamental concepts, the fathers of our natural religions, the makers of the most transparent of mythologies, the inventors of the most subtle philosophy, and givers of the most elaborate laws.      There has been harsh criticism of Muller and other Westerners for inaccurately depicting ancient Indian history. It is more likely that these were errors of human limitations and not deliberate attempts at misguidance.

     What follows is a description of some of the important Hindu spiritual leaders from the modern era. Each contributed significantly to the re-emergence of Hinduism in modern times and its spread to more distant lands.
     In the beginning of the nineteenth century, Bengal was the epicenter of education and culture. Raja Rammohan Roy (1772–1833) was one of the earliest social and religious reformers of this time. Inspired by the Western scientific education system, he propagated a modern approach to the old Hindu system. He advocated the basic Upanishadic teachings but discarded many of the Puranic and especially the Tantric methods of worship. He also discredited the idol, or murti puja. He believed in giving higher education to women. He founded a religious organization, Brahmo Samaj, which propagated many liberal reforms for Hindu women, who had long suffered from suffocating customs. One of the most horrendous customs prevalent in Hindu society in some parts of India, particularly amongst certain Rajput tribes, was the Sati ritual—the burning alive of a wife along with her dead husband. A wave of awakening was brought to Hindu society with the Brahmo Samaj movement, and many such harmful practices were stopped. He was also responsible for introducing Hinduism abroad during his visit to England.
    Sahajanand Swami (1781–1830), a saint of highest spiritual caliber, who later was known as Bhagwan Swaminarayan, developed a large following in Gujarat. His devotees established the Swaminarayan sect in 1907. Swaminarayan temples are famous for their grandeur and elegance. This institute also has done great service to the society by assisting in various community projects. It also opened its gates to the lower castes that had been barred from such places. Pramukh Swami (1921–) is the present head of the major division, named BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. He has personally led the organization to very lofty heights and has established hundreds of temples all across the world. The temples at Ahmedabad, New Delhi, London, Houston, Chicago, and many other places are very grand and attract thousands of devotees each day, including non-Hindus, who often visit to admire the artwork and architecture of the temples.
Swami Shiv Dayal Singh Ji (1818–1878) started a new type of religious organization, Radha Swami Satsang, at Agra, North India, around 1850. In 1891, Jaimal Singh Ji Mahraj established a separate division, Radha Soami Satsang Beas, at Beas in Punjab, which now has many branches in India and abroad. This congregation stressed the teaching of true spirituality to devotees, in place of many hollow rituals. The main importance was on having a living master who initiated the devotee to the Divine. It also called for strict rules of hygiene and self-sufficiency in the economic field. This was quite different from the prevalent order of ascetics, the sadhus, who often had lived in very poor conditions of neglect and misery in Hindu society. Shri Gurinder Singh Dhillon-Babaji (1954–) is the current head of this sect.
Swami Dayananda Sarswati (1824–1883) was born in Gujarat and later moved to North India. He was a giant social reformer and started Arya Samaj, which worked vigorously for uplifting the condition of women. He heavily stressed the original Vedic teachings but advocated many simple rituals in place of lengthy and complicated customs, which had plagued the Hindu society. He rejected outright the idea of a hereditary caste system and believed in living an ethical way of life. He also emphasized revival of the Sanskrit education.
Sri Ramakrishna Paramhans (1836–1886) and his celebrated disciple, Swami Vivekananda, brought about new perceptions in Hindu philosophy. Sri Ramakrishna Paramhans taught the oneness of God for all mankind, as the ancient Upanishads had pronounced. He even displayed extraordinary spiritual temper by actually observing the disciplines of both Christianity and Islam and by experiencing the validity of his statement. He has been recognized as God incarnate. (His deep spiritual practices are described in the chapter on Consciousness.) After he passed away, his consort Sri Sarda Devi (1853–1920) successfully took on the mantle of leadership of the spiritual denomination for thirty-four years until her own death. Worshipped more often as the holy mother or compassionate mother, Sri Sarda Devi was an illiterate child-wife of the illustrious Sri Ramakrishna. It has been said of her that she became more famous after her death than during her lifetime. She represents the ideal of Hindu womanhood to the core. Fully dedicated to her husband, whom she accepted as her guru and god, she supported and served him with all her zeal and sincerity. Only five days before she passed away, she gave a message, the substance of which she had lived all her life: “If you want peace, do not find fault with others. See your own faults. Learn to make the whole world your own. Nobody is a stranger, my dear. All the world belongs to you.”
    Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902), who was the chief disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhans, had the great honor of introducing the East to the West. At the World Conference of Religions in Chicago in 1893, he entranced his audience with his very first speech. The essence of Vedanta, he taught, lies in the unity of entire cosmos! He began his address to his audience with the famous words, “Brothers and sisters of America!” He stayed in America for several years and founded the Vedanta Society in New York in 1895, where he made an immense impact through his lectures and discourses. In his brief life of only thirty-nine years, he roused the Hindu nation from deep slumber. His spirituality was rather dynamic, as he said, “First build your muscles, and then work on your soul!” He did not believe in empty rhetoric—when he led his Sanyasin disciples to take up brooms and clean the streets of dirt and squalor, he joined them in their work. A rock memorial at the southern tip of India at Kanyakumari is a fitting salute to this magnificent and priceless jewel of modern India. Swami Vivekananda took the message of Hinduism across the shores of India for the first time to America and Europe. He established not only the Vedanta Society but also the Ramkrishna Mission, which built many temples and meditation centers all across the globe. An organized Hindu monk cadre was set up, with emphasis on basic education, discipline, and service. It was Swami Vivekananda who promoted Hinduism as a pluralistic and scientific religion and who projected the idea of neo-Vedanta as a philosophy of religion beyond borders.
Shirdi Sai Baba (d. 1918) was a spiritual person of very high caliber. His origin is not clear, but he preached love and humility. Many miracles are woven around him. He was a man of utter simplicity. Sai Baba taught a  moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner peace, devotion to God and guru. His philosophy was Advaita Vedanta and his teachings consisted of elements both of this school as well as of Bhakti and Islam. A large following continues to visit his shrine at Shirdi, in Maharashtra, India.
Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) was not a conventional sage, but he combined traditional religion with politics. Even as he fought for the independence of India and organized a mass movement against British rule, he lived the simple life of an ascetic, or sadhu. It was he who initiated spiritual or religious principles, such as truth, honesty, non-violence, and sacrifice in all activities, including the politics. To him, religion was not merely the temple rituals; rather, it was service for mankind. He worked very hard to uplift the lower castes. He called them harijans, the children of God. Although he was assassinated for his policy of excessive tolerance and appeasement toward Muslims, his legacy has survived, not only in India but also throughout the world. It has been regarded as beacon of light for many non-violent resistance movements. He has been acclaimed as the apostle of non-violence. The United Nations organization declared his birthday, October 2, as Nonviolence Day.
Maharishi Aurbindo (1872–1950) abandoned politics to enter the spiritual field, and he established a well-known meditation center at Pondicherry, South India. His deep knowledge of the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and yoga attracted many seekers to come to him for guidance from all over the world. After his death, his chief disciple, a French woman affectionately called Mother, became the head of the center. She remained at the helm until her death in 1973.
Swami Rama Tirtha (1873–1906) was born in Punjab. He started his career as a professor of mathematics but was later pulled into the spiritual life. He toured Japan and America, where he vigorously spread the message of the Hindu philosophy. Later, he established his center in the Himalayas and remained there until his death.
Swami Sivananda (1877–1963) was born in the state of Tamilnadu. He studied medicine and practiced as doctor in Malaysia for few years before joining the spiritual quest. He settled in the Himalayas and founded the Divine Life Society in 1936 at Rishikesh, North India. This society has done much to propagate the message of Hindu scriptures all across the world. His several books on yoga and other Hindu scriptures have been widely read. Swami Chidanandji (1916–) is the current head of the society.
Raman Maharishi (1879–1950) was a true sage of deep spirituality. He renounced everything to lead the life of an ascetic in Arunachala Hill, South India. His quest in which he asked “Who am I?” encouraged many devotees from far and wide to come to him. He was a man of few words and guided others by mystical communications.
Sadhu T. L. Vaswani (1879–1966) was a saint of sterling spiritual height. He founded his humble cottage in Pune, India, after the partition of India. He propagated simple and truthful living and taught his devotees to render service to the poor and needy. He even cared for animals and birds. He paid special attention to education; the mission that is run in his name has established many schools, colleges, hospitals, and other community service centers. His fourfold motto was simplicity, service, purity, and prayer. He was a true saint who mingled freely among the poor and downtrodden. Dada Jashan Vaswani (1918–), who has been hailed as spiritual master par excellence, is the current head of this mission. He has traveled extensively to all parts of the world, meeting devotees, conducting spiritual retreats, giving public discourses, and offering programs on TV. He is the author of many popular religious books.

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