Contemporary Gujarati Literature
(SWAMI SARVASTHANANDA )
(The author is the editor Of Ramakrishna Jyot, the Gujarati monthly of the Ramakrishna Order published from Ramakrishna Ashrama, Rajkot . )
The Subtle Influence of Spiritual Literature
One day Sri Keshab Chandra Sen, the famous Brahmo leader, approached Sri Ramakrishna and said to him:
'Sir, if you permit, I want to make known your message to the public. It will definitely do people good and bring peace to the world.'
Sri Ramakrishna replied in an ecstatic mood:
'It is not the time to spread the message of this place [i.e. his message] through lectures and newspapers. The power and ideas that are within this body will automatically spread all around in course of time. Hundreds of Himalayas will not be able to suppress that power.' 1
The spiritual power of a divine incarnation manifests and unfolds in a subtle manner, almost imperceptible to gross human intellect and understanding. This is the reason why the vast literature associated with great spiritual movements like Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Movement gives us only a faint glimpse, like the proverbial tip of the iceberg, of its immense magnitude, vitality and future possibilities. Literature, however, plays a major role in furthering the cause of a spiritual movement. It introduces a vast majority of the people to the ideas that shape it. Though the process of spiritual transformation--individual and collective--of individuals and society takes place slowly and subtly, the role that literature surcharged with the spiritual power of World Teachers plays, cannot be under- estimated in effecting such transformation.
What is literature? According to the famous English statesman and writer J. Morley, 'Literature consists of all the books… where moral truth and human passion are touched with a certain largeness, sanity and attraction of form.'
Swami Vivekananda was of the opinion that no literature could be termed as classical unless it was written with good taste or it set a high ideal. He said that ordinary people, who consider sensory enjoyment to be permanent and real, try to idealize what is apparently real; and such people can never create classical literature. There are, however, a select few who are not satisfied with such sensory and temporary enjoyments and strive to realize the ideal in and through all their thoughts and actions. Only such people can create true literature. Swamiji also said that such people generally eschew worldly life and 'he had only seen Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa of Dakshineswar who fully embodied the highest ideal in his life, and that's why he revered him.'2
Speaking of the need to revitalise a language, Swamiji once told his disciple, Priyanath Sinha:
'I think, language and thought also, like all other things, become lifeless and monotonous in course of time. Such a state seems to have happened now in this country. On the advent of Sri Ramakrishna, however, a new current has set in, in thought and language. Everything has now to be recast in new moulds. Everything has to be propagated with the stamp of new genius.' 3
A Literary Awakening
Sri Ramakrishna's phenomenal life of intense spirituality infused enormous strength and vitality into all the branches of Hindu religion: art, literature, culture, and even scientific research. The Indian civilization had been at the lowest ebb for over a hundred years from about the middle of the eighteenth century. In this dark period of Indian history devoid of all creativity, no literature or art of any great significance was produced in almost any Indian language. Even the devastating invasions and conquests from across the borders in the past had not produced a result of this kind, and the Indian mind was thrown off its balance, as it were, during this period.
Renaissance in religion, literature, arts and other aspects of Indian culture began in the nineteenth century Bengal . It gradually spread to the other parts of India . These cultural and intellectual stirrings received a fresh impetus through the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, whose 'simple, sweet, colloquial language breathed a superhuman purity,' as described by Keshab Chandra Sen.
Sri Ramakrishna was introduced to the educated class of Calcutta in 1875 by Keshab Sen through the journal Indian Mirror. Most of the early literature on Sri Ramakrishna was published in Bengali. The first major collection of Sri Ramakrishna's teachings in book form, Paramahamsa Ramakrishner Ukti, was published by Suresh Chandra Dutta in December 1884 followed by Ram Chandra Dutta's Tattwasara (in 3 volumns), published during 1885-87. Ram Chandra Dutta also wrote the first biography of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sri Ramakrishnadever Jivanvrittanta in 1890. The first volume of the monumental literary work in Bengali, Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita, was published only in 1902, though it was being published in instalments in seventeen popular Bengali journals like Udbodhan, Tattwamanjari, Navabharat, Sahitya etc., from 1897 onwards. It was, however, Swami Vivekananda's inspiring and life-giving message delivered on the world-stage in English language, beginning with the historic Chicago address (September 1893), which rapidly spread all over India through the different vernaculars.
Gujarati Literary Scene
Gujarat , on India 's western front was privileged to get exposed to Ramakrishna-Vivekananda thought during Swamiji's Bharat Parikrama in 1891-92. During his tour of Gujarat , Swamiji came in contact with some of the most prominent literary personalities of those days and exerted a great influence on many of them.
This is the reason, perhaps, why one of the earliest biographical sketches of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda to be published in any vernacular, came out in Gujarati as early as in the year 1896. The author of the encyclopaedic work, Mahajan Mandal (a book of more than 1325 pages of 1/8 demy size), Maganlal N. Patel, (b. 1859) was a native of Baroda State . In this book he has given a short but comprehensive bio- graphical sketch of Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji in more than ten pages. Mahajan Mandal gave the life sketches of a large number of saints, rulers, dewans, litterateurs and other eminent personalities like Mirabai, Narasimha Mehta, Tukaram, Keshab Chandra Sen, Max Muller, Sayajirao Gaekwad and Haridas V. Desai. Many of them like Swamiji, were still alive then. When this book was published in 1896, Swamiji was only 33 years old and was in England preaching Vedanta. This was just a year before his historic return to India as a prophet. And yet we find the author, already proclaiming him as a prophet of Vedanta.
Swamiji with Gujarati Litterateurs
1. Shyamji Krishna Verma: The first Gujarati literary figure to meet Swamiji before he entered Gujarat in 1891 was Shyamji Krishna Verma (1857-1930), who later became a nationalist leader. Swamiji was Shyamji Verma's guest in Ajmer for over two weeks, where they spent a lot of time together discussing Sanskrit, literary and philosophic matters. Born in Mandvi ( Kutch ), Shyamji Verma attained remarkable proficiency in English and Sanskrit at an early age. He came in contact with Dayananda Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj and learnt the Vedas and other scriptures under his tutelage. He also taught Sanskrit at Oxford University and assisted Monier Williams in producing his famous Sanskrit dictionary. He was a close friend of Herbert Spencer.
2. Lalshankar Umiashankar Trivedi: The next great personality and literary figure whom Swamiji met was Lalshankar Umiashankar Trivedi (1845-1912). He was Swamiji's host in Ahmedabad in 1891. A disciple of the famous Mahipatram Ruparam, the founder of the Gujarat unit of Prarthana Samaj in 1871, Lalshankar was the guiding force behind many associations founded in Gujarat during the renaissance period like the Gujarat Vernacular Society, Buddhivardhak Sabha, and several other social and educational institutions connected with women's education, and the uplift of lower classes. The Government decorated him with the titles of Kaiser-e-Hind and Rao Bahadur for his pioneering work. He spent eleven days in the holy company of Swamiji in Ahmedabad.
3. Thakore Saheb of Limbdi: Swamiji then met Thakore Saheb of Limbdi, Sir Yashwantsinhji, K.C.I.E, (1859-1907). Apart from being an able administrator, Yashwantsinhji was a highly learned and cultured prince with deep interest in literature, religion and philosophy. He was deeply spiritual in nature and was well versed in Hindu scriptures and also works of famous western writers like Mill, Spencer, Shakespeare and Milton. His contact with Swamiji brought about a great transformation in Yashwantsinhji and he became his disciple. He also had an opportunity to be in Swamiji's holy company for several days during the summer of 1892 at Mahabaleshwar. Here he had several dis- cussions on Shastras with Swamiji which he has recorded in his 'Nondh Pothi' (diary). In his entry made on May 9, 1892 , Thakore Saheb wrote:
'I am pleasantly surprised at Swami Vivekananda's deep knowledge of the Shastras. My knowledge of the Shastras has been much increased through discussions with him.' 4
4. Haridas Viharidas Desai: In Junagadh, Swamiji came in contact with Haridas Viharidas Desai, the Dewan of the State, who was to be instrumental in introducing him to at least three of Gujarat 's leading literary figures of those days: Manahsukhram Tripathi, Chaganlal H. Pandya, and Manilal Nabubhai Dwivedi. Haridas Desai was a keen student of Advaita Vedanta, a man of principles and an exalted character. Swamiji developed a deep friendship with Hardias and wrote several inspiring letters to him. In one of the letters dated June 20, 1894 , Swamiji gives Haridas his plan of work for the regeneration of India and Hinduism.
5. Manahsukhram Tripathi: Born in the home town of Haridas , Manahsukhram Tripathi (1840-1907) was a great scholar, essayist, biographer and translator. He had a lot of reservations about the new reformist wave inspired by Brahmo Samaj and others. He became the protagonist of Sanskritic revival in Gujarati literature by starting an association named as Dharmasabha in 1870. Swamiji must have enjoyed the company of Manahsukhram, who was his host for a few days at Junagadh. Swami Abhedananda in his autobiography confirms the above fact, as he too chanced to visit Tripathi's house and stay with his beloved gurubhai during those days.
6. Govardhanram Manahsukhram Tripathi: Manahsukhram was the uncle of one the greatest literary figures that Gujarat produced in the last century, Govardhanram M. Tripathi (1855-1907). It was Manahsukh- ram who moulded the mind of his beloved nephew through all the vicissitudes of life. Govardhanram was not only a great novelist, but also a poet of considerable merit and a distinguished writer of Gujarati prose. His magnum opus Saraswatichandra, published in four parts, is a landmark in the history of Gujarati literature. It is not known whether Govardhanram met Swamiji during his visit to Nadiad. But the fact that he had read Swamiji's works and was deeply inspired by his message is evident from his Scrap Book (3 vols, 7 parts), published after his demise in 1959. According to Ushnas, one of the famous poets of contemporary Gujarati literature, the third and fourth parts of Saraswatichandra, which were published in 1894 and 1901 respectively, after Swamiji's visit to Nadiad, clearly shows the influence of Swamiji's Practical Vedanta on the writer. Govardhanram was very much impressed by the prospectus of Advaita Ashrama, established by Swamiji in the Himalayas (Mayavati) and he expressed his desire to go and live there. 5
7. Chhaganlal.H.Pandya: In Junagadh, Swamiji also came in contact with Chhaganlal H. Pandya (1859-1936) of Nadiad, a great scholar, educationist and well known in Gujarat 's literary world as translator of many Sanskrit classics. He was the brother-in-law of Govardhanram Tripathi and was the Director of Education of Junagadh State and Swamiji's host during his several visits to the state in 1891. He was deeply impressed by Swamiji's personality. In the introduction to his book Christnu Anukaran, a Gujarati translation of The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas A.Kempis, published in 1915 (which includes as footnotes Sanskrit quotations from Hindu scriptures that resemble Kempis' thoughts), Pandya gives a wonderful account of the days he spent in his holy company. Swamiji spoke in glorious terms about the wonderful life of Jesus Christ, which inspired Chhaganlal Pandya to write the above book. In his two letters dated 2.3.1918 and 9.10.1921 addressed to Dahyabhai Ramchandra Mehta, the author and the publisher of the biographies of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, Chhaganlal Pandya writes about the blessed privilege he had of coming in contact with Swamiji and hearing directly from his mouth the nectar like words of his Master Sri Ramakrishna. Swamiji also told him about Sri Ramakrishna's overwhelming love and faith in him and how by his Guru's grace he was able to acquire Brahmavidya.6
Chhaganlal Pandya also gave a vivid description of how Swamiji charmed and influenced everybody by his spirituality, catholicity of views, simplicity of life, proficiency in music and profound knowledge of various arts and sciences, stirring eloquence and not the least by his proficiency in the art of cuisine.
8. Manilal Nabhubhai Dwivedi: Swamiji also met in Nadiad, in April 1892, the famous Vedantist and a prominent literary figure Manilal Nabhubhai Dwivedi (1858-1898). Throughout the short span of forty years of his life, Manilal tried to interpret all aspects of human life and civilization in the light of Advaita Vedanta of Shankaracharya and left behind a rich treasure of writings in Gujarati and English. He was a powerful prose writer and the editor of literary journals such as Priyamvada (1885-1890) and Sudarshan (1890-1898). His paper on Hinduism was read out in the Parliament of Religions, Chicago, in 1893. He also wrote several books in English and his Raja Yoga was highly praised by Edwin Arnold. Swamiji also immensely enjoyed his company during his stay at Nadiad and spoke highly of him in his letter dated April 26, 1892 to Haridas V. Desai.7 Apart from writing more than sixty books during his lifetime, Manilal also left behind a few unpublished manuscripts including a work on Swamiji, which he wrote before his death in 1898 Swami Vivekanandani Americani Mulakato.8
9. Pandit Shankar Pandurang: In Porbandar Swamiji also met Pandit Shankar Pandurang (1840-1894) of Konkan, Maharashtra , who was the administrator of the State at that time. Swamiji stayed as Panditji's guest at his Bhojeswar bunglow for about four months. Swamiji also finished his reading of Panini's 'Mahabhasya' and also learnt French at the instance of Panditji. Though not a Gujarati literary figure, Panditji was not only a Sanskrit scholar of great eminence, but was proficient in nine languages and was earlier an Oriental Translator of Bombay State. Swamiji also helped him in editing the standard edition of the Atharva Veda, during his stay at Porbandar.
10. Virchand Raghavji Gandhi: The next great literary figure from Gujarat whom Swamiji met (at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago ) was the formidable Jain scholar Virchand Raghavji Gandhi (1864-1901), who participated in the Parliament of Religions held at Chicago in 1893. Though he was a brilliant exponent of Jaina Philosophy, he was well-versed in the different systems of Indian philosophy and a fervent propagator of Indian culture. Born at Mahuva near Bhavnagar ( Gujarat ) in 1864, he mastered about fourteen languages, which included Gujarati, Hindi, English, Bengali, Sanskrit and French. At the age of 21, he became the first honorary secretary of the Jain association of India . He remained in U.S.A for some more time after the Parliament of Religions was over, and again visited U.S.A twice in 1896 and 1899, delivering altogether some 600 lectures on Jainism over there.9 Virchand Gandhi passed away in 1901 at a very young age of only thirty-seven. Virchand Gandhi must have definitely caught a little of Swamiji's fire which inspired him to undertake his noble mission. Swamiji too was impressed by his wonderful personality and wrote to Haridas V.Desai in November 1894:
'. . . here is Virchand Gandhi, the Jain, whom you well knew in Bombay . This man never takes anything but pure vegetables even in this terribly cold climate, and tooth and nail tries to defend his countrymen and religion. The people of this country like him very well.'10
A Gradual Influence
Swamiji's appearance on the world scenario in 1893 and the historic reception accorded to him on his return from the west in 1897 were the first signs of the awakening of India from the stupor into which it had fallen as a result of several hundred years of foreign domination. As a result, the whole country, irrespective of the language or region, saw in him a common leader who represented their ideals and aspirations. Many newspapers began to publish with great enthusiasm, reports and extracts from Swamiji's speeches, writings, and his letters in the last decade of the nineteenth century. The leading Gujarati daily Bombay Samachar, which was started as a weekly in 1822, published several such reports, the most notable among them being a report of the welcome accorded to Swamiji at Calcutta , in its February 20, 1897 issue and a biographical sketch which appeared after his mahasamadhi in its July 8, 1902 issue.
As we have already stated earlier, some books on Sri Ramakrishna and his message in Bengali were published in the early 1880's but it was only in the late 1890's that the first books on Swamiji began to appear in English. However, it is only after the first journal of the Ramakrishna Movement in any vernacular, Udbodhan, was brought out in January 1899 that serious attempts were made to translate and publish books in Bengali on a regular basis. In this context, Gujarati literature was privileged to be one of the first, thanks to the pioneering efforts of several literary personalities.
Although printing and publishing of books in Gujarati script began in 1812 through the efforts of some Parsi gentlemen, it is only in 1870 that the first attempt was made in Ahmedabad by Mahadev Ramachandra Jagushte to publish useful and standard religious literature in Gujarati. It was from this press that the first Gujarati translation of Swamiji's Raja Yoga was published in 1899 followed by two other books, Karma Yoga and Hinduism. These were translated by Bhagubhai F. Karbhari, the founder-editor of the famous Gujarati weekly Prajabandhu started in March 1898. That he was inspired by Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature, especially by journals like The Brahmavadin and The Prabuddha Bharata, is evident from the contents of his first editorial of Prajabandhu.11 These three books were sent for review to The Prabuddha Bharata, which published the following note in July 1901:
'We have received with thanks a copy each of Swami Vivekananda's Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga and Hinduism translated into Gujarati by Mr. Bhagu F. Karbhari, the founder and first editor of the Prajabandhu newspaper. Every able man of our country who undertakes the translation of Swamiji's works into his vernacular renders a service to his people, - since a very small portion of our countrymen are yet able to read them in the original.'
Bhagubhai also published Swami Vivekanandana Patro, a translation of seventy inspiring letters of Swamiji and Swami Shishya Samvada in 1912 and 1920 respectively.
In 1912, Mohanlal Dalichand Desai, the great Jain scholar, also translated a large collection of Swamiji's letters. This highly subsidized book was printed by Sastu Sahitya Karyalaya, the famous publication house of religious literature, which brought out low priced editions of many important books.
Swamiji's Complete Works in Gujarati
The most significant contribution to Gujarati literature, however, was the publication of Vivekananda Vicharmala (The Complete Works of Swamiji in Gujarati) in six volumes by Iccharam Suryaram Desai's Gujarati Printing Press, Bombay , during 1911-1916. A great scholar and translator of religious classics, Iccharam Desai (1853-1912) wrote or translated more that 40 books during his lifetime. He also founded the weekly journal Gujarati for propagating Gujarati literature.
The translation of Vivekananda Vicharmala was done by Narayan Vissanji Thakkur (1880-1938). He was popularly known as the 'Sir Walter Scott' of Gujarati literature. A famous novelist and a poet, Narayan V. Thakkur wrote his first Gujarati novel in 1911 when he was just twenty-six. He knew English, Sanskrit, Bengali, Persian, Urdu, and Marathi. During his lifetime he wrote or translated more than a hundred books, the most famous among them being, Hindu Gaurav Granthamala, Bharatni Lokkatha (10 volumes) and the monumental work Vivekananda Vicharmala. The translation of Swamiji's works evidently deeply influenced him. He developed a spirit of vairagya, as a result of which, in later life, he embraced Sannyasa and lived in Puri.
He emphatically adds in his introduction to the second volume of Vivekananda Vicharmala that this Gujarati translation is the first serious attempt in any vernacular to publish The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. It also interesting to note that Gujarati Printing Press conceived of this project before the first Mayavati Memorial Edition (1907) of The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (in four volumes with Sister Nivedita's foreword) came to their notice. Narayan Thakkur painstakingly collected materials from the various books, journals and pamphlets which were available at that time, translated them into excellent Gujarati prose and published the first volume, when the first Mayavati Memorial Edition in English came to his hands. He made use of them to publish the subsequent volumes.
Another important milestone in the history of influence of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda on Gujarati literature was the publication of the first subsidized edition of the Complete Works in thirteen volumes from 1914 onwards by Sastu Sahitya Vardhak Karyalaya, Ahmedabad. Being a commercial publication house, the books published by Gujarati Printing Press were out of reach of the common man. Bhikshu Akhandananda founded the Sastu Sahitya Vardhak Karyalaya in 1907 to publish books of great utility at a very nominal price. They launched a scheme to provide books on an annual subscription basis under the name of Vividh Granthamala and thereby sold more than 5000 sets of books even before they were actually published. It was under this scheme that Swamiji's Complete Works, including his exhaustive biography, was first published in 13 volumes from 1914 to 1930.
Teaching of Sri Ramakrishna in Gujarati
After Swami Vivekananda's visit to Gujarat in 1891-92, it was Kalipada Ghosh who was chosen, as if, by Sri Ramakrishna to spread his message in the western parts of India . Kalipada Ghosh was one of those wayward souls like the famous Girish Ghosh whose life was transformed by the touch of the Master. It was Sri Ramakrishna's blessings and unrestrained love that transformed an out-and-out bohemian and drunkard into a great devotee. Though he was not a writer and a playwright like Girish, he composed many songs and published them in a booklet entitled Ramakrishna Sangeet in 1893.
It was Kalipada who inspired and supported Bhagubhai F. Karbhari, the founder editor of the Gujarati weekly Prajabhandhu in his mission of publishing Swamiji's books in Gujarati. This weekly was later converted into a daily, Gujarat Samachar, which is today one of the leading dailies of Gujarat . Prajabandhu published a life sketch of Sri Ramakrishna serially from its 9th July 1899 issue onwards. Bhagubhai was also a dealer of paper manu- factured by the firm M/s John Dickinson & Co.Ltd., London with office in Ahmedabad.
It was primarily due to the efforts of Kalipada Ghosh, who was at that time in charge of the Bombay office of M/s John Dickinson and Co., that this company could open many offices in the main cities of India . It was through Kalipada's inspiration that Bhagubhai published Sanatana Hindu Dharma (I Edn: January 1897, pp. 36, Vijay Pravartak Press, Ahmedabad), a Gujarati translation of Swamiji's addresses at the Parliament of Religions, Chicago. In the appendix to this book he gives a brief biographical sketch of Swamiji in which he refers to 'Dharmik Purusho' published by Gujarat Vernacular Society, Ahmedabad, in June 1893. This book of hundred pages authored by the famous Gujarati writer Narayan Hemchandra (1855-1904), contains the life sketches of twelve great prophets and saints like Sri Chaitanya, Nanak, Kabir and Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna's biographical sketch of 13 pages in this book might as well be the first to be published in any vernacular after Ramachandra Dutta's Bengali biography was published in 1890. However, the author refers to only Keshab Sen's writings in the Indian Mirror and Dharma Tattwa and the book Paramahmaser Ukti (1889) in this biography.
On the back cover of Sanatana Hindu Dharma, Bhagubhai has printed a list of eleven books on Swamiji, which were then under preparation. Of these books Karma Yoga was published in 1897 from Saraswati Bhavan, Ahmedabad, where he had earlier started a press with the machinery that he had purchased from his friend Shyamji Krishna Verma. In the introduction to Karma Yoga (I Edn: Sept. 1897, pp. 96) and Swami Vivekanandana Patro (I Edn: Jan 1912, pp. 284 N.M.Tripathi & Co., Mumbai), Bhagubhai mentions some interesting facts. He was first introduced to Swamiji at Bombay in 1892 by his friend Pareshchandra Ghosh (later Swami Shyamananda). He also mentions that he used to receive letters from Swamiji regularly and in one such letter dated 8-8-1896 written from Switzerland Swamiji wrote, 'The Karma Yoga, you ought to translate from the American Edition and not the English.' Some other books on Swamiji translated by Bhagubhai like Raja Yoga (I Edn: 1899, pp. 112 ), Patanjala Yoga Darshan (I Edn: 1903, pp. 240) both published by Mahadev Ramachandra Jagushte, Ahmedabad and Swami Shishya Samvada (II Edn: 1914, pp. 60, Meghji Hirji & Co., Mumbai) are preserved in the archives of B.J Vidyabhavan Granthalaya (formerly Gujarat Vernacular Society), Ahmedabad, in addition to the books mentioned earlier.
Anandashanker Dhruva (1859-1942) was an eminent litterateur and educationist, the founder of the famous Gujarati journal Vasanta (in 1902) and Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University for nearly 20 years. He inspired and helped his friend Motishankar Udayshankar to publish the Gujarati translation of Ramakrishna : His life and Sayings by Max Muller with the title Sri Ramakrishna: Jivan Tatha Vachanamrita. (I Edn: 1901, pp. 164, Union Printing Press, Ahmedabad)
Kevalram Mavji Dave of Rajkot , a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi, was so much fascinated by Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita (The Gospel in English) that he went all the way to Calcutta in February 1911 to seek M.'s permission to translate the Gospel into Gujarati. Through his letter dated 14 May 1911 , which is partly published in the foreword to the Gujarati translation, M. gave him the permission but with certain conditions. One of the conditions was that whatever profit that accrued from the sale of the book, it should be sent to Belur Math for Sri Thakur Seva at Advaita Ashrama, Varanasi . The Gujarati translation, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsana Sadvachana, was finally published by Kevalram Dave in 1913 at Damodardas Printing House, Rajkot .
Several other translations of selections from Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita were published soon after, the most notable among them being Paramahamsa Ramakrishna Sudhasindhu- I, translated by Narmadashankar Balashankar (I Edn: 1913, pp. 88, Granthamuktavali Office, Surat) and Sri Ramakrishna Vaksudha-I, translated by Dwivedi Jayshankar Ambalal (I Edn: Sept. 1914, pp. 116, Sahitya Prakash Karyalaya, Nadiad)
The first three volumes of Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita in Bengali were translated into Gujarati and published in two parts by Sastu Sahitya Vardhak Karyalaya in 1918 and 1919 respectively. More than 4000 copies of this highly subsidized publication were sold out within a year. Hence a combined edition was published in 1924. The Gujarati translation was done by Narmadashankar B. Pandya who became a sannyasin in later life assuming the name Swami Sevananda. Subsequently, the translation of the fourth volume of Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita was published in two parts under the title Sri Ramakrishna Vartalapa in the year 1947.
Again during the years 1949-51, Sri Ramakrishna Seva Samiti, Ahmedabad, founded in 1918 by Dahyabhai Ramachandra Mehta and his friend Nanabhai Desai, published fresh Gujarati translations of the first three volumes of Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita made by Swami Chaitanyananda of Nasik . Swami Chaitanyananda subsequently translated the remaining two volumes. Finally, in 1965 Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama, Rajkot published a standard edition of Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita in two volumes using Swami Chaitanyananda's translations. The text, which was the Gujarati translation of all the five volumes of the original Bengali version, was also rearranged chronologically.
The Life of Sri Ramakrishna
Dahyabhai Ramachandra Mehta (1870-1952), the founder of Gujarati monthly Bharat Jivan from Bombay in 1902, wrote the first exhaustive biography of Sri Ramakrishna in Gujarati titled Ramakrishna Paramahamsa in 1918. Three thousand copies of this demy sized book of more than 750 pages were distributed free of cost by the author in just a few months. He also asked several prominent literary figures like Chaganlal Pandya to review this book as a result of which Sri Ramakrishna's life and message became well known in Gujarat 's literary circles.
An author of several books on religion, Dahyabhai wrote or translated at least fifteen books connected with Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Movement like Swami Vivekananda-Jivan Charitra, Raja Yoga (in 2 parts), Sri Ramakrishna Vachanamrita, and biographies of householder disciples of Sri Ramakrishna like Nag Mahashaya and Ramachandra Dutta. An initiated devotee of the Ramakrishna Math, his obituary, which appeared in the March 1953 (Phalgun 1360) issue of the Udbodhan, acknowledged his invaluable contribution towards the propagation of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda ideology among the Gujarati reading public.
Rajkot Ashrama's Contribution
Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama, at Rajkot , was started in 1927. It brought out for the first time, the Gujarati translation of Swami Saradananda's monumental work Sri Ramakrishna Lilaprasanga in 1930. All the five volumes were translated by Harishankar N. Pandya, a disciple of Swami Shivananda, and published by the Ashrama in 1930, 1931, 1942, 1945, and 1961 respectively. Since 1927 the Ashrama has published more than 170 titles on Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature and Vedanta, which in itself is a major contribution to Gujarati literature. Sri Ramakrishnadeva-Jivan Charitra published by the Ashrama in January 1964 was adjudged the best book in Gujarati during the year 1964 by the State Government.
The publication of books in Gujarati by the Rajkot Ashrama and its extensive propaga- tion among the masses received an impetus during the period 1960-67. This included the Birth Centenary Year of Swami Vivekananda. Thus a massive project of publication and distribution of Swami Vivekananda Granthamala Series (I, II and III) was undertaken. Granthamala-I consisted of 12 volumes of about 500 pages each. The first two volumes were the lives of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda.
Volume 3 to 12 constituted the Gujarati translation of the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Swami Vivekananda Granthamala. Granthamala-II consisted of small books like Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, and Jnana Yoga. Granthamala-III consisted of 12 small booklets like the short lives of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Ma, and Swamiji. Thanks to the grant of Rs. 50,000 received from the Central Government and Rs. 25,000 from the State Government, the Granthamala Series I, II, III was made available at a highly subsidised price of Rs. 60/- per set for distribution among more than fifteen thousand gram panchayats of Gujarat. Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature thus reached all corners of Gujarat .
In order to have a wider reach of the message of Sri Ramakrishna-Sri Sarada Devi-Swami Vivekananda, the Rajkot Ashrama started a Gujarati monthly, Ramakrishna Jyot, in 1989. The inaugural function for launching Ramakrishna Jyot was presided over by revered Swami Atmasthanandaji (now a Vice-President of the Ramakrishna Order). Sri Harindra Dave, an eminent Gujarati writer and poet, released the first issue. The magazine has been effectively carrying out this task ever since. Besides general readers, the magazine has more than 1500 public libraries in Gujarat on its roll.
Advent of Mahatma Gandhi
The arrival of Mahatma Gandhi on the national scene after a victorious struggle in Africa marked the beginning of a new phase not only in the socio-political field but also in the field of Gujarati literature. Speaking about his literary style K.M.Munshi says:
'Mahatma Gandhi has given to Gujarati prose a new sense of power. With him, beauty of expression has to be a humble housemaid to Truth. . .' 12
The tremendous influence exerted by the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna on Mahatma Gandhi is beautifully expressed by Vincent Sheean in his book Lead Kindly Light. He writes:
'He [Gandhi] was always ready to acknowledge his masters, who were indeed, each in his field, more highly developed than he; there were in sanctity of personal life a large number of Hindu exemplars; and, above all, in sheer mysticism, that is, in the quality Indians call 'spirituality', the Mahatma very humbly recognized himself to be a follower. But certainly his reverence for Ramakrishna was strong and unfeigned, and a more extreme mystical phenomenon than Ramakrishna has yet to be observed on earth. Gandhi's reserve on the subject of religious 'realizations' was seldom broken--never with respect to himself--but he wrote a foreword to the Life of Ramakrishna in 1924 which is worth quoting: 'The story of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa's life is a story of religion in practice. His life enables us to see God face to face. No one can read the story of his life without being convinced that God alone is real and all else is an illusion. Ramakishna was a living embodiment of godliness. His sayings are not those of a mere learned man but they are pages from the Book of Life. They are revelations of his own experiences. They therefore leave on the reader an impression which he cannot resist.'13
By introducing the method of objective verification in the field of religious experience, Sri Ramakrishna laid the foundation of what may be termed as a scientific religion to suit the modern scientific spirit. His experiments in religion might have provided the inspiration for Gandhiji's Experiments With Truth. Sri Ramakrishna's ideal of Sarva Dharma Samanvaya found an echo in Gandhiji's 'equal respect for all religions.'
While paying his homage to the revered memory of Swamiji in 1921, at Belur Math Gandhiji spoke the following words:
'I have gone through his [Swamiji's] works very thoroughly and after having gone through them, the love I had for my country became a thousandfold.' 14
God to Sri Ramakrishna was no abstraction or a hypothesis but a reality to be seen, felt, spoken to, and consulted with every moment. Gandhiji said:
'I am surer of His existence than of the fact that you and I are sitting in this room. I may live without air and water, but not without Him.'
No important decision of his was taken without consulting the 'inner voice'. 15
Sri Ramakrishna once told Keshab Sen:
'If God makes a man great, then everybody knows about him even though he lives in a forest. When flowers bloom in the deep woods, the bees find them, but the flies do not.' 16
In a similar language, Gandhiji said:
'Life is its own expression. The rose does not need to write a book or deliver a sermon on the scent it sheds all around, nor on the beauty, which everyone who has eyes can see. Spiritual life is infinitely superior to the beautiful and fragrant rose... The moment there is a spiritual expression in life, the surrounding will readily respond.' 17
Elaborating Sri Ramakrishna's idea regarding the power of concentrated thought, Swami Vivekananda said:
'The highest men are calm, silent and unknown. They are the men who really know the power of thought, they are sure that even if they go into a cave and close the door and simply think five true thoughts and then pass away, these five thoughts of theirs will live throughout eternity.' 18
Gandhiji wrote in a similar language:
'There are two kinds of thought, idle and active. There may be myriads of the former. They do not count. But one pure, active thought proceeding from the depth and endowed with all the undivided intensity of one's being, becomes dynamic.' 19
Pyarelal, in his biography of Mahatma Gandhi shows how Gandhiji internalised some of Swamiji's revolutionary ideas in the field of religion. He writes:
'In the brief span of barely a decade, he[Swamiji] accomplished work enough for a life-time. He gave India the expression 'Daridranarayana' - God incarnated as oppressed humanity. . .' 20
Pyarelal continues:
'Vivekananda's declaration about the futility of preaching religion to hungry stomachs, or his utterance: 'He alone serves God who serves all other beings. There is no other God to seek.' How identical with Gandhiji's: 'I recognise no God except the God that is to be found in the hearts of the dumb millions. And I worship the God that is Truth or Truth which is God, through the service of these millions.'
'Instances of parallelism in their thought and expression can be multiplied. Gandhiji never wearied of proclaiming that his life was made up of little things. Swami Vivekananda confided to his English disciple, Sister Nivedita: 'As I grow older, I find that I look more and more for greatness in little things.' 21
We thus get an idea of the great influence exerted by Ramakrishna-Vivekananda thought on Gandhiji's life and his writings
The transforming influence of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda touched many other eminent personalities in Gujarat . Some of these were:
1. Kaka Kalelkar
A close associate of Mahatma Gandhi, the great prose-writer, personal essayist of the highest order, beautiful travelogue writer, freedom fighter, and above all an apostle of Indian culture, Dattatreya Balakrishna Kalelkar (1885-1981) was lovingly known as Kakasaheb Kalelkar in Gujarat and all over India . Though a Maharashtrian by birth, Kakasaheb was, in the words of Gandhiji, a Savai Gujarati. His mastery over the Gujarati language was unique and he is considered to be among the ten great prose-writers of Gujarati. He taught in Shantiniketan, and after Mahatma Gandhi established the Gujarat Vidyapitha, he was appointed its Vice Chancellor in 1928.
In his collected works, Kalelkar Granthavali, published during his birth centenary, we find many articles and quotations on Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda and the activities of the Ramakrishna Mission. In his Atmavrittanta (autobiography), he writes how he was inspired by the works of Swamiji in his early youth.22
In the section Charitra Sankirtan he gives a biographical sketch of Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji. Elsewhere in the same section he glorifies the contribution of Master Mahashaya, the recorder of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.23 In his travelogue Himalayano Pravasa, he describes in graphic detail, his pilgrimage to Belur Math, Kankhal Sevashrama and many other places associated with Ramakrishna-Vivekananda.24 In many other works he echoes Swamiji's thoughts. For instance, speaking about Indian history he says:
'The ideal of Indian people is religion. Hence, in spite of diversity of creeds, there is a unity of the ultimate ideal of the individual and society. The direction of attaining this ideal is the same. This provides a unity to the view-point and conduct of the whole people.' 25
In another place he attributes the greatness and permanence of Hindu culture to:
'the ascetic who has given up all worldly contact, who has converted the fruit overhanging his hut into a beggars bowl, who has coloured his cloth with red earth, who has offered to the world the cup of immortality and religion with the words, "Not with wealth, not with progeny, but with self-abnegation alone can immortality be attained."' 26
In a lecture delivered in 1963, which was printed in a souvenir published by the Rajkot Ashrama during Swamiji's Centenary, Kakasaheb spoke in glowing terms about the tremendous impact Swamiji's powerful personality and message created on the national leaders of those days like Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, Tagore, Tilak, and others.
2. K. M. Munshi
Another close associate of Gandhi at one time, Kanhaiyalal M. Munshi (1887-1971) dominated the Gujarati literary scene for many years. He wrote novels, short stories, plays, biographies, essays, articles, literary criticisms and a history of Gujarati literature. He has left behind 56 books in Gujarati and 36 in English. He started a quarterly journal Bhargava Traimasika in 1912 and Gujarata, a leading literary journal, in 1922. After establishing the Gurjarat Sabha in 1913 and the Gujarata Sahitya Samsada in 1922 he almost single-handedly managed the affairs of Gujarati Sahitya Parishad from 1937 to 1955.
The last few years of his life were devoted to the consolidation and strengthening of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan which he had founded in 1938. In his life span of 84 years, he left a stamp of his genius on varied fields such as religion, philosophy, literature, arts, culture, journalism, education, and administration. He was deeply influenced by Swami Vivekananda which Munshi has himself acknowledged thus:
'Few can understand, unless they belong to my age-group, the great influence which Swami Vivekananda had on us, in the first decade of the 20th century, when we were at College. We were then subject not only to political but also to cultural and religious humiliation. . . But it was only when we began to read the books of Swami Vivekananda that our eyes were opened. Reading these books, we derived considerable knowledge of Hindu culture and religion from the modern point of view. . . Indian Renaissance was not merely an artistic and literary movement like the European Renaissance. Nor was it only a religious movement. It was essentially cultural and spiritual. . . it was Swami Vivekananda who brought to us, the younger generations, the message of the renaissance. . . We knew about Ramayana and Mahabharata but we found in them fresh inspiration only when we read Swamiji's summaries in his works. Yoga was a word of mystic implication, but it was only when we read his Raja Yoga and Karma Yoga that we realized what it was. . . it was Prof. Aurobindo Ghosh (at the Baroda College) who suggested to me to read Yoga Sutras and the works of Swami Vivekananda. . . Swami Vivekananda took us back to the fundamental values of our culture and brought God into our life. We offer him our tribute not merely for what he has done, but because it provides us with an opportunity to mobilize our own spiritual aspirations by dwelling on him, his works and his ideas. This way we light our little lamp from the flaming torch that he was.'27
3. Swami Ananda
Swami Ananda (1887-1976) was another famous literary figure who was inspired by Ramakrishna-Vivekananda ideology. Educated in Bombay , he had a good command over Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Sanskrit and English. His writings include several original works as well as translations and adaptations of a large number of books on religion, science and social issues. His close contact with Mahatma Gandhi also enriched his mind and was reflected in his view of life.
In his famous work Dhartini Arati (p.411, 439) he writes in great detail about his study of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature, his stay at Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Kankhal, and the dedicated service of the monks there that convinced him about the uniqueness of Ramakrishna Mission monasticism, inspired by which he had tried to build up his own life.
In his collection of essays, Ananta Kala (p.114) he speaks in glowing terms about those dedicated monks of the Ramakrishna Mission, in whose holy company he had the privilege to live for some years, and from whom he had learnt the true meaning of daridra-narayana seva and sarvadharma samanvaya. In his travelogue Uttarapathni Yatra (p.198), he writes about Sri Ramakrishna's wonderful renunciation. In two of his works Samaj Chintan and Himalayna Tirthasthano he highlights in several places, Swamiji's influence on national leaders from Aurobindo to Radhakrishnan. He also writes about Sister Nivedita, with whom he had regular interactions, and her contribution to the nation.
4. Ramnarayan N. Pathak
Ramnarayan N. Pathak (1905-1988) was another close associate of Gandhiji and Vinoba Bhave and a well-known novelist who wrote mainly on nationalistic themes. His invaluable contribution to Gujarati literature is his translation of The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda into Gujarati (Swami Vivekananda Granthamala, in 10 volumes) published by Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama, Rajkot during 1962-63, as stated earlier.
In a letter of condolence dated April 30, 1990, Swami Bhuteshanandaji, the twelfth president of the Ramakrishna Order writes:
'I found in Ramnarayanbhai not only a gifted writer, whose simple and clear style of translation made the Swami Vivekananda Granthamala popular among the Gujarati readers in all parts of Gujarat and elsewhere, but I found in him a sincere follower of the ideal of Gandhiji, which made him a lover of all sections of people without any prejudice for their social barriers and difference of view-points.' 28
Among the contemporary literary personalities there are quite a few who have been deeply influenced by Ramakrishna-Vivekananda thought. Ramanlal Soni (b.1908) is one of the most prolific writers of children's books in Gujarati. He has published an amazing number of titles - short stories, poems, plays, rhymes, biographies including those on Ramakrishna, Vivekananda and Sister Nivedita. He has also translated a large number of Bengali books written by Tagore, Sharatchandra Chattopadhyaya, Iswarchandra Vidyasagar, and others into Gujarati. There is a touch of refinement and a stamp of higher values of life in his writings. In a letter dated 7 June 1905 and an article on Sri Ramakrishna written by the 97 year old Ramanlal, both of which have been published in the July 2005 issue of Sri Ramakrishna Jyot (Gujarati monthly), we get a glimpse of the great veneration, love and devotion he has for Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji.
Natwarlal Pandya (b.1920), a highly creative poet and winner of the Rashtriya Sahitya Academy Award (1976), better known by his pen name Ushnas, has composed a poetical masterpiece Ramakrishna Darshandohana, which is a beautiful rendering of the important teachings of Sri Ramakrishna in 818 verses.
Conclusion
There are several other literary personalities who have been directly or indirectly influenced by Ramakrishna-Vivekananda thought. They have tried in their own humble way to produce good classical Gujarati literature and have thus enriched the field of Gujarati literature by their contribution. Surely the quiet but far-reaching effect of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda on Gujarati literature will continue to guide millions of Gujarati knowing people across the world.