'The Universal Message of Hindu Dharma according to Swami Vivekananda' by Prof. S. Naganath

In the 21st century, Swami Vivekananda is considered as a rationalist with secular outlook. He interpreted Hindu Dharma in the light of Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings. Max Muller in his book on “Sri Ramakrishna” quotes the words of Ramakrishna, “As a lamp does not burn without oil, so a man cannot live without God”. He told modern man God was essential to man’s existence. According to John. C. Travell, a congregational minister, “Ramakrishna found God in each religion because he did not merely take from them what fitted his own ideas, he sought first to know them from the inside, to understand them for themselves. His devotion was always to God and the truth first. His belief in the underlying unity and harmony of all religions was an expression of that learning.

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An overview of “Three hundred Ramayanas”- A critical essay by A. K. Ramanujan - by Prof. S. Naganath

This critical essay is written by the well-known bilingual poet, linguist and scholar A. K. Ramanujan. This essay also carries a subtitle “Five examples and three thoughts on translation”. It is an established fact that the two great epics “Ramayana” and “Mahabharata” have far reaching influence over all of the Indian subcontinent and South – East Asia. During the last two centuries, its appeal has become global. The date of Rama’s birth, the date of Rama’s battle against Ravana and the date of writing of Ramayana by sage Valmiki and the Uttara Ramayana as an added appendage at a later date, all have become topics of unresolved debate.

A. K. Ramanujan gives one version of Ramayana in the beginning of the essay, which deals with the deaths of Lakshmana and Rama. Lord Rama was sitting on his throne and his ring fell through a crevice in the ground and reached the nether world. His trusted Lieutenant Hanuman was sent to fetch the ring as he could reduce his body to the size of an atom. In the absence of Hanuman, Brahma and noted sage Vasistha came to parley with king Rama. Lakshmana was asked to stand guard at the door and not allow anyone to disturb the confidential talks.

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An Ancient Seer in Modern Age - Sri Aurobindo (1872 - 1950) by Prof. S. Naganath

Sri Aurobindo’s full name is Aurobindo Acroyd Ghose. His alma mater Cambridge University classified “Acroyd” as a Christian Middle name. His father Dr. Krishnadhan Ghose was a civil surgeon and his mother Swarnalatha Devi (Basu) hailed from a Bengali aristocratic family. His ardent disciples consider his date of birth 15th August 1872 as an ominous indicator of India’s future date of liberation from British colonial Sri Aurobindo’s full name is Aurobindo Acroyd Ghose. His alma mater Cambridge University classified “Acroyd” as a Christian Middle name. His father Dr. Krishnadhan Ghose was a civil surgeon and his mother Swarnalatha Devi (Basu) hailed from a Bengali aristocratic family. His ardent disciples consider his date of birth 15th August 1872 as an ominous indicator of India’s future date of liberation from British colonial shackles.

Dr. K. D. Ghose was a diehard Anglophile and a great lover of Western culture. He sent his three sons to England for proper English school and University education. Sri Aurobindo the youngest son was only seven when he was sent to a distant foreign land six thousand miles away. The three boys were boarders in a clergyman’s house in Manchester city with strict instructions to the caretakers that these three boys must not be allowed to interact with any Indians, and not speak any Indian tongue during their stay in England.

Sri Aurobindo later went to St. Paul’s School in London and later went to Cambridge University on a senior classical scholarship to King’s College. He earned a First Class classical Tripos third division certificate after two years of study and did not graduate from Cambridge University as he did not pursue his final year studies there. Sri Aurobindo had become a true WOG (Westernised Oriental Gentleman) with a good knowledge of Greek, Latin, French, German, Italian and Spanish. He was a European scholar of classics and he did not know any Indian languages including his mother tongue Bengali and the classical language of India Sanskrit. He wrote the I.C.S open examination and got selected in 1890. He deliberately misled the compulsory horse riding test conducted by the examiners and hence got disqualified. Then His Highness Sayyaji Rao Gaekwad of Baroda offered him a job in Baroda Civil Service.

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