History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c96.s1.79

v7.c96.s1.79

²⁶²⁷ This is not the place to give a lengthy reply to Dr. Schweitzer's remarks. Dr. Schweitzer's compliment to Christ, Christianity and the West was criticized by Dr. Radhakrishnan in 'Eastern Religion and Western thought' (1939 pp 76-110) and by Shri D. S. Sharma in 'Renaissance of Hinduism' pp. 618-634. On p. 2 Dr. Schweitzer boldly asserts that world and life affirmation unceasingly urges men to serve their fellows, society, the nation, mankind and indeed all that lives with their utmost will &c One should like to know the Biblical passages where all this grand thought is explicitly stated. On p 4 he contradicts himself when he says 'Christianity also brought European thought into relation with world and life negation' The two great commandments of Jesus are first 'to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul' and the second is 'thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself' (vide Matthew 22 37 and 39 and Mark 12. 30-31) This is hardly anything like what Schweitzer says about Christianity's world and life affirmation. Not a word is said here about even loving all human beings, much less loving 'all that lives'. The world has had enough of the world and life affirmation of Christianity (or rather of Christian nations or people) Attention is invited to H. of Dh Vol II p. 180, where Westermarck's remarks in his 'Origin and development of the moral ideas' (1912) Vol I. p. 711 are cited on slavery The world knows what during the last four or five hundred years the colonial empires of Christian countries like England, France, Holland, Belgium, Portugal and Spain did in India, Africa, S. E. Asia, the Congo and America. On p. VII of his Preface he appears to contradict himself when he disagrees with the view of Schopenhauer and Deussen about Indian thought being completely governed by the ideal of world and life negation and admits the fact that 'world and life affirmation is present at the back of this thought (Indian thought) from the very dawn of its history, and life negation and world and life affirmation constitute its chief characteristic and determine its development'. Both books (Dr. Sweitzer's and Dr. Radhakrishnan's) are reviewed in 'Hibbert Journal' for 1953 pp 234-241 and 355-365 by C. W. M. Gell who finds both works disappointing, holds that Schweitzer has misunderstood the Hindu ideal of supra-ethical man, that negation and affirmation have not been properly defined by him, that it was only very late in Christian history that the West began to work actively for improvement of social and economic conditions Social service was not unknown in Ancient India The very idea of 'pūrta' dharma is social service Vide above pp 947-949 The Purāṇas emphasize the importance of work for relieving distressed beings For example, the Mārkaṇḍeya has the following very noble sentiment (15. 57) 'men would not obtain that happiness in heaven or in the world of Brahmā which arises from giving happiness to distressed men' (न स्वर्गे ब्रह्मलोके वा तत्सुखं प्राप्यते नरैः । यदार्तजन्तु-निर्वाणदानोत्थमिति मे मतिः ॥) Vide also note 6 on pp. 3-4 of H. of Dh vol. II.