RELIGION AND THE RISE OF NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS IN INDIA

Dr.SanchitaNag

RELIGION AND THE RISE OF NATIONAL

IN INDIA

ABSTRACT

One of the fundamental elements in the colonial conceptualization of India as a “different” society was the fixed belief that the population was a mélange of communities.Religion,particularlytheSanatanHinduDharma,inthiscontext,wasoneofthefundamentalelementsthatcametointerprettheIndiansociety,when EuropeanmodernitywithitsfullfledgedappearancehadmadeitimpossiblefortheIndianstoliveanymoreinanisolatedspaceofhistory

Withscienceandrationalismmakingtheirwayintothelandofimmensepotentiality,holdingthehandsofthethenmasterrace–theBritish,theideaofan'imagined potentialnation'wasalsogettingentrenched.Theflagbearersofindigenoustradition,andmorality,notablyRajaRammohanRoy,BhudevMukhopadhyay,Bankim ChandraChattopadhyay,SwamiVivekananda,andothersuchluminariestriedtocombinetheirreveredbeliefsystem–Hinduism,withthatofwesternrationalityand pragmatismamidstmyriadofpossibilities.

Thepresentpaperseekstoexaminehowthetheoreticalfoundationsfor nationalintegrationwasbeinglaiddownincloseconnectionwiththeHindureligionandits spiritualassimilationduringthenineteenthcentury,when,forthefirsttimeinIndianhistory,twosocietieswithutterlydifferentfundamentalpropertiesandhistorical tendenciescameintocontact.

KEYWORDS:Nationhood,Hinduism,Spirituality,Rationalism,Orientalism.

INTRODUCTION:

Indian nationhood construction had been one of the most crucial events of the nineteenth century era. With the onset of Enlightenment and modernity, new ideas,newdiscoveries,andnewwayofthinkingmadetheirpresencefeltinan assertivewayintheotherwisetraditionalsocietyofIndiaaftertheofficialtransferofpowertotheImperialrulersofEnglandinthemidnineteenthcentury Subsequently, India with her long established and cherished notions of culture and traditionfacedanunprecedentedconflictwithEuropeanmodernity

Inspiteofthisconfrontation,Indiasurvived.Itwasarevivaloftheculturalpast based on the Hindu Sanatan Dharma and a reawakening of the once vibrant nationalcultureandnationalcharacterthatsavedIndiaatsuchcriticalmomentof history Theentireprocessreceivedanewandvigorousimpetusatthehandsof some of the leading thought-leaders of the then era, notably Raja Rammohan Roy,BhudevMukhopadhyay,BankimChandraChatterjee,SwamiVivekananda andothers.Theirefforts,inthisregard,standasoneofthemostimportantonesso farasIndiannationhoodconstructionisconcerned.Inthepresentpaper,theirsignificant role toward India's reawakening as a 'nation' has been undertaken to understandthisveryphenomenon.

Keepinginmindthethenscenario,theabovementionedgroupofBengaliintelligentsia with their profound sense of knowledge and insight took up the task of national reconstruction and national regeneration to reawaken the otherwise 'lost'nationalconsciousnessofthemasses.

TheideaofIndiannationhoodconstructionhasbeenthesubjectmatterofseveral scholarly writings (Tapan Raychaudhuri 1988; Partha Chatterjee 1986, 1993, 1997,1999;SudiptaKaviraj2010).However,thesewritingshaveattemptedto provideageneraloverviewofthesaidphenomenonmostlyfromapost-colonial standpoint, by highlighting both the critical aspects of cultural dimensions as well as the political rhetoric of nationhood construction in alignment with the westerndevelopment.

METHODOLOGY:

Thisisessentiallyatheoreticalresearchwhichseekstoexploreandunderstand theriseofnationalconsciousnessinIndiainthenineteenthcentury Forthepurpose of doing so, the research has particularly deployed the ethno-symbolist approachpropagatedbyAnthonySmiththroughoutinanalyzingthenationhood constructionprocessinIndia.

Besides, the research has also undertaken an in depth study of the then socioculturalhistorythataugmentedtheprocessofnationhoodconstructioninIndia.

For the purpose of conducting this research, we have extensively used books, journalsandarticlesrelatedtotheresearchtheme.

Theself-imagesofIndianshavebeenmuchaffectedbycolonialismoverthepast

centuries.“TheimpactofBritishrule,bourgeoisieeconomyandmodernwestern culturewasfeltfirstinBengal.Foraboutacentury,Bengal'sconsciousawareness of the changing modern world was more developed than and ahead of the restofIndia”(Sarkar,1970).Throughoutthecolonialliterature,amidstseveral things, the contact between the West and the East and the resulting effects has remainedconstant.ThesuperiorityoftheWestwasinthematerialityofitsculture.Butculturedidnotconsistonlyofthematerialaspectoflife.Therewasthe spiritualaspecttoo,andheretheEuropeanEnlightenmenthadlittletocontribute. Inthespiritualaspectofculture,theEastwassuperior–andhence,undominated. Itwasthisculturaldomainofsuperioritythatwastiedwiththenationalstruggle against western political domination. In other words, as rightly pointed out Raychaudhuri, “Modally, the emerging nationalist consciousness adopted the heritageofHinducultureasthefocusofitsidentityandgloriedintheHindupast” (Raychaudhuri, 1988). Quite naturally, as is well known, the Hindu past is closelylinkedwiththeidealsofSanatanHinduDharma–oneofthefoundational stonesofthisancientcivilization.Anaturalandselectivevenerationforelements in the Hindu tradition formed thereby the cultural bedrock of the emerging nationalistawareness.

UnliketheWest,theEasthasbeendominatedmostlybytheinnerstructuresof themorefamiliarconceptof'society',wherepeoplecometoexperienceaclosely knitconnectionwitheachother Thetraditionaljoint-familysystemdominated theentirescenariooftheIndiansocialstructure.Akindofpersonal,immediate and daily relationship existed between the individual and the country, which Tagore characterized as the 'Swadeshi Samaj' – an indigenous and native community BhudevMukhopadhyay,ontheotherhand,otherwiseanutterlyconservative,yetathinkermuchaheadofhistime,upheldthe'society'asthecorestructure for building up the feeling of 'sameness', 'togetherness' and 'Jatiyobhab' –nationalfeelingorconsciousness.Accordingtohim,“societyisoneofthemost fundamental elements, which the Buddhists revere as 'Sangha', while the Comteistsas'Humanity'.AnditistheHindusocietyaboveall,thatisstillpermanentandfirmlyentrenched,whilethoseofancientEgyptian,Persian,Greekand Romancivilizationshavewitheredaway”(Mukhopadhyay,(1892)1957).

Throughout the ages India had sought after spiritual freedom. This aspect becamemoreconspicuouswiththeBritishinvasion.AsRadhakrishnancogently remarked,“ThoughtheBritishhavebeeninIndiaformanydecades,Indiancultureoccupieslessspaceintheirthoughtsandstudies.TheordinaryEnglishman isinterestedinlawandorder,inpoliticalandeconomicrelations,andisindifferenttothelifeandthoughtwhichalonecanbindpeoplestogether Hethinksthat he has comprehended India because he has conquered it” (Radhakrishnan, 1940).Therefore,thelacunaonpartoftheBritishimperialiststounderstandthe Indian complexity in terms of her spirituality, heterogeneity, toleration and accommodativenaturelatergaverisetothetheoryofOrientalism,andthesubsequentconceptof“theother”.AsareactionagainstsuchEuropean'constructs'as well as the criticism by foreigners resulted in attention being focused on one's Hinduidentityandtheneedtodefenditagainstallassailants,nativeorforeign.

AssistantProfessor,DepartmentofPoliticalScience,KaziNazrulIslamMahavidylaya,Churulia-713368,PaschimBurdwan,West Bengal,India.

The West is mostly characterized by its unending urge for industrialism, civic constructionofmoderncitizenandruleoflawunderthebannerofthe'STATE'. Whereas India, has been the central place for upholding ideological premises basedonage-oldculture,tradition,ritualandsimilarotherpracticeswithinthe domainof'SOCIETY'.WhiletheWestwasbusyseparatingreligionandstateas twodifferentspheres,India,byvirtueofitsaccommodativenatureemphasized upon building a concrete base – which was undoubtedly Hinduism – wherein wouldresttheentireedificeofnationhoodconstruction.

Itis,however,significantthattheveryfirstgenerationofwestern-educatedBengalis felt attracted to the ideals of national liberation and post-enlightenment rationalism.“Negatively”,however,aspointsoutRaychaudhuri,“onedominant driveofEuropeannationalism–colonialexpansionandaggressivewars–was universallydetestedinnineteenthcenturyBengal.ThisunqualifiedrejectioncoexistedparadoxicallywithagenuinesenseofwonderabouttheBritishempireas a marvelous feat, albeit the product of many ruthless wars of aggression” (Raychaudhuri,1988).Asasubsequentresponsetothesedevelopments,rightly arguesParthaChatterjeethat,“anticolonialnationalismcreatesitsowndomain of sovereignty within colonial society well before it begins its political battle withimperialpower Itdoesthisbydividingtheworldofsocialinstitutionsand practices into two domains – the material and the spiritual.The material is the domainofthe“outside”,oftheeconomyandofstatecraft,ofscienceandtechnology, a domain where theWest had proved its superiority and the East had succumbed.Inthisdomain,then,Westernsuperiorityhadtobeacknowledgedand itsaccomplishmentscarefullystudiedandreplicated.Thespiritual,ontheother hand,isan“inner”domainbearingthe“essential”marksofculturalidentity The greater one's success in imitating Western skills in the material domain, therefore, the greater the need to preserve the distinctness of one's spiritual culture” (Chatterjee,1992).

In this context, the nineteenth century Indian nationalists' celebration of the 'Aryan India' could be regarded as the “phase of nationalist consciousness” whichwasconstructeduponthespiritualinnerrealmoftheindigenousculture. “Itwastheeraof'Bhadrolok'moderates,andtheideaofan'independent'India was no where even in the liberal best of the liberal mind of the era, i.e., Rammohan”(Bhattacharyya,2013).Toputitprecisely,themoderatesbyvirtue oftheireruditelearning,conversantbothinindigenousandwesternstudies,were morethansurethatthesametypeofEuropeannationbuildingcouldnotbereplicatedinIndia.TheEuropeanswhosetfootonthesecontinentswereChristians, initiatedinthecreedoflovingeventheirenemies.Butthatdidnotstopthemfrom uprootingandexterminatingtheaboriginalsoftheseplaces.Incontradistinction tothisviolentprocess,theHinducivilizationputtogetheranastoundinglyhuge communitythataccommodatedalltypesofracesandethnicgroups.

HenceforththeimmediateprocessthatthethenBengalintelligentsiasresortedto wasthatof“asynthesis”–asynthesisofthebestthoughtoftheEastandtheWest. Simultaneously, a deconstruction of “orientalism”, i.e. systematic effort of the colonizersoftheoccidenttoconstructtheorientastheinferior,uncultured'other' whomustbeunderthetutelageofthesuperiorwesternpowersfor'their'benefit” (Bhattacharyya, 2013), was the major task Rammohan, Bhudev, Bankim, Tagore, Vivekananda engaged themselves with. Culturally, thus, they yearned forareturntothepastethnicandculturalheritageandpoliticallywishedforthe assimilationofthevastdiversitiesunderacentralizedhomogenousauthority

Itwasamidstsuchturbulenttimes,thatthethenintelligentsiasofthenineteenth centuryBengalinparticular,andIndiaingeneral,soughttoconfrontthecontinualEuropeanassaultthatIndiansbynaturearetimid,weakandeffeminate-like. BhudevMukhopadhyay,forinstance,drewexcerptsfromtheSastrastopointout that the present characteristics of the Bharatbarshiyas developed out of a long establishedtradition,wheretheemphasishadalwaysbeentoseekthewell-being of others by remaining unattached to the consequences.This is what forms the crux of the eternal Sanatan Dharma, of which Bhudev's stress upon the strict adherencetoBrahminicalcustomsandfollowingoftheritualisticpracticesonly served the purpose of an outer layering which he believed if maintained with utmostsincerityanddevotion,theexternalassaultswillbecometolerantenough toriseabovethepresentchaoticenvironment.

It was in this connection, that Bhudev brought forth the idea of homeland or fatherland, while arguing his case of Jatiyobhab. The love for one's fatherland andtheloveforone'snationmightappearsimilar,butthereisasubtledifference. “Literally,patriotismis“loveofthecountry”,andaccordingtomanytraditional defendersoftheideal“itisahigherfeelingthanthatofobligationtothesovereign”,andonethatthesovereignmayhimselfnourish”(Mukhopadhyay,2010). AccordingtoScruton,patriotismstandsfor“anattempttofindpoliticalobligationinpurelysocialallegiances”,whilenationalismis“anattempttoconceiveof the sentiment on the model of love from child to parent” (Scruton cited in Mukhopadhyay,2010).

Itbecomesclearfromtheabovethatwhilepatriotismessentiallydealswiththe politicalaspectofone'sfeelingtowardstheterritoriallandscapecalledcountry, nationalismillustratesawideperspectivebydealingwiththeemotions,byshowingthelovetowardthelargestfeltdescentgroup.Besides,the'civicnationalism', whichmodernistspreferandwhichisreallyonlypatriotism,isindeeda'rational' kind of loyalty and can be rationally explained, argues Connor; but 'ethno-

nationalism',whichistheonlynationalism,canneverberationallyexplained.It canonlybeanalysed–andinvoked(ConnorcitedinSmith,2001).Connorfurtherargues,thatnationalistleadersappealdirectlytothesenseofsharedblood. ForWalkerConnor,“thenationis“agroupofpeoplewhobelievethattheyare ancestrallyrelated”;thenationisultimatelybasedonfeltkinshipties;itsessence is a psychological bond that joins a people and differentiates it from everyone else, in the subconscious conviction of its members” (Connor cited in Smith, 2001).

Theessenceofthisvery'feltkinshipties',incontextofIndia,liesintheSanatan HinduDharma–thereligionofuniversaltoleration–thathassincetheagesbeen able to join the discreet people together under a single whole, called Bharatbarsha. It would be pertinent to note here that though the hold of traditional Hindu practice on the lives of all but a few among the Bengali Hindu Intelligentialwasstillverystronginthesecondhalfofnineteenthcentury,none invokedHindufundamentalismasisoftenclaimed.Instead,almostalltheluminariesspokeaboutasynthesis–abindingforcethatwillbringeveryoneunder the same roof.And this could not be achieved by anything else, but Hinduism, sincehistoryisampleenoughtoprovethathowithastoleratedinnumerableinvasionsfromtimetotimeandhasneverfallenapartorscatteredintopieces.

Infact,themostintriguingaspectofthenineteenthcenturynationalawakeningis the fact that out of the propagators of the Hindu Dharma itself, the critical and rationalreformers,oritwouldbebettertosaytheculturalrevivalists,cameforwardandgotengagedinthedailytoilofadvancingthebackwardconditionsof thefellownativeswithanunfalteringvisionoftheirbrightmodernfuture.Thisis indicativeoftwoimportantfacts:one,thatHinduismwasnotwithoutitsfaults: and second, unlike the traditionalists or Hindu chauvinists, like Sasadhar TarkachudamaniandKrishnabihariSen,forinstance,whostronglyprojectedthe Hindu superiority and the unacceptability of the western civilization, the nineteenthcenturyBengalintelligentsiawerenotcontendedwiththestatusquo,and thereby desired ardently to bring forth an imagined Bharatbarsha. To follow Hans Kohn, this could be described as “cultural nationalism”, where “being entirelyawareofthesocialandpoliticalbackwardnessoftheirculturecompared withtheWest,nationalistscreatedavisionarynationbasedonancienthistorical memoriesanduniqueculturalattributes,andtheyassertedagainstrationalistcitizenshipidealsoftheWest,thesuperiormysticalorganicbondbetweenpeasant, landandcommunity”(Kohn,1944).

Takingacuefromtheabove,itcouldbeargued,thatwhileRammohanRoywas throughoutconcernedaboutthestagnant,degradedandcorruptstateintowhich the native society had fallen, it was his deep love for the people which sought their all-round regeneration that lead him toward a critical appreciation of the valueofmodernWesterncultureandtheancientwisdomoftheEastalike,andhis untiringmany-sidedeffortsinfightingforimprovingtheconditionsaroundhim. AsSarkarpointedout,“Rammohan,sincehischildhood,objectedandresisted anysortofirrationalorthodoxy InhisGifttoMonotheists,hearguedthatthenaturaltendencyinallreligionswastowardsmonotheism,butunfortunatelypeople have always emphasized their special, peculiar creeds, forms of worship and practiceswhichtendtoseparateonereligionfromanother”(Sarkar,1970).

Later on, his fight against priestcraft, the oppressive and inhuman practice of Sati,thefoundationofAtmiyaSabhain 1815andBrahmoMovementin1823, hisvindicationoftheancientHinduShastrasandhislifelongstruggletoachieve monotheism, shows his arduous efforts in doing away with the evils that were plaguingtheHindusocietyfromwithin.Subsequently,“WiththeaimofpreventingthecurrentperversionsoftheancientHindureligion,whichhislearnedand thoughtful contemporaries tolerated in their contempt and pity for the ignorant multitude, he published between 1815 and 1817 the Bengali translation of the authoritativeVedantatogetherwithanabridgementandalsotranslatedfiveofthe principalUpanishads,todemonstratetothegeneralpublicthattheHinduscripturesthemselvespreachedmonotheism”(Sarkar,1970).

Rammohan'ssternreactionagainstthevulgarreligionofsuperstitiousidolworshipforthemassesandthenon-translationsofthescripturesintothevernacular arewellknownfacts.Thepublicationofthescripturesinvernacularlanguages andtranslationsoftheUpanishads,whichwasexclusivelydominatedsofarby the educated elite, i.e. the orthodox Brahmins, the emergence of “print media” tookplaceinthemostvisibleformundertheinitiativeofRammohanRoy This could very well be regarded as the cultural pre-requisites for the emergence of nationalismviatheinterpretationofreligiousprinciplesinanewlightusingdifferentmodes,quotingAndersonwhichcouldbetermedas“literacy,masseducationandprintcapitalism”.“Itis'printcapitalism',accordingtoAnderson,which providesthenewinstitutionalspaceforthedevelopmentofthemodern'national language'”(1983)andsubsequently,nationalism.

Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, another stalwart of the nineteenth century nationalawakening,wasstronglyrationalistandfirmlycommittedtothemethodsof'science',andthoughtofhimselfasapositivist;hewasstronglyinfluenced byComte,JohnStuartMill,andlaterHerbertSpencer Intheparticularcontext ofacolonialcountry,thequestionthatperturbedBankimchandrawas,whyhas Indiabeenasubjectnationforsuchalongtime?ForBankim,theobviousanswer was – Indians lack physical strength and courage, because, as the Europeans alwaysallege,the'Hindoos'are'effeminate'(Chatterjee,1986).Thesecondrea-

sonforthesubjectionofIndiaisbecauseofthelackofsolidarityinHindusociety

Bankim uses the rationalist critique of Christianity to demolish the claims of Europeanreligionasasuitablemoralphilosophyofmanlivinginamodernscientificageand,byimplication,toexposetheirrationalityofreformistattemptsto 'Christianize'insomeformorotherthepopularreligiouspracticesandbeliefsin Indiansociety ParthaChatterjeepointsout,“Inthe1884tractentitled“TheTheory of Religion”, Bankim had set out the concept of Anushilana or practice. Anushilana,to him, was a 'system of culture',more completeand more perfect thanthewesternconceptofculture.Itisbasedontheconceptofbhaktiwhich,in turn,impliedtheunityofknowledgeandduty Therewerethreekindsofknowledge–knowledgeoftheworld,oftheselfandofGod.Knowledgeoftheworld consisted of mathematics, astronomy, physics and chemistry, and these one wouldhavetolearnfromthewest.Knowledgeoftheselfmeantbiologyandsociology,andthesetooonewouldhavetolearnfromtheWest.Finallyknowledgeof God,andinthisfieldtheHinduShastrascontainedthegreatesthumanachievements – the Upanisad, the Darsana, the Purana, the Itihasa, but principally the Gita”(Chatterjee,1986).

Religion,inthiscontext,mightprovetobethepedestalbearinguponwhichone could reach the zenith of discipline, and achieve endurance up to the optimum level.InthewordsofRadhakrishnan,“Therealqualityofreligionisbroughtout byourincessantsearch,unceasingquest,forknowingthetruthofthingsandfor increasingtheobjectsofcompassionwehaveinthisworld.Intensityofsearch andextensionofobjectstowhichweapplylove,theseconstitutethetwosidesof atrulyspiritualman.Wemustalwayskeepupthispursuitoftruthuntilweare abletodiscoverit,seeitfacetoface.Andwhateveritmaybe,everyhumanindividualhasgotthesameimpulseinhimandsodeservesourlove,ourconsideration.Society,allcivilization,hasbeenonepersistentefforttoliveinharmony withotherbeings.Wemaintainthiseffort.Wegoontryinguntilthewholeworld becomesourownfamily;ourkingdom”(Radhakrishnan,2009).Healsopointed out that “The Hindu scriptures, the Vedas register the experiences of the seers whograppledwiththefundamentalreality TheclaimoftheVedasrestsonspiritual experience which is the birthright of every man. This experience may be gained by anyone who undergoes a certain discipline and puts forth an effort” (Radhakrishnan,2009).Thisinshort,istheessenceoftheHinduDharma,where noneisdiscriminatedinone'sefforttoseektheknowledgeoftheAbsoluteoran illuminedpersonalexperienceoftheSupreme.Itteachesmantogetridofreligious antagonisms, religious animosities which divide man from man, make themgetbacktotherootsofreality Atruereligiousenlightenmentgivescomfort and also emphasize service to man. This is the very essence of the growing nationalistconsciousnessofthethenperiod.

In a similar tone, Bhudev Mukhopadhyay, the otherwise “Forgotten Brahmin” (SudiptaKaviraj,2010),inhismagnumopusSamajikPrabandha/EssayOnSociety, published in 1895, recognized the contributions of the other religious denominationsthataccordingtohimhelpedinbuildingupofnationalconsciousnessorJatiyobhab.Forinstance,atonepointthoughheneverforgetsthecrisisof subjugationhisreveredHinduSamajhasbeengoingthroughsinceages,healso admitsthatfacedwithpluralityoflanguage,culturalpracticesandethnicgroups alloverthecountry,therewasonlyonecommonfactorinunitingIndiaandestablishingitsclaimofalongpast–Hinduphilosophy,religionandtradition.Itwas thereforeverynecessaryforhimtoestablishthatdespitealllinguistic,ethnicand socio-cultural differences there was one common uniting factor in India since timeimmemorial–theHindureligion.Itwasalsoanimperativetoprovethatits 'history' is as 'authentic' as that of the European's claim about the Greek and Romanhistory

Thus, despite criticized for being a conservative Hindu, Bhudev was a modern pragmaticman,whonevermovedawayfromhistaskofdevelopingJatiyobhab under some emotional and impractical thought process. Bhudev's support towardsrestrictionsincommensalitycouldbeacaseinpoint.Whenaskedbya European friend that why Bhudev would not dine with him, he gave an apologetic answer that is perhaps the key note in understanding his orthodox stand: “Diningwithyouwouldbeanactinviolationofoursocialcode.Couldtherebea stronger reason [for declining your invitation]? Besides consider what else we are left with? We have lost our political freedom, our religion is under your attack,ourvernacularliteraturehasnotreachedalevelonecanbeproudof.What elsehavewegottogiveusasenseofprideorhelpmaintainourindividuality[asa people]?You may call it superstition or a social code; the system of castes and codes of ritual conduct are all that we have now-these I cannot abandon” (Mukhopadhyay cited in Raychaudhuri, 1988). As transparent to any reader Bhudev's“orthodoxyinthesemattershadstrongnationalistovertones,andwith goodreason”(Raychaudhuri,1988).

Swami Vivekananda, the revolutionary Hindu revivalist of the period, on the otherhand, tookup thenationalistprojectafterBhudev andBankim.Facedby thechallengesofWesternideaofmodernization,hecameforwardtodefendthe nativecommunityby presentingapolycentricvisionof aworld of distinctand equalnations,inwhichthenativeHinduculturehasplayedinthepastandwillin the future play an active role.Vivekananda proposed to the world an authentic India,adynamicAryancivilizationthathadbeenintouchwithotherworldcentres of learning (Persia and Greece) and that rejected any inherent barriers

betweenthesexes,castes,andbetweenreligiousandsecularbranchesofknowledge.Heattackedthereligioustaboosoncontactswithaliensandthecastelaws prescribed by the Brahmin priests as a form of degeneration of this otherwise democraticcivilization.Hesincerelybelieved,thattolearnfromforeigncultures entailednobreakwithIndiantradition.Onthecontrary,itwasmerelyawayof recovering skills and knowledge which was once in Indian possession. For Vivekananda,thenationisaspontaneoussolidaritythatfromitsfoundationsis continuouslyevolvingthroughcyclesofachievementanddecline.

Swami Vivekananda's phenomenal presence in the World Parliament of ReligionsheldinChicagoin1893hadcreatedamuchneededandunprecedentedstir throughoutthenation,whichheaccumulatedtogetherwithhisowncharismato give rise to a collective identity breaking all the limitations. He specifically focusedonrevivingtheculturalpastwhichhewassurewillbeplayingamajor roleinthefutureaswell.VivekanandaasthechampionofVedantaphilosophy hadcreatedahighdegreeofinterestinhimselfandhisworkintheworldforum, which is of great significance since prior to him, none with such profound and insightful knowledge had presented the Hindu thought in a foreign land with suchcreativityandclarity Hispositionwasmorethanthatoftheroleofanintelligentsia,forunlikethemhedidn'tbecameawholesome'modernist'bybecominganadmireroftheWestdespisingeverynativething,neitherwashea'traditionalist'whodeniedallvaluetotheforeign.

TheVedanta,inthisregard,wasaninseparablepartofSwamiVivekananda'spersonality and was the constitutive element of his conception of the nation. He livedandbreathedthisphilosophywhilepreachingittoIndiaandtheWest.To quote Vivekananda, “The Hindus found their creed upon the ancient Vedas, a wordderivedfromVid,“toknow””(Vivekananda,2012).

Swami Vivekananda's ideals were not simply to spread Hindu thought in the Westernlandfullofstrangersortosearchforhisownenquiries.Hewasalsoto establishhisclaimtoIndia'snationhoodbasedonitsantiquity Themainartefact thatheusedwasourVedantictraditionwhichhemodifiedforhisresurrectionof theIndianpastandreawakeningofthenationalpride.HemadehisfirmdeclarationattheParliamentaboutnon-dogmatismandopennessofHinduisminthefollowing words: “I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world bothtoleranceanduniversalacceptance.Webelievenotonlyinuniversaltoleration,butweacceptallreligionsastrue”(Vivekananda,2012).

Whilepursuingthisapproach,nowhere,doesVivekanandaseekstopreachadogmaticreligionlikethoseoftheAbrahamicones,neitherhefailstospreadthemessageof'assimilation'betweentheEastandWestbyidentifyingthesuperiorityof eachintheirrespectivefieldstogetclosertotheultimatetruthof'Oneness'and 'Unity'.Thus,wecouldverywellfeeltheessenceofwhatVivekanandastartedas thephilosophyofreligion,graduallyevolvedintosuchaspiritualtraditionwhich consisted of both modern and missionary, even scientific, traits to get itself adjusted to the contemporary world dominated by Western knowledge, power andculture.ItwasgoingtobethemainaxisofIndia'snationhood.

CONCLUSION:

Fromtheabovediscussion,itcouldthusbesaidthat,facingtheindomitablechallenge of the Western ideas of 'political sovereignty' and the supremacy of the 'statesystem',thesestalwartsupheldtheideaoftheir'nationhoodconstruction' on the basis of the 'Hindu culture' and 'spiritual sovereignty' with unfaltering determinationandintegrity

No doubt, that together with language, ethnicity, common blood or 'volk', the SanatanHinduDharma,inthenineteenthcenturyplayedasignificantroleinthe developmentofproto-nationalism,wheretheconsciousnessofcommonpeople believesintheauldlangsyne,topossess a“state”oftheirown.Thus,toquote Swamiji, “the Hindu says that political and social independence are well and good,buttherealthingis'spiritualindependence'–Mukti.Thisisour“national purpose”(Vivekananda,2005).

Amidstsuchdevelopments,theconceptof'historicalnation'becameverypopular in the late nineteenth century discourse. As regards the idea of 'historical nation', Hobsbawm himself admits that “Nevertheless, in one way or another membershipofahistoric(oractual)statepresentorpast,canactdirectlyuponthe consciousness of the common people to produce proto-nationalism or perhaps even, as in case of Tudor England, something close to modern patriotism” (Hobsbawm,1992).

Forthenineteenthcenturynationalistselites,engagedinconstructingaterritorial statefor'their'nation,aclaimtoan'ancientstate'belongingspecificallytothat nation,'onceuponatimeorsincelongpast'wasbothapoliticalnecessityanda convenienttooltomobilizethemasses.Nodoubtitprovokedstrongemotional sentimentssonecessaryfornationalbonding.This'nostalgia',asJohnArmstrong demonstratedinhiswork,Nationsbeforenationalism,“promotedstrongnationalistbonding”(1982).Butthishasledsomenationalistmovements“toreachfar backbeyondtherealmemoryoftheirpeoplesinthesearchforasuitable(andsuitablyimpressive)nationalstateinthepast”(Hobsbawm,1992).

It will not be out of place to quote Ernest Renan – one of the popular French Orientalist – in this regard.According to Renan, “the cultural/ethnic symbols,

memories, myths, language, and all that people believe to have carried since antiquity–richlegacyofremembrances”(Renan,1882),oftenarousesinthem thepassionatepsychologicalyearningsandtheactualconsent,thedesiretolive together, the will to continue to value the heritage which all hold in common. ThisphenomenonhasbeenappropriatelyidentifiedbyRaychaudhurias“anelementofsocialneurosisinthelatenineteenthcenturypreoccupationwithHindu gloryamongalargesectionoftheBengaliintelligentsia”(Raychaudhuri,1988) –oneofthechiefcharacteristicsoftheera.

It could be said from the above exploration of the sincere efforts of the then intelligentsias that their ideas still hold significant implication for our current ongoing efforts toward nationhood construction – the foundational basis of whichtheyhaveundeniablypremisedupontheSanatanHinduDharmaandthe ancientIndianVedicpast.However,theuniquenessofthemodelisthatdespite beingrootedinthereligionpracticedbythemajoritysincetheVedicAge,itdoes notinstigateanyhatredtowardotherreligiousdenomination,noritprojectsany ideaofxenophobiatobepracticedatthecostofotherethnicidentities.Undoubtedly,thegrandprojectofthestalwartsofthethenerawasaninclusionaryone, fromtheperspectiveofthesynthesisoftheEastandtheWestaswellasthesynthesisoftheinternalpluralities,whichwillbeofgreatimportanceforformulatingourfuturenotionsofIndiannationhoodconstruction.

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