Reviews

Asia: Challenge of Dawn (Personalism versus Marxism) by M. K. Haldar [Siddhartha Publications (Private) Ltd., 35, Netaji Subhas Marg, Delhi-6. Rs. 9-50]

A World without Jews by Karl Marx–edited with introduction and notes by Dagobert D. Runes (Philosophical Library Inc., 15 East 40th Street, New York 16. N. Y. $ 2-75)

Asia is sometimes described as a mighty giant which is shaking itself off the slumber of centuries. Most countries on this continent have become politically free, or are in the process of becoming so, after the Second World War. When the foreign ruling power is withdrawn, each of these countries has had to face the problem of self-government in its own way, depending on its religious tradition, social ground, economic condition and political influences, including the internal forces and external stimuli.

One sees the experiment of democracy on the largest scale in Asia. Leaving out of account the Leviathan of China which had been sucked into the vortex of world communism, and Japan which had built itself a new under the tutelage of the U. S. A., most of the other countries which are in various stages of political evolution, are trying to practise some kind of Western democracy, according to their own lights. They vary from one another like the ‘guided (or controlled) democracy’ of Indonesia, ‘the direct (or Basic) democracy of Pakistan’ and the planned democracy of India. In Burma, parliamentary democracy had obviously failed, as evidenced by the military coups in which Gen. Newin had taken over with the army support. The position in Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and other countries of the Middle East (or West Asia) is apt to be confusing to the observer from outside. In Laos, the three princes are always engaged in some kind of game of musical chairs, and Thailand, is under a kind of dictatorship.

Only a few countries like India, Ceylon and Malaya strike one as successful examples in the Western type of parliamentary democracy, with national variations of their own. Neither parliamentary democracy combined with laissez faire capitalism nor people’s democracy with its inevitable character of the dictatorship of the Proletariat, seems to satisfy the deeper urges of Asian nations, with their religious temper and social organization. One small country, the Republic of South Vietnam, under President Ngo Dinh Diem seems to have launched on an altogether new experiment off the beaten track, as it were. Rejecting both capitalism and communism in one breath, it has embraced a new philosophy of life called “personalism” as its political faith. In fact, it is more comprehensive than a political system, as it embraces other aspects of life–social and personal as well. While recognizing the dignity of the individual and the sacredness of personality, it takes the family as the indispensable unit of economic planning and community life.

The book under notice is devoted to a political understanding and philosophical analysis of the implications of ‘personalism’, of which the learned author is obviously an admirer. It is said that concern for democratic principles is sought to be coupled with social justice and security reflected in the programme for agricultural development and in the establishment of Agrovilles, which consist of a number of families which work on their own. The Agroville is supposed to be self-sufficient in everything including the maintenance of law and order, while the Government merely gives a helping hand to the families, when and where required. What is envisaged is essentially a society of family co-operatives, with full rights for the individual. Private property as such is not considered bad, but it is understood in the context of social reality. The highest value is given to intellectual integrity and moral uprightness. Personalism tries to bring two forms of expression together–namely, the economic expression of universality, which is a dominant characteristic of the West, and the religious expression of universality, which is said to be typical of Asia. In other words, government by law is to be replaced by government by virtue. In this way of ordering the people’s affairs, the citizen is assured the right of free development and of maximum initiative, responsibility and spiritual life. The author feels that “the Republic of Vietnam has raised the hope that Afro-Asians can resist totalitarian tyranny and improve their conditions in a system of democratic government indigenous to the genius and tradition of their countries.”

We are also assured that Personalism is not an idle dream, but a guide to the practical and spiritual affairs of men. “It stands for world peace and free development of the individual human being….” He sees in this bold experiment “a perpetual reminder of the duties that we owe to our family, to our society, to our nation, to entire humanity and, above all, to our own selves, which is the ultimate mystery and which confers all the significance that we have, so long as we live in this mortal frame of ours.”

It is all so nice to think that here is a system of government which combines the best aspects of political and economic democracy with those of social democracy native to an Asian country. No doubt, the subject is discussed here more on a philosophical than on a practical day-to-day level and so perhaps the plethora of delightful generalizations, which may or may not stand the test of brass tacks when the system is transplanted elsewhere. One, however, wishes that there is more of actual methods of work than of the discussion of first principles–first principles are seldom objectionable in themselves in any system. May be the agroville of S. Vietnam is a solitary example of the so-called real democracy, like the Kibutz of Israel in a different sense.

The second book deals with a little known aspect of the political philosophy of Karl Marx. One cannot normally suspect the great German Jew of even mild symptoms of anti-semitism, as we know of it in Hitler’s Germany. The editor of the book, no doubt, admits by implication that the Marxian type of anti-semitism is different from the other brand associated with the high priest of the chosen Aryan race. The observations of Marx, chosen as typical of his anti-semitism, are taken from a review of the writings on “the jewish question” by a contemporary German theologian and social philosopher by name Dr. Bruno Baner.

Here of those remarks:

“The God of the Jews has become secularised and is now a worldly God. The bill of exchange is the Jew’s real God. His God is the illusory bill of exchange.”

“What is the foundation of the Jew in our world? Practical necessity, private advantage.”

“What is the object of the Jew’s worship in this world? Usury. What is his worldly God? Money.”

Statements like these are to be found only in the un-expurgated edition of the book, now presented in this form. To the disinterested reader many of these seem to be in keeping with the antipathy towards the moneyed classes, which forms part of the political philosophy of the author of ‘Das Capital’, and the co-author of the “Communist Manifesto”. But, it certainly does not smack of racialism in its usual sense. He had probably said worse things of other kinds of the bourgeoisie.
–D.ANJANEYULU

1. Homage To Sankara by T. M. P. Mahadevan. (Published by Ganesh and Co., Madras–17. Price Rs. 1-50 nP. Pages 51.)

2. Sri Sankaracharya by N. Ramesam. (Published by Sri Bhavanarayanaswami Temple, Ponnur (A. P.). Price Rs. 3-50 nP. Pages 194.)

The above two books are studies of Sankara, the Avatar of Hinduism, from two different standpoints. The first book is a small and simple biography of Sri Sankaracharya, written by a scholar and authority on Advaita. The style and depiction is so unpedantic that the reader wonders at the great restraint, very rarely found in scholars, the author maintains throughout the narrative, without losing sight of the common reader, for whom the book is meant. Though stress is laid on historic evidence, regarding the place of birth and achievements of Sankara, myth and popular belief, which are the catch-words of an average reader, are not neglected. One reading of the book invites a return to it and for those who want to know the exponent of Advaita, the great master-mind, the scholar of Hinduism and the unsurpassed Jagat Guru, Sri Sankaracharya, all in one, this book is the right choice. The get-up of the book is attractive and the illustrations inside, as well as the glazed cover-jacket, with the popular portrait of the Saint, add to the value of the book. Two hymns–Totakashtakam, which is a hymn in praise of Sankara by Totakacharya and Gurvashtakam, which is a homage to the Guru by Sankara himself–are included along with their translations in English. This is the fourth in the ‘Sankara Jayanti Series’ started in 1956, and we hope that the Series will be continued earnestly in the years to come.

The second book is a study in detail of the life and teachings or Sri Sankara by one of the large number of admirers of the Guru, who is also interested in the pursuit of the higher values of life. Mr. Ramesam declares in the Preface that he does not belong to any philosophical sect or creed, perhaps because he is an administrator and a good student of archaeology. Nevertheless, his love for Sankara has made him a believer in Advaita. This is evident from the great pains he has taken in collecting information about the Master, even though it be with the collaboration of Sri A. Kuppuswami Iyer, an esteemed friend of his. Added to the small biography which is written with convincing arguments substantiated with historical evidences wherever possible, there are other informations on the great religious exponent, included in this interesting book. They are literature of the nature of notes and jottings-down, local traditions, legends and archaeological evidences, of the Acharya’s visit to various centres of culture in the country. Contributions of value on Sri Sankara by distinguished writers like H. R. Rangaswami Iyengar, R. Chakravarti, T. N. Ramachandran, Dr. Ganganath Jha, Dr. C. P. Ramaswami Iyer, and Justice P. Satyanarayana Rao give a modern touch to the “ancient subject”. There is a very useful selection, printed in Devanagari, from Sri Gurvashtakam, Sri Ganesa Pancharatnam, Sri Kanakadhara Stotram, Sri Shatpadi Stotram, Sri Dwadasa Linga Stotram, Maneesha Panchakam, Nirvanashatkam and Upadesa Panchakam.

There are fourteen illustrations of incidents and places of importance in connection with the Acharya and his digvijayayatraand thirteen photographs of sculptures found in and around Kancheepuram. There are colour pictures also. An outline map of India, showing the Dwadasa Linga Kshetras is really a very good information found in the book.

This small, yet comprehensive work on Sankara, presented in lucid prose style, does more than it promises and we take this opportunity to thank the author for having presented the admirers of Sankara with a healthy food for thought.
–V. V. TONPE