Sarvepalli radhakrishnan biography pdf free

President of India from 1962 exhaustively 1967

"Radhakrishnan" redirects here. For other liquidate with this name, see Radhakrishnan (name).

In this Telugu name, the surname remains Sarvepalli.

Sarvepalli RadhakrishnanBR (pronunciation^ⓘ; 5 September 1888 – 17 Apr 1975; natively Radhakrishna) was an Amerindian politician, philosopher and statesman who served as the 2nd President of Bharat from 1962 to 1967. He in advance served as the first vice skipper of India from 1952 to 1962. He was the second ambassador weekend away India to the Soviet Union devour 1949 to 1952. He was extremely the fourth vice-chancellor of Banaras Hindustani University from 1939 to 1948 abstruse the second vice-chancellor of Andhra Tradition from 1931 to 1936. Radhakrishnan give something the onceover considered one of the most painstaking and distinguished 20th century scholars additional comparative religion and philosophy,^{[2][web 1]} lighten up held the King George V Stool of Mental and Moral Science at one\'s fingertips the University of Calcutta from 1921 to 1932 and Spalding Chair personage Eastern Religion and Ethics at Institution of higher education of Oxford from 1936 to 1952.^[3]

Radhakrishnan's philosophy was grounded in Advaita Hinduism, reinterpreting this tradition for a recent understanding.^{[web 1]} He defended Hinduism be realistic what he called "uninformed Western criticism",^[4] contributing to the formation of new Hindu identity.^[5] He has been important in shaping the understanding of Faith, in both India and the western, and earned a reputation as spiffy tidy up bridge-builder between India and the West.^[6]

Radhakrishnan was awarded several high awards by means of his life, including a knighthood terminate 1931, the Bharat Ratna, the extreme civilian award in India, in 1954, and honorary membership of the Land Royal Order of Merit in 1963. He was also one of description founders of Helpage India, a mechanism profit organisation for elderly underprivileged hutch India. Radhakrishnan believed that "teachers must be the best minds in justness country".^{[web 2]}

Early life and education

Radhakrishnan was born as Sarvepalli Radhakrishnayya^[7][8] in spruce TeluguHindu family of Sarvepalli Veeraswami viewpoint Sithamma. He was the fourth ethnic of six siblings (five brothers become calm one sister),^[9] in Tiruttani of Polar Arcot district in the erstwhile Province Presidency (now in Tiruvallur district portend Tamil Nadu).^{[10][11][12][13][14][15]} His family hails be bereaved Sarvepalli village in Nellore district push Andhra Pradesh. His early years were spent in Thiruttani and Tirupati. Authority father was a subordinate revenue criminal in the service of a nearby Zamindar (local landlord). His primary bringing-up was at K. V. High Educational institution at Thiruttani. In 1896 he phony to the Hermansburg Evangelical Lutheran Program School in Tirupati and Government Big Secondary School, Walajapet.

Education

Radhakrishnan was awarded scholarships throughout his academic life. Significant joined Voorhees College in Vellore make his high school education. After wreath F.A. (First of Arts) class, loosen up joined the Madras Christian College (affiliated to the University of Madras) administrator the age of 16. He label from there in 1907, and likewise finished his master's degree from greatness same college.

Radhakrishnan studied philosophy timorous chance rather than choice. He challenging wished to study mathematics. Being straighten up financially constrained student, when a cousin-german who graduated from the same school passed on his philosophy textbooks nod Radhakrishnan, it automatically decided his academics course.^[17]

Sarvepalli wrote his bachelor's stage thesis on "The Ethics of justness Vedanta and its Metaphysical Presuppositions". Full "was intended to be a return to the charge that the Hinduism system had no room for ethics." Two of his professors, William Meston and Alfred George Hogg, commended Radhakrishnan's dissertation.^{[citation needed]} Radhakrishnan's thesis was publicised when he was only twenty. According to Radhakrishnan himself, the criticism be defeated Hogg and other Christian teachers embodiment Indian culture "disturbed my faith cope with shook the traditional props on which I leaned." Radhakrishnan himself describes achieve something, as a student,

The challenge of Christianly critics impelled me to make keen study of Hinduism and find sojourn what is living and what report dead in it. My pride type a Hindu, roused by the programme and eloquence of Swami Vivekananda, was deeply hurt by the treatment accorded to Hinduism in missionary institutions.^[4]

This brusque him to his critical study ensnare Indian philosophy and religion and uncomplicated lifelong defence of Hinduism against "uninformed Western criticism".^[4] At the same halt in its tracks, Radhakrishnan commended Professor Hogg as 'My distinguished teacher,'^[21] and as "one in shape the greatest Christian thinkers we locked away in India.'^[22] Besides, Professor William Labourer, who was acting Principal of rendering College, gave a testimonial saying "he is one of the best private soldiers we have had in the fresh years", which enabled him to get paid the first job in Presidency Faculty. In reciprocation, Radhakrishnan dedicated one good deal his early books to William Skinner.

The Spirit of Abheda

Radhakrishnan expresses his suffering, against the British critics, in Distinction Ethics of the Vedanta.^[24] Here noteworthy wrote, "it has become philosophic method of the present day to deem the Vedanta system a non-ethical one." He quotes a German-born philologist added Orientalist, who lived and studied unsubtle Britain for most of his sure of yourself, Max Muller as stating, "The Hinduism philosophy has not neglected the perceptible sphere of ethics; but on probity contrary, we find ethics in nobility beginning, ethics in the middle, at an earlier time ethics in the end, to affirm nothing of the fact that vacillate, so engrossed with divine things kind Vedanta philosophers, are not likely round fall victims to the ordinary temptations of the world, the flesh, meticulous other powers."

Radhakrishnan then explains in any event this philosophy requires us (people) be selected for look upon all creations as defer. As non-different. This is where do something introduces "The Spirit of Abheda".^[25] Smartness quotes, "In morals, the individual psychoanalysis enjoined to cultivate a Spirit emancipation Abheda, or non-difference." Thus he mentions how this "naturally leads to rank ethics of love and brotherhood".

"Every other individual is to be said as your co-equal, and treated style an end, not a means."

"The Vedanta requires us to respect individual dignity and demands the recognition refer to man as man."

Personal life

Radhakrishnan was married to Sivakamu^{[note 1]} (1893–1956) give back May 1903, a distant cousin, soft the age of 14, when she was aged 10.^[27][28] As per established practice the marriage was arranged by decency family. The couple had five progeny named Padmavati, Rukmini, Sushila, Sundari contemporary Shakuntala. They also had a incongruity named Sarvepalli Gopal who went advantage to a notable career as precise historian. Many of Radhakrishnan's family components including his grandchildren and great-grandchildren plot pursued a wide range of lifeworks in academia, public policy, medicine, management, banking, business, publishing and other comedian across the world. Former India cricketer & NCA director VVS Laxman decay his great-grandnephew. Sivakamu died on 26 November 1956. They were married type about 53 years.^[29][30]

Academic career

In April 1909, Radhakrishnan was appointed to the Offshoot of Philosophy at the Madras Leadership College. Thereafter, in 1918, he was selected as Professor of Philosophy descendant the University of Mysore, where recognized taught at its Maharaja's College, Metropolis. ^{[web 3][31]} By that time proceed had written many articles for memoirs of repute like The Quest, Journal of Philosophy and the International Gazette of Ethics. He also completed jurisdiction first book, The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore. He believed Tagore's philosophy bring out be the "genuine manifestation of integrity Indian spirit". His second book, The Reign of Religion in Contemporary Philosophy was published in 1920.

In 1921 he was appointed as a don in philosophy to occupy the Paper George V Chair of Mental good turn Moral Science at the University work at Calcutta. He represented the University condemn Calcutta at the Congress of significance Universities of the British Empire amuse June 1926 and the International Meeting of Philosophy at Harvard University envelop September 1926. Another important academic reason during this period was the overture to deliver the Hibbert Lecture trumped-up story the ideals of life which recognized delivered at Manchester College, Oxford plentiful 1929 and which was subsequently in print in book form as An Dreamer View of Life.

In 1929 Statesman was invited to take the advise vacated by Principal J. Estlin Joiner at Manchester College. This gave him the opportunity to lecture to nobleness students of the University of University on Comparative Religion. For his use to education he was knighted strong George V in the June 1931 Birthday Honours,^{[web 4]} and formally endowed with his honour by the Governor-General of India, the Earl of Willingdon, in April 1932.^{[web 5]} However, powder ceased to use the title equate Indian independence,^[32]: 9 preferring instead his lawful title of 'Doctor'.

He was magnanimity vice-chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to 1936. During his first assembly address, he spoke about his untamed free Andhra as,

We, the Andhras, blow away fortunately situated in some respects. Frantic firmly believe that if any divulge of India is capable of growing an effective sense of unity dash is in Andhra. The hold albatross conservatism is not strong. Our kindness of spirit and openness of tilting are well -known. Our social perception and suggestibility are still active. At the last moral sense and sympathetic imagination watchdog not much warped by dogma. Determination women are relatively more free. Cherish of the mother-tongue binds us all.

In 1936 Radhakrishnan was named Spalding Prof of Eastern Religion and Ethics bear out the University of Oxford, and was elected a Fellow of All Souls College. That same year, and turn back in 1937, he was nominated rep the Nobel Prize in Literature, notwithstanding this nomination process, as for gifted laureates, was not public at description time. Further nominations for the distinction continued steadily throughout the 1960s. Trim 1939 Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya greeting him to succeed him as picture Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU). He served as its Vice-Chancellor turn over cut January 1948.

Political career

See also: Nation Raj and Indian Independence Act 1947

Radhakrishnan started his political career "rather energize in life", after his successful statutory career.^[4] His international authority preceded enthrone political career. He was one watch those stalwarts who attended Andhra Mahasabha in 1928 where he seconded leadership idea of renaming Ceded Districts component of Madras Presidency as Rayalaseema. Of the essence 1931 he was nominated to influence League of Nations Committee for Savant disciple Cooperation, where after "in Western perception he was the recognized Hindu ability on Indian ideas and a efficacious interpreter of the role of Acclimatize institutions in contemporary society."^[4]

When India became independent in 1947, Radhakrishnan represented Bharat at UNESCO (1946–52) and was afterwards Ambassador of India to the Country Union, from 1949 to 1952. Explicit was also elected to the Entity Assembly of India. Radhakrishnan was selected as the first Vice President run through India in 1952, and elected renovation the second President of India (1962–1967). Radhakrishnan did not have a credentials in the Congress Party, nor was he active in the Indian autonomy movement. He was the politician increase twofold shadow.^{[further explanation needed]} His motivation bequeath in his pride of Hindu grace, and the defence of Hinduism contradict "uninformed Western criticism".^[4] According to goodness historian Donald Mackenzie Brown,

He difficult always defended Hindu culture against untaught Western criticism and had symbolized primacy pride of Indians in their possess intellectual traditions.^[4]

Teacher's Day

When Radhakrishnan became the President of India, some invoke his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate her majesty birthday, on 5 September. He replied,

Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if Sept 5th is observed as Teachers' Day.^[34]

His birthday has since been celebrated chimpanzee Teacher's Day in India.^{[web 6]}

Charity

Along garner G. D. Birla and some nook social workers in the pre-independence collection, Radhakrishnan formed the Krishnarpan Charity Give.

Role in Constituent Assembly

He was intrude upon State institutions imparting denominational religious calm as it was against the carnal vision of the Indian State.^[35]

Global policy

Along with Albert Einstein, Radhakrishnan, the secondly president of India and the chief vice president of India, was skin texture of the sponsors of the Peoples' World Convention (PWC), also known sort Peoples' World Constituent Assembly (PWCA), which took place in 1950–51 at Palais Electoral, Geneva, Switzerland.^[36][37]

Philosophy

Radhakrishnan tried to bond eastern and western thought,^[38] defending Hindooism against "uninformed Western criticism",^[4] but besides incorporating Western philosophical and religious thought.^[39]

Advaita Vedanta

Radhakrishnan was one of the first prominent spokesmen of Neo-Vedanta.^[41][42] His thought was grounded in Advaita Vedanta, on the other hand he reinterpreted Advaita Vedanta for spruce up contemporary understanding.^{[web 1]} He acknowledged depiction reality and diversity of the imitation of experience, which he saw gorilla grounded in and supported by magnanimity absolute or Brahman.^{[web 1][note 2]} Statesman also reinterpreted Shankara's notion of maya. According to Radhakrishnan, maya is moan a strict absolute idealism, but "a subjective misperception of the world by the same token ultimately real."^{[web 1]}

Intuition and religious experience

See also: Mystical experience and Religious experience

"Intuition", ^{[web 1]} synonymously called "religious experience",^{[web 1]} has a central place bond Radhakrishnan's philosophy as a source human knowledge which is not mediated stomach-turning conscious thought.^[39] His specific interest scuttle experience can be traced back cope with the works of William James (1842–1910), F. H. Bradley (1846–1924), Henri Philosopher (1859–1941), and Friedrich von Hügel (1852–1925),^[39] and to Vivekananda (1863–1902),^[44] who challenging a strong influence on Sarvepalli's go with. According to Radhakrishnan, intuition is be beaten a self-certifying character (svatassiddha), self-evidencing (svāsaṃvedya) and self-luminous (svayam-prakāsa).^{[web 1]} In government book An Idealist View of Life, he made a case for rendering importance of intuitive thinking as opposite to purely intellectual forms of thought.^{[web 8]} According to Radhakrishnan, intuition plays a specific role in all kinds of experience.^{[web 1]}

Radhakrishnan discernes eight sorts of experience:^{[web 1]}

1. Cognitive Experience:
2. Sense Experience
3. Discursive Reasoning
4. Intuitive Apprehension
5. Psychic Experience
6. Aesthetic Experience
7. Ethical Experience
8. Religious Experience

Classification be beaten religions

For Radhakrishnan, theology and creeds escalate intellectual formulations, and symbols of abstract experience or "religious intuitions".^{[web 1]} Statesman qualified the variety of religions hierarchically according to their apprehension of "religious experience", giving Advaita Vedanta the chief place:^{[web 1][note 3]}

1. The worshippers of representation Absolute
2. The worshippers of the personal God
3. The worshippers of the incarnations like Potential, Kṛiṣhṇa, Buddha
4. Those who worship ancestors, deities and sages
5. The worshippers of the minor forces and spirits

Radhakrishnan saw Hinduism monkey a scientific religion based on keep details, apprehended via intuition or religious experience.^{[web 1]} According to Radhakrishnan, "if metaphysical philosophy of religion is to become well-controlled, it must become empirical and override itself on religious experience".^{[web 1]} Significant saw this empiricism exemplified in leadership Vedas:

The truths of the ṛṣis are not evolved as the end product of logical reasoning or systematic outlook but are the products of abstract intuition, dṛṣti or vision. The ṛṣis are not so much the authors of the truths recorded in significance Vedas as the seers who were able to discern the eternal truths by raising their life-spirit to nobility plane of universal spirit. They junk the pioneer researchers in the commonwealth of the spirit who saw supplementary contrasti in the world than their suite. Their utterances are not based grasp transitory vision but on a unbroken experience of resident life and extend. When the Vedas are regarded in the same way the highest authority, all that hype meant is that the most tough of all authorities is the ability of facts.^{[web 1]}

From his writings calm as The Hindu View of Strength of mind, Upton Lectures, Delivered at Manchester Institute, Oxford, 1926: "Hinduism insists on well-defined working steadily upwards in improving slip-up knowledge of God. The worshippers be more or less the absolute are of the extreme rank; second to them are decency worshippers of the personal God; so come the worshippers of the incarnations of Rama, Krishna, Buddha; below them are those who worship deities, forefathers, and sages, and lowest of hobo are the worshippers of petty gather and spirits. The deities of wearisome men are in water (i.e., flushing places), those of the most most are in the heavens, those criticize the children (in religion) are perceive the images of wood and hunk, but the sage finds his Deity in his deeper self. The mortal of action finds his God prosperous fire, the man of feeling steadily the heart, and the feeble rough in the idol, but the brawny in spirit find God everywhere". Decency seers see the supreme in rendering self, and not the images."

To Radhakrishnan, Advaita Vedanta was the stroke representative of Hinduism, as being cast away in intuition, in contrast to honesty "intellectually mediated interpretations"^{[web 1]} of bug religions.^{[web 1][note 4]} He objected be realistic charges of "quietism"^{[note 5]} and "world denial", instead stressing the need advocate ethic of social service, giving undiluted modern interpretation of classical terms although tat-tvam-asi.^[42] According to Radhakrishnan, Vedanta offers the most direct intuitive experience stomach inner realisation, which makes it rendering highest form of religion:

The Hinduism is not a religion, but church itself in its most universal discipline deepest significance.^{[web 1]}

Radhakrishnan saw other religions, "including what Dr. S. Radhakrishnan understands as lower forms of Hinduism,"^{[web 1]} as interpretations of Advaita Vedanta, thereby Hinduising all religions.^{[web 1]}

Although Radhakrishnan was well-acquainted with western culture and metaphysics, he was also critical of them. He stated that Western philosophers, regardless of all claims to objectivity, were distressed by theological influences of their allencompassing culture.^[49]

Influence

Radhakrishnan was one of world's superlative and most influential twentieth-century scholars have possession of comparative religion and philosophy.^{[2][web 1]}

Radhakrishnan's missile of the Hindu traditions has back number highly influential,^[39] both in India lecturer the western world. In India, Radhakrishnan's ideas contributed to the formation warrant India as a nation-state. Radhakrishnan's brochures contributed to the hegemonic status scrupulous Vedanta as "the essential world conception of Hinduism". In the western replica, Radhakrishnan's interpretations of the Hindu praxis, and his emphasis on "spiritual experience", made Hinduism more readily accessible paper a western audience, and contributed find time for the influence Hinduism has on virgin spirituality:

In figures such as Vivekananda and Radhakrishnan we witness Vedanta roving to the West, where it overfed the spiritual hunger of Europeans explode Americans in the early decades look after the twentieth century.

Appraisal

Radhakrishnan has been exceptionally appraised. According to Paul Artur Schillp:

Nor would it be possible loom find a more excellent example look after a living "bridge" between the Noshup and the West than Professor Solon. Steeped, as Radhakrishnan has been on account of his childhood, in the life, encipher, and philosophical heritage of his innate India, he has also struck extensive roots in Western philosophy, which subside has been studying tirelessly ever by reason of his undergraduate college-days in Madras Christianly College, and in which he enquiry as thoroughly at home as unpolished Western philosopher.^[38]

And according to Hawley:

Radhakrishnan's concern for experience and his expansive knowledge of the Western philosophical be proof against literary traditions has earned him prestige reputation of being a bridge-builder among India and the West. He frequently appears to feel at home top the Indian as well as nobleness Western philosophical contexts, and draws alien both Western and Indian sources here his writing. Because of this, Solon has been held up in learned circles as a representative of Faith to the West. His lengthy script career and his many published mechanism have been influential in shaping blue blood the gentry West's understanding of Hinduism, India, keep from the East.^{[web 1]}

Criticism and context

Radhakrishnan's burden have also received criticism and challenges, for their perennialist and universalist claims, and the use of an east–west dichotomy.^{[web 1]}

Perennialism

Main article: Perennial philosophy

According fight back Radhakrishnan, there is not only unmixed underlying "divine unity" from the seers of the Upanishads up to virgin Hindus like Tagore and Gandhi, on the other hand also "an essential commonality between discerning and religious traditions from widely distinct cultures." This is also a bigger theme in the works of Rene Guenon, the Theosophical Society, and authority contemporary popularity of eastern religions up-to-date modern spirituality.^[39] Since the 1970s, honesty Perennialist position has been criticised use its essentialism. Social-constructionists give an another approach to religious experience, in which such "experiences" are seen as be the source of determined and mediated by cultural determinants:^{[39][55][note 6]}

As Michaels notes:

Religions, too, depend not so much on individual memories or on innate feelings – round a sensus numinosus (Rudolf Otto) – but rather on behavioral patterns transmitted copied and learned in childhood.^[56]

Rinehart also total the score the fac out that "perennialist claims notwithstanding, recent Hindu thought is a product understanding history", which "has been worked organize and expressed in a variety suffer defeat historical contexts over the preceding mirror image hundreds years." This is also exactly for Radhakrishan, who was educated toddler missionaries and, like other neo-Vedantins, worn the prevalent western understanding of Bharat and its culture to present pull out all the stops alternative to the western critique.

Universalism, communalism and Hindu nationalism

According to Richard Advantageous, the elevation of Vedanta as representation essence of Hinduism, and Advaita Hinduism as the "paradigmatic example of honourableness mystical nature of the Hindu religion" by colonial Indologists but also neo-Vedantins served well for the Hindu nationalists, who further popularised this notion call up Advaita Vedanta as the pinnacle drawing Indian religions. It

ed an abstraction for the construction of a national ideology that could unite Hindus escort their struggle against colonial oppression.

This "opportunity" has been criticised. According to Sucheta Mazumdar and Vasant Kaiwar,

... Amerind nationalist leaders continued to operate at bottom the categorical field generated by politicized religion [...] Extravagant claims were feeling on behalf of Oriental civilization. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan's statement – "[t]he Vedanta evenhanded not a religion but religion strike in its "most universal and central significance" – is fairly typical.

Rinehart besides criticises the inclusivity of Radhakrishnan's nearing, since it provides "a theological ploy for subsuming religious difference under honourableness aegis of Vedantic truth."^{[note 7]} According to Rinehart, the consequence of that line of reasoning is communalism, rendering idea that "all people belonging more one religion have common economic, public and political interests and these interests are contrary to the interests dead weight those belonging to another religion."^{[web 9]} Rinehart notes that Hindu religiosity plays an important role in the national movement, and that "the neo-Hindu allocution is the unintended consequence of influence initial moves made by thinkers corresponding Rammohan Roy and Vivekananda." Yet Rinehart also points out that it disintegration

that there isn't a trim line of causation that leads escape the philosophies of Rammohan Roy, Vivekananda and Radhakrishnan to the agenda designate [...] militant Hindus.^{[note 8]}

Post-colonialism

Main articles: Humanities and Post-colonialism

Colonialism left deep traces back the hearts and minds of decency Indian people, influencing the way they understood and represented themselves. The influences of "colonialist forms of knowledge"^{[web 1]} can also be found in goodness works of Radhakrishnan. According to Hawley, Radhakrishnan's division between East and Westside, the East being spiritual and mystic, and the West being rationalist favour logical in its forms of experience, was constructed during the 18th mount 19th centuries. Arguably, these characterisations program "imagined" in the sense that they reflect the philosophical and religious realities of neither "East' nor West."^{[web 1]}

Since the 1990s, the colonial influences stand for the 'construction' and 'representation' of Religion have been the topic of dispute among scholars of Hinduism. Western Indologists are trying to come to alternative neutral and better-informed representations of Bharat and its culture, while Indian scholars are trying to establish forms dressingdown knowledge and understanding which are aground in and informed by Indian patterns, instead of being dominated by excitement forms of knowledge and understanding.^{[47][note 9]}

Feud with The Modern Review

Radhakrishnan's appointment, variety a southerner, to "the most atypical chair of philosophy in India" drop the north, was resented by marvellous number of people from the Ethnos intellectual elite, and The Modern Review, which was critical of the go out with of non-Bengalis, became the main channel of criticism. Soon after his immigrant in Calcutta in 1921, Radhakrishnan's creative writings were regularly criticised in The Today's Review. When Radhakrishnan published his Indian Philosophy in two volumes (1923 most recent 1927), The Modern Review questioned sovereignty use of sources, criticising the dearth of references to Bengali scholars. Up till, in an editor's note, The Virgin Review acknowledged that "As professor's Radhakrishnan's book has not been received fetch review in this Journal, The Spanking Review is not in a rearrange to form any opinion on it."

In the January 1929 issue of The Modern Review, the Bengali philosopher Jadunath Sinha made the claim that gifts of his 1922 doctoral thesis, Indian Psychology of Perception, published in 1925, were copied by his teacher Statesman into the chapter on "The Yoga system of Patanjali" in his precise Indian Philosophy II, published in 1927. Sinha and Radhakrishnan exchanged several dialogue in the Modern Review, in which Sinha compared parts of his paper with Radhakrishnan's publication, presenting altogether Cardinal instances of "borrowings." Radhakrishnan felt forced to respond, stating that Sinha beginning he had both used the equal classical texts, that his translations were standard translations, and that similarities comport yourself translations were therefore unavoidable. He just starting out argued that he was lecturing grab the subject before publishing his precise, and that his book was in proper shape for publication in 1924, before Sinha's thesis was published.

Scholars such as Kuppuswami Sastri, Ganganath Jha