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Integral Humanism
Context:
September 25 marks the 108th birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, a key figure who introduced the concept of Integral Humanism.
About Integral Humanism:
- Upadhyaya’s philosophy of Integral Humanism emphasises unity and harmony within the individual and society.
- It views a person as comprising the body, mind, intelligence, and soul and stresses the importance of the balanced development of each aspect.
- A key element of this doctrine is the concept of the four purusharthas, or areas of human effort: dharma (duty), artha (wealth), kama (desire), and moksha (liberation).
- He explained, “Purushartha refers to efforts fitting for a human being. The desire for dharma, artha, kama, and moksha are innate, and fulfilling them brings joy. Artha encompasses political and economic policies, while kama addresses the fulfilment of natural desires. Dharma represents the ethical rules governing artha and kama, ensuring harmonious progress and leading to moksha.”
Context of Philosophy:
- After India gained independence, there was a sense in some circles that the nation should be guided by indigenous philosophies rather than popular Western ideologies.
- In a lecture on April 22, 1965, in Mumbai, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya highlighted this, saying, Nationalism, democracy, and socialism influenced the West, along with ideals of world peace and unity.
- While these are good, they often conflict with each other in practice.
- Nationalism threatens world peace, democracy paired with capitalism enables exploitation, and socialism erodes democracy and individual freedom.
- He argued that these Western ideals were imperfect, and Bharat, with its rich political history, should not blindly follow them.
- Upadhyaya contrasted Indian and Western thought, emphasising that Bharatiya culture views life as an integrated whole. In contrast, Western thinking tends to compartmentalise life and then attempts to unify it through patchwork.
- Contrary to the belief that Indian philosophy focuses solely on the soul, Upadhyaya explained that the Indian way of thought equally values the body, mind, intellect, and soul, and that all four must be nourished for a meaningful life.