THE importance of the regeneration of values upheld by Mahatma Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo in the contemporary world is paramount. I would like to begin with a prefatory outline of the background behind the thought of publishing this book on the concept of values of Mahatma Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo. It was primarily my interest in social and political philosophy that generated in me the desire to work on such an issue related to the good and well-being of the human life and society. This desire was further intensified by the socio-political turmoil that we are experiencing in every sphere of our individual and social lives. In this regard I felt that the revival of the thoughts and values of some of the great leaders and thinkers of India during the nineteenth-twentieth century like Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo could show us some ways to uplift ourselves as well as combat and overcome the current social problems. Therefore, here is my humble attempt to concentrate upon some of the important and relevant thoughts and values suggested by Mahatma Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo.
The publication of this book would have never been possible without the constant support, inspiration and encouragement of my respected teachers Professor Krishna Roy and Professor Ratna Dutta Sharma, Former Professors in Philosophy, Jadavpur University. Despite their eventful schedules and many other difficulties they have helped me with their invaluable suggestions and also with reference materials. I would like to convey my heartfelt respect and gratefulness towards them.
I would like to convey my sincere thanks to my family members with special mention to my sister, husband and my daughter for being my source of inspiration and providing me support in every possible way in this journey.
I am thankful to Shri Rajendra Agarwal of Suryodaya Books, New Delhi, for taking all the pain to publish this book.
My dream to deliver the messages of peace, love, unity and harmony through this book possibly would not have seen the light without the inspirations and blessings of my parents. As a token of my love and respect, I dedicate this book to them.
THE PRESENT book seeks to make a humble attempt to explore the nature of the different values suggested and pursued by Mahatma Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo, the two great social, moral and spiritual thinkers of late nineteenth-twentieth century India. It also attempts to find out the relevance and the possibility of regenerating those values in the contemporary lived-world.
At present, the increasing violence, corruption, injustice and unending terror, as well as the excessive greed, love for more power and money that we are experiencing in every sphere of our social life show that lack of value-consciousness is gradually engulfing our lives, thoughts and activities. If we want to overcome this crisis of humanity, we must try to uplift ourselves and thereby reconstruct our society inculcating different human values such as love, peace, brotherhood and justice. In this mission to develop ourselves from within and rebuild our nation, we certainly need some guidance to take us from darkness to light. In this connection the values and the principles upheld by the pre-eminent personalities of India like Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekanada, Mahatma Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo would be our best guides. During the later half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, these noble thinkers of India, among many others, tried to improve and uplift the life of the nation and the mankind by interpreting traditional Indian values in modern light. With their ideas and actions they enriched the sociocultural and spiritual life of the then period. Now, if we, the people of the present century want to save ourselves from further social and moral degradation, we must once again become conscious of the essence and the effectiveness of the values suggested by those men of wisdom. We need to rethink and reassess, their thoughts and implement them in the best possible way. However, in the present book it is not possible to discuss the views of all those thinkers. My objective here is to explore the significant thoughts and ideals upheld and practised by the two eminent thinkers, Mahatma Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo, In accordance with this project, it is necessary to discuss first what we understand by the term "value".
The term "value" is commonly used to refer to the worth of a thing. Etymologically, "value" is derived from the Latin word valere which means "to be strong" or "to have worth". Hence, value implies something which is either good in itself or the realization of which would produce something good or something worth while in human life. An object is regarded as good or valuable if it fulfils some human need or desire. For instance, food is valuable, for it satisfies our hunger; it is indispensable for the preservation and sustenance of human life. In this way anything that contributes to the maintenance and well-being of human life and society such as wealth or good health, may be regarded as valuable. But man is not satisfied only with the fulfilment of some external needs and interests. Beyond his physical body and mind his true nature consists of his being a self or a soul which has some deep moral and spiritual cravings and which seeks for its realization and manifestation. The intrinsic worth of human life lies in its attempts to develop such inner needs and potentialities and to attain self-fulfilment; the nurture of values prepares one to such self-development and self-realization. Value thus stands for some fundamental ideals and principles, and its inculcation would give a new shape and dimension both to the inner and the outer aspects of man's life. By enabling man to develop his inner potentialities and attain self-fulfilment, value helps to realize the deeper meaning of life. At the same time, it shapes human sentiments, moulds man's social behaviour and defines social relationships.
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