Mahakavi Bharati’s Wisdom Continues to Guide Humanity
Growing up in the United States, I had little exposure to the history and ideals of citizens in the Indian subcontinent. The education system, alongside western culture, did not greatly emphasize the triumphs of states and individuals within the subcontinent. I was inclined to believe the method of life and ideals of those originally residing in the subcontinent were below those of the west due to my minimal exposure to the history of the Indian subcontinent, alongside the inherent superiority complex promoted within western education and culture. This point of view changed as I began to fully understand the influence collective morals, values, and principles have in dictating the progress of a nation and its people.
Recently, I read The Coming Age, a collection of Mahakavi Subramania Bharati’s English writings put together by Mira T. Sundara Rajan, Bharati’s great-granddaughter. Bharati was given the title, Mahakavi, meaning supreme poet, on account of his exemplary literary capabilities extending beyond Tamil, as he was also fluent in languages such as English, French, and Sanskrit. “Bharati was a nationalist who fought against British rule in India and a social reformer who advocated passionately for women’s equality and the eradication of caste,” Rajan noted. Although the English writings published in this book have been available for many decades now, this compilation allows a global audience to fully engage in Bharati’s teachings and ideology, recognizing how they may continue to guide humanity’s progression today.
Bharati’s criticism of the way men treated women in society displayed his evolution as a human being. Through interactions with Sister Nivedita, a disciple of the famous Swami Vivekananda, he unlearned the social norms dictating the supposed “place of women.” This influenced his advocation for women’s equality. Bharati believed women are of greater spiritual evolvement than men. Women acknowledge the evils associated with men’s current way of civilizing one another, through violence and imprisonment. He notes that men are afraid to afford equal opportunities to women and look to control their sexuality. Men over time have looked to develop hierarchical relationships in not only their personal life, but also on a societal basis. Exerting power and control to enslave others has been a desire throughout human history. This is seen through the mischaracterization of caste as theorized in the sacred Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. Political figures within India have attempted to cite that their use of caste is God-given. However, Bharati comments that this theory presented within the Gita has yet to be put into action, as the competitive nature humans have cultivated in part hinders this.
As we continue to progress within the modern age of technological advancement, the competition for material desires and goods continues to spiral out of control. Losing our sense of self, while continuing to mistreat our planet will inhibit our upward evolution as a society, Bharati noted in 1915. Society today faces a seemingly insurmountable task in slowing climate change, induced in large part by the excessive competition us humans have played into. If we truly are higher beings compared to animals, then through the Will within ourselves we must strive to learn to live in harmony with the planet and the greater universe. To learn why we are inclined to promote competition amongst one another, we must unlearn our unrelenting desire for power.
In his 1915 essay, ‘The Siddha and the Superman’, Bharati compared German philosopher Nietzsche’s Übermensch (Superman) and Hinduism’s Siddha (Perfected Man) to reveal the importance the two terms have in revealing “… the modes of thought, … the historical reminiscences and spiritual aspirations” of different communities of people. Striving to become Siddha is to understand that we should not desire the will to power but desire the Will itself in its entirety. The Will itself holistically encompasses the will to love, the will to be, and the Will of the universe, to live harmoniously amongst one another. Power is present in society as well as our individual relationships. Its inherence within our lives’ points to Bharati’s insight that we must desire the Will within ourselves holistically, lessening the importance we collectively have placed on power.
Bharati’s vision for change has given us a way to reflect on how far we have come, and how far we still must go. Humanity’s upward evolution depends upon our ability to live in harmony with the universe. The version of society in which we can all live peacefully depends upon each of us reevaluating our own individual morals, as well as the morals of the society governing us.
