eprintid: 4838
rev_number: 28
eprint_status: archive
userid: 1
dir: disk0/00/00/48/38
datestamp: 2004-08-20 13:55:12
lastmod: 2016-01-16 23:46:34
status_changed: 2012-08-14 15:12:43
type: workingPaper
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Srinivasan, Vasanthi
title: Relating Spirituality and Politics: Love, Marriage or Friendship?
ispublished: pub
subjects: ddc-200
divisions: i-702000
divisions: i-999904
keywords: India , Political Science , Political Theory , Spirituality , Hinduism
cterms_swd: Indien
cterms_swd: Politische Wissenschaft
cterms_swd: Politische Theorie
cterms_swd: Spiritualität
cterms_swd: Hinduismus
abstract: In India, we often hear that "Hindu spirituality" ought to inform and energize the Indian enactment of liberalism, secularism and democracy. In this paper, I examine the diverse ways in which three less-known Indian thinkers such as Ananda Coomaraswamy, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Chakravarti Rajagopalachari relate spirituality and politics. I argue that there are at least three visions of what spiritualized politics might look like; the first variant, amplified in Coomaraswamy, argues for a "traditional" theory of government as an imitation of cosmic order. The ruling metaphor is of a marriage between the spiritual and temporal powers with the Brahmin-priest as the exemplary spiritual figure. The second variant, exemplified in Radhakrishnan, proceeds from an experiential account of spiritual life and argues for a deepening of modern ideals of freedom and democracy through emancipatory political praxis. The ruling metaphor is love of the whole and the exemplary figure is the saint-activist. The third variant, based on Rajagopachari, proceeds from spirituality as ordinary devotion that ensues in moral virtues. Unlike the priest-husband or saint-lover who aspire to anchor politics in first principles, the mature devotee works for a "spirited" politics where reasonableness, courage and friendliness may prevail.
abstract_translated_lang: eng
date: 2004
date_type: published
id_scheme: DOI
id_number: 10.11588/heidok.00004838
portal_cluster_id: p-hdpaper
portal_order: 22
ppn_swb: 1643807234
own_urn: urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-heidok-48381
language: eng
bibsort: SRINIVASANRELATINGSP2004
full_text_status: public
series: Heidelberg Papers in South Asian and Comparative Politics
volume: 22
issn: 1617-5069
citation:   Srinivasan, Vasanthi  (2004) Relating Spirituality and Politics: Love, Marriage or Friendship?  [Working paper]     
document_url: https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/4838/1/hpsacp22.pdf