Swami Vivekanand Political Science YouTube Lecture Handouts

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Swami Vivekanand Political Science

Introduction

  • Swami Vivekananda had tried to bring this Vedantic philosophy to the mass. He opined, the first step in getting strength to be upholding the Upanishads and believing in self. Swami Vivekananda was a key figure in the 19th century spiritual revival in India.
  • Generally, he was considered to be a spiritual leader without a relation to politics. Yet he was the first Indian patriot to inspire the political ideologies of revolutionaries against the British Government.
Illustration: Introduction

Political Idea

  • Although Vivekananda never participated in politics in a narrow sense, but that does not mean he had no political ideologies, in an article published in the Madras Times.
  • In February 1897 he said β€œThe great national sin is the neglect of the masses, and that is one of the causes of our downfall. No amount of politics would be of any avail until the masses in India are once more well educated, well fed, and well cared for.” This statement clearly establishes his political ideologies.

Sociological Perspectives

The ideas of Vivekananda cover almost all aspects of socio-political developments. We can make a list on which Vivekananda had given his remarks time and again:

  • Upholding nationalism
  • Implementation of Vedantic system of education.
  • Achieving social justice and a system of equal opportunity.
  • Steps towards socialism particularly achieving the concept of spiritual socialism.
  • Development of marginalized classes (Dalits & untouchables) by adopting reasonable classification.
  • Steps towards secularism.
  • His ideas, writings and speeches strongly influenced the development of modern socio-political framing of India.

✍ Mayank