Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was the most variously gifted Indian of his generation and the sheer range and diversity of his achievements make it difficult to hold the totality of him in the mind.
His intellectual activity itself was many-sided: a seminal thinker; an evocative teacher; a virtuoso orator; a writer with stylish vigour; an indefatigable translator and commentator and a prophetic soul. Added to this were the worthy interventions in public affairs: the staunch patriot, the constructive educational administrator, the ambassador who won confidence in what was thought to be an un- congenial atmosphere, and finally the dignified presence for 15 years in Delhi as vice president and President of India. There is an element of paradox in the various aspects of such a crammed life - a successful philosopher, a man of the world with a devotion to the life of the spirit, an austere believer who had not shut the door on emotions, a progressive mind within the Indian ethos, an embodiment of Hinduism, a politically committed person within contemplative temper. He can be best described in his own comments on Samkara: "The life of Samkara makes a strong impression of contraries." Such diverse gifts did he possess that different images present themselves, if we recall his personality. Yet, his thought, his faith, his travails, his patience and gentle temperament, were all aspects of a coherent life, the realisation of a particular vision.
His reading of Hinduism provided the base for his philosophy of idealism. His efforts to interpret Hinduism and restore its vitality were far from chauvinist and promoted social concern and action. His conviction that Hinduism at its best stood for a religion of the spirit which encompassed all routes to the same goal, prepared the ground for spiritual bridges and world unity. Like Gandhi, he too was at the same time a Hindu and a world citizen; and these attitudes were not only compatible but merged into one. His genius lay in the totality of his work considered as the totality of the manifestation of the person. His early works establish a powerful intelligence; Indian Philosophy and Eastern Religions and Western Thought convey a sense of massive scholarship held together by interpretative skill; the editing of the classics shows his ability to attract lay audiences to serious subjects. An Idealist View of Life, original, distinctive and challenging, gives him a secure place in the intellectual history of the 20th century. Radhakrishnan is more than just an undeposed figure in the realm of pure thought. His comprehensive mind had also turned to aspects of life and viewed current issues in wide perspectives.
Radhakrishnan brought together two powerful living forces - pride in the past and faith in the future. His work not only shows the influence of thought of other times and places, but is of interest to men and women everywhere. Today, when people's mind are awash in doubt and confusion with science no longer offering comfortable certainties, Radhakrishnan's work goes far to meet the spiritual needs of the ordinary person. He came nearer than any other philosopher of his time to resolving the tension between intellectual conscious and the longing for a religious faith. With creeds and traditions losing their hold, his teachings are again coming to their own and helping to assist and enrich life. His work reflects not only the spirit of the age but to lead it forward, to state the values, set the goals, point the direction and lead to new paths. A product of his times, he also saw ahead and brought nearer his vision of the international landscape to come. He maintained that the ultimate truth was one, that every religion shows some traces of it and it is a matter of indifference to which religion we adhere.
His power of reconciliation, of understanding and interpreting the conflicting positions was so well recognised that when he was appointed ambassador to the then Soviet Union, his appointment was hailed by Guru Golwalkar, Hiren Mukherjee and Sarat Bose with equal enthusiasm. His approach to world issues was such that he won acclaim from Stalin, Mao Tse Tung and Kennedy in equal measure. Such an achievement of an individual is all the more unique when the climate of Cold War was at its peak. His life and style are more relevant today than in the times when he lived. The life of S. Radhakrishnan would continue to be a beacon torch for the world leaders and thinkers that in the face of conflict potentials, it is possible to keep the feet firmly rooted to the ground and arrive at solutions which meet the general consensus.
This article has been excerpted
from the Seventh Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Memorial Lecture delivered
by Union HRD minister Murli Manohar Joshi at the Indian Institute of Advanced
Study, Shimla