Since ancient times Hindus developed a vision of the aged. Those that attained those grand
old years had a definite role and responsibility in society. Old age, with health and wisdom,
was desirable. The Rig Veda (10.37.6) states, "Never may we suffer want in the presence of the
sun, and living happy lives, may we attain old age." Furthermore, it was obligatory on the part
of the younger sections of society to protect and support the old. In a Rig Vedic (10.85.42)
prayer there is a significant allusion to this fact: "As days follow in order, as the seasons
faithfully follow one another, so order their lives, O Regulator, that he who comes after may
not abandon him who went before." This is an aspect of the vision our Rishis had on what we now
call 'senior citizens'.
Society has been going through rapid changes. Several domestic and social elements have conspired
with each other to the detriment of our ageing population. In the last few years we have been receiving
a regular stream of senior citizen groups at the Ashram. They come in buses and represent a spectrum of
our retired population - men and women that have served their families and society, retired businesspersons,
teachers, policemen, bank workers, factory workers, etc. They are always received cordially and a short
spiritual programme is arranged for them. Thereafter tea and snacks are served to all. During this break
we have always asked these venerable citizens about their onward journey. Lamentably, most groups are on
the way to a casino. South Africa is perhaps the only country in the world where casinos are to be found
in the city. Of course there is no virtue in casinos being found anywhere! But legalized gambling with its
glittering attractions has become the composite culture of the city. Senior citizens with livable pensions
are lured into such a despicable place. With a few visits and unscrupulous people relating 'success stories'
in gambling, our senior citizens, like other visitors to the place, become addicted. What could be worse than
this in old age?
Recently a young couple, both professionals with two children, complained, "We cannot leave our children with
our retired parents. They have acquired bad habits that will endanger the upbringing of our children". This is
a valid complaint and it ought to be addressed. Otherwise grandparents will be alienated from their families.
The traditional role of grandparents was that they were the embodiments and teachers of great values. They taught
these values through rhyme and stories, myths and lullabies, to their grandchildren. Their role as moral guardians
of the household is inestimable. Their sobering effect on younger lives was a boon to the rising generation. Herein
lies their great value to our homes and society. The adage, "Old is gold" must be viewed in this context.
The former Indian Foreign Minister, Shri Jaswant Singh wrote a recently published book, "A Call to Honour ..."
which is "an evocative account about a crucial period in India's history". The book being partly autobiographical
in nature included Singh's account of his grandfather's influence on him in his desert village:
He took me under his wing. I can scarcely describe that careful nurturing; it is to him that I owe so much. He was
not very well-lettered, in the strict sense of it, but he epitomised learning. He was not formally 'educated', yet
so highly educated, cultured as to embody the values and traditions of the desert: above all freedom, an unbending
spirit, self-esteem without pride, also a clear sense that between self-confidence and arrogance exists a very thin
line, often not visible. And he taught me morality and integrity: 'Don't give your word lightly, Jasu, but if you have
given it, then never, ever go back on it. Remember, the best favour that you can do to somebody is to forget the favour
that you did, don't ever remind the beneficiary of it. But if you receive one, never forget it ...' It is not as if he
made me sit down and lectured this in one tutorial. This is just a distillate of many, many conversations."
In expressing our abiding veneration for our senior citizens we must also draw their attention once more to their great
responsibility as role-models and teachers. Swami Vivekananda's advice to householders is pertinent to this issue, "He
must struggle to acquire a good name by all means. He must not gamble, he must not move in the company of the wicked,
he must not tell lies, and must not be the cause of trouble to others".
Badge Of Authority - From the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
There is only one guru, and that is Satchidananda. He alone is the Teacher. My attitude toward God is that of a
child toward its mother. One can get human gurus by the million. All want to be teachers. But who cares to be a
disciple?
It is extremely difficult to teach others. A man can teach only if God reveals Himself to him and gives the
command. Narada, Shukadeva, and sages like them had such a command from God, and Shankara had it too. Unless
you have a command from God, who will listen to your words?...
God does reveal Himself to man and speak. Only then may one receive His command. How forceful are the words of
such a teacher!They can move mountains. But mere lectures? People will listen to them for a few days and then
forget them.They will never act upon mere words. ...
To teach others, one must have a badge of authority; otherwise teaching becomes a mockery. A man who is himself
ignorant starts out to teach others - like the blind leading the blind! Instead of doing good, such teaching does
harm. After realization of God one obtains an inner vision. Only then can one diagnose a person's spiritual malady
and give instruction.
Without the commission from God, a man becomes vain. He says to himself, "I am teaching people." This vanity comes
from ignorance, for only an ignorant person feels that he is the doer. A man verily becomes liberated in life if he
feels: "God is the Doer. He alone is doing everything. I am doing nothing." Man's sufferings and worries spring only
from his persistent thought that he is the doer.
You [Keshab] speak of doing good to the world. Is the world such a small thing? And who are you, pray, to do good to
the world? First realize God, see Him by means of spiritual discipline. If He imparts power, then you can do good to
others; otherwise not.
The Holy Mother: An Ideal of Perfect Womanhood - Swami Nikhilananda
(Swami Nikhilananda, a disciple of the Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi, was the founder and for long in-charge of
the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Centre of New York. Gifted with literary talents and well-versed in philosophy,
eastern and western, he has produced a number of outstanding books in Ramakrishna-Vivekananda-Vedanta literature
which includes a biography on the Holy Mother. The contents of this article are selections from his essay in the
book "Sri Sarada Devi The Great Wonder", published by Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, 1984.)
When I returned to Belur Math after my visit to Jayrambati, Swami Premananda asked me about the Mother. I told him
that she acted like any ordinary mother, eager to feed us and look after our comforts. With a beaming face the Swami
said that that was the Mother's greatness, and that here was a rare instance of a person who had conserved tremendous
spiritual energy and at the same time appeared utterly tranquil.
Needless to say, I had had only a few occasions to see the Holy Mother. I never asked her any profound questions. She
told me to consult Swami Brahmananda and Swami Saradananda about my spiritual problems. The incidents of my few visits
with her must seem trivial to others; yet they have remained a source of unfailing inspiration to me in the trying
periods of my life. Many times I have recalled what she said to a disciple in order to reassure him in his distress:
'Always say to yourself, "I have a Mother".'
The Holy Mother lived very unobtrusively at Jayrambati, surrounded by her relations and fulfilling her self-imposed
obligations to them. She also went on pilgrimage to various places in India. And she devoted a great part of her time
to meditation and prayer, especially after the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna. Through almost the whole of her life
she spent the early hours of the morning in communion with God. As a result of all these spiritual disciplines she
earned and conserved a tremendous spiritual power, whose full manifestation was not witnessed by the public while she
was on earth. And as long as she lived in the physical body, even her photographs were not available to anyone outside
her limited number of disciples. But her greatness began to manifest after her death. She once remarked that Sri
Ramakrishna had left her behind to proclaim the Motherhood of God and the divinity of women. On one occasion Sri
Ramakrishna said to the Holy Mother that she must look after the spiritual welfare of the people of Calcutta, whom
he found to be groping in darkness, like worms.
After her death, the anniversary of the Holy Mother's birth began to attract an increasing crowd of devotees -
women in particular - who very soon realized that Sarada Devi represented not merely the Indian ideal of womanhood
that was passing away, but also the ideal for India's new generation of women. The whole matter has reached a climax
this year, the centenary of her birth [This article was written in 1954.] In India the celebration has become almost
a national affair. Even in far-off America the centenary is not passing unnoticed. The Swamis in America, because of
the profound respect in which they hold her, have heretofore seldom publicly discussed the Holy Mother's life and
teachings. The Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Centre of New York has observed the Holy Mother's centenary with three public
functions, the last one being the occasion of the unveiling of her bronze bust, made by the celebrated artist Malvina
Hoffman, in the chapel of the Centre. The affection and respect of the students, of whom a large majority are women,
are both impressive and touching. I find from experience that whenever, in the course of a sermon, I mention the Holy
Mother's teachings or even a trivial incident from her life, at once a deeper rapport is created between myself and
the congregation, and I never fail to receive their undivided attention. Everyone instinctively feels that the Holy
Mother is a unique saint of our time, by whose birth the womanhood of the world, and not of India alone, has been
sanctified. I often say to myself that by merely hearing her name people are drawn to her; but alas, though we have
seen her with our own eyes, we do not have enough devotion! Many of our women devotees contemplate the Holy Mother
as their spiritual ideal. Her photograph adorns the altar at the home of many an American family. To them she has
been an unfailing ins-piration. It is evident that her realizations and teachings have reached so lofty a plane that
the differences of race, religion and colour have no more any meaning for her. The utter simplicity of her life, the
purity of her character, and the all-embracing compassion of her heart have a universal appeal. How true were Sri
Ramakrishna's words, uttered soon after his marriage - when the Holy Mother was a tiny girl below her teens, and he
an unknown devotee of God, - that though she might not have any children of her own flesh, yet the children of her
spirit would come from all corners of the earth.
The appreciation of Holy Mother by American women is all the more remarkable when one considers the striking
difference of ideals cherished by the women of India and those of the West, a difference caused by religious
tradition and political and economic factors. In Hindu society woman represents motherhood and ennobles herself
through suffering. In the Hindu home the mother rules and the daughter-in-law is treated like a daughter until she
herself becomes a mother. Motherhood is associated with unselfishness, forgiveness, and infinite tenderness. When
the child is still in the womb, the prospective mother visits temples, reads scriptures and cultivates holy company
so that her offspring may imbibe spiritual qualities before it sees the light of the day. To a Hindu woman the
discharge of duties and obligations is more important than insistence on rights and privileges. To an outsider a
Hindu woman mayappear passive. She may seem not to enjoy much freedom. But a Hindu woman has her own conception of
freedom. She regards herself as free if, without any interference from outside, she can manage her household affairs,
bring up her children according to her own good standards, and practice her spiritual disciplines. A Hindu woman is
calm but not weak. Behind her calmness and self-control there lies a wonderful strength, which she has shown many
times in the history of India, whenever the occasion demanded as a warrior, as a religious teacher, as a politician,
or as a queen regent or regnant. In free India, at the present time, Hindu women hold positions in the political
field which their more aggressive Western sisters have yet to achieve. Yet Hindu women never started a suffragette
movement to demand their rights. Hindu men have an ingrained respect for woman and gladly concede them their
legitimate recognition whenever their ability is shown.
Sri Ramakrishna created the Holy Mother as the ideal of Indian womanhood. His attitude towards woman is unique even
in the annals of Indian history. Though he was a monk of the highest Paramahamsa order, living always in a
God-intoxicated state, yet he married and kept his wife near him till his last day on earth perhaps to demonstrate
that for an average man, marriage is a spiritual discipline and sacrament through which to learn self-control. His
relationship with his wife was singularly free from any worldliness. He literally worshipped her as the living
Goddess and saw no difference between her, his earthly mother, and Kali, the Divine Mother. Thus he taught the world
that the highest experience of God is not compatible with the enjoyment of the flesh; as the Bible says, there is no
marriage in heaven. He often pointed out Kamini Kanchana, 'woman' and 'gold', as the greatest obstacle in spiritual
life. Yet he showed the utmost tenderness to his wife, who became, after his passing away, the spiritual guide of many
monks of the Ramakrishna Order. The Master had, too, a number of women disciples who regarded him as one of them.
Sri Ramakrishna's attitude towards women was determined by the Hindu conception of the Motherhood of God.
In the Semitic tradition, which influenced Judaism, Christianity and Islam, God is the Creator and Ruler of the
universe, and is regarded as extra-cosmic. Matter, or Nature, which is the material cause of the universe, is dull
and insentient. According to Hinduism the Godhead is both efficient and material cause. The Shakti, or Power, which
projects the universe, is inseparable from the Godhead. Nature is God's other (apara) aspect. Hence God is regarded
by the Hindus as both Father and Mother. A woman conceives her child, brings it forth in proper time, and afterwards,
nourishes it. The Divine Power performs the same functions with regard to the creation. Thus a woman is the earthly
symbol of the Divine Power. That is why every woman is entitled to a man's reverence. The respect that the West shows
to its womanhood is not based on such grounds.
Sri Ramakrishna, through his relationship with the Holy Mother, wanted to bring out the spiritual aspect of womanhood.
Every embodied being is a mixture of matter and spirit, dust and deity. A woman, like a man, has both a spiritual and
an earthly aspect. She may regard either of these as important, and she demands a man's attention accordingly. If she
emphasizes physical pleasure, she binds both herself and the man to the phenomenal world. This attitude is the result
of avidya, or ignorance. A man succumbing to a woman's physical charms becomes entangled in worldliness. But she can
also be treated as a manifestation of the Godhead. Through this attitude both man and woman keep their lower nature
under control and ultimately attain liberation. Addressed as Mother, a Hindu woman feels an exaltation of spirit and
acts in a noble manner. When Sri Ramakrishna criticized 'woman' and 'gold' he was only speaking of woman's physical
aspect; otherwise he could not have treated the Holy Mother with such reverence and accepted a woman as his spiritual
guide. In his opinion a man can escape the snare of lust not by hating woman and keeping her at a distance, but by
showing her respect as a mother and Goddess.
Through his relationship with the Holy Mother, Sri Ramakrishna reminded the women of the world of their great
spiritual heritage, and taught men that in order to fulfil their spiritual aspirations they should regard women as
symbols of the Divine Mother and show them genuine respect.
No Work Is Inferior - Swami Vivekananda
There is, however, one great danger in human nature, viz. that man never examines himself. He thinks he is quite as
fit to be on the throne as the king. Even if he is, he must first show that he has done the duty of his own position;
and then higher duties will come to him. When we begin to work earnestly in the world, nature gives us blows right
and left and soon enables us to find out our position. No man can long occupy satisfactorily a position for which he
is not fit. There is no use in grumbling against nature's adjustment. He who does the lower work is not therefore a
lower man. No man is to be judged by the mere nature of his duties, but all should be judged by the manner and the
spirit in which they perform them.
Later on we shall find that even this idea of duty undergoes change, and that the greatest work is done only when
there is no selfish motive to prompt it. Yet it is work through the sense of duty that leads us to work without any
idea of duty; when work will become worship - nay, something higher - then will work be done for its own sake.
Duty is seldom sweet. It is only when love greases its wheels that it runs smoothly; it is acontinuous friction
otherwise. How else could parents do their duties to their children, husbands to their wives, and vice versa? Do
we not meet with cases of friction every day in our lives? Duty is sweet only through love, and love shines in
freedom alone. Yet is it freedom to be a slave to the senses, to anger, to jealousies and a hundred other petty
things that must occur every day in human life? In all these little roughnesses that we meet with in life, the highest
expression of freedom is to forbear.
Be like the squirrel
The monkeys removed whole hills, placed them in the sea and covered them with stones and trees, thus making a huge
embankment. A little squirrel, so it is said, was there rolling himself in the sand and running backwards and forwards
on to the bridge and shaking himself. Thus in his small way he was working for the bridge of Rama by putting in sand.
The monkeys laughed, for they were bringing whole mountains, whole forests, huge loads of sand for the bridge - so
they laughed at the little squirrel rolling in the sand and then shaking himself. But Rama saw it and remarked:
"Blessed be the little squirrel; he is doing his work to the best of his ability, and he is therefore quite as great
as the greatest of you." Then he gently stroked the squirrel on the back, and the marks of Rama's fingers, running
lengthways, are seen on the squirrel's back to this day.
Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan: Philospher, Mathematician, Educator & Father of Library Science - Prof. B Singh
Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan
(S R Ranganathan was a pioneer in the field of Library Science. The author of this article, Prof B Singh, is a
general surgeon attached to the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal. He also serves on
the panel of medical professionals of the Ramakrishna Clinic of South Africa.)
Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan is unquestionably India's Father of Library Science and probably the greatest librarian
of the 20th century. Many are probably unaware of the tremendous contributions this great man of science made to
Library Science, a sustained lifelong contribution that firmly planted India on the world library stage.
A scholar, educator and librarian, Professor S R Ranganathan pioneered Library Science in India making innovative
contributions to this discipline which to date remain influential.
The education of librarians, library administration and organisation, reference services and collection management
are but some of Prof Ranganathan's innovative contributions to Library Science.
Background
Ranganathan was born in Shiyali in the Tanjavur District of Tamil Nadu on 9 August 1892. He was educated at the S
M Hindu High School at Shiyali, obtaining his Matriculation in 1908/1909. Thereafter, he completed the BA degree in
1913 and the MA degree (in Mathematics) in 1916 at the Madras Christian College; he was keen to pursue a career as a
Mathematics teacher. To this end he obtained a course in teaching techniques (the LT Degree) from the Teacher's
College, Saidepet. He was successively a member of the Mathematics faculties at universities at Mangalore, Coimbatore
and Madras. As a Mathematics professor he produced "a handful of papers, most on Mathematics history".
The Librarian
In 1923 the University of Madras created a University Librarian post. Among the 900 applicants, none had a librarian
background. Ranganathan was offered this post, having complied with the requirement that the successful candidate
should have a research background.
Ranganathan reluctantly accepted this post (in 1924) - he had apparently forgotten that he had made an application by
the time he was invited to the interview! In this way Ranganathan began a 20 year association with the University
of Madras as Librarian and the beginning of his career in Library Science.
Not surprisingly, coming from a Mathematics teaching background, Ranganathan had great difficulty in adjusting to his
newly acquired position, librarianship itself being a novel post in India at that time. To acquire an insight into
Western library practice, Ranganathan was sent to the University College in London, then the only institute that
offered a graduate programme in Library Science in Britain.
Ranganathan focused on what he perceived to be flaws in the popular decimal classification system; this prompted,
while still in England, the drafting of a system that evolved into the Colon Classification.
Ranganathan returned to India fired with a passion for Library Science and the relevance of this for the nation. He
appreciated the potential libraries had for helping societies to grow and flourish.
His commitment to Library Science has been described by Girja Kumar:
"There has not been a day of the life of Ranganathan since 1924 when he did not breathe, think, talk and even dream
of librarianship and Library Science".Kumar also writes that during his 20 years as librarian at Madras
University, Ranganathan did not take a single day's leave; he spent 13 hours every day, for 7 days a week on
the premises of the library!
He insisted on long hours of hard work, work chastity, open and analytical thitnking and altruism; this passion saw
the development of Library Science principles and structures that firmly placed India on the world library stage.
After leaving the University of Madras in 1945, Ranganathan joined the Hindu University at Varanasi as librarian and
Professor of Library Science. This was followed by an association with the University of Delhi between 1947 and 1954.
Thereafter he undertook research and writing in Zurich, Switzerland between 1954 and 1957.
On returning to India in 1957, Ranganathan served as visiting professor at the Vikram University, Ujjain (until 1959).
In 1962 he developed and headed the Documentation Research and Training Centre in Bangalore, an association that
continued for the rest of his life. The Indian government honoured him as the National Research Professor in Library
Science in 1965.
Contributions
The impetus for Professor Ranganathan's ideas took root from his background in mathematics and Hindu philosophy;
complex issues would be dismantled into small units and then be reconnected in a systematic way. Thus emerged the
Analytico-Synthetic method which influenced his diverse contributions to Library Science.
Five Laws of Library Science
Ranganathan's Five Laws of Library Science is considered a classic of Library Science literature and held as valuable
as it was in 1931 when it was published; far reaching effects flow from this formulation including the ideal service
and organization philosophy of most libraries today:
Books are for use.
Every reader his or her book.
Every book its reader.
Save the time of the reader.
The library is a growing organisation.
The relevance of Ranganathan's Five Laws of Library Science must be seen in the context of India in the 1930's,
shackled by the chains of colonialism, thirsting for democracy.
Colon Classification
The Colon Classification, though widely influential but rarely used, is considered by many to be Ranganathan's
greatest achievement; in this system he developed his most famous ideas. The system is based on the philosophy that
each subject in the universe can be analysed into facets. Facets were postulated to be the manifestation of any one
of Five Fundamental Categories:
Personality - what the "object" is primarily about. This is considered the "main facet".
Matter - the material of the "object".
Energy - processes or activities that take place in relation to the "object".
Space - where the "object" happens or exists.
Time - when the "object" occurs.
Ranganathan believed that any object (this meant any concept that a book could be written about) could be classified
by pulling relevant pieces from these 5 facets and then fitting them together. The notation for each facet was
separated by using a colon, hence the name of the classification.
The development of the Colon Classification was prompted by Ranganathan's dissatisfaction with the then widely used
Dewey Decimal system (which used indexing terms that had to be thought out before the book being described could be
classified). With the increase in subject matter and explosion of new information at that time, Ranganathan believed
that the Decimal system's enumerative or pre-planned system was inappropriate; rather than creating a slot to insert
the book into, one starts with the book and collects all the relevant facets. This allows for greater flexibility
and a high degree of specificity for classification.
Library Legislation
He prompted the need for library legislation for the development of public libraries through his writings and
lectures; indeed Ranganathan's second law emphasized the enactment of library legislation as an essential element
of public library development that would make it obligatory for the government to provide a public library service.
As early as 1930 he drafted the Model Library Act which was effectively the seed of Library Legislation in India.
Although attached to libraries serving academic institutions and teaching departments, Prof Ranganathan worked
tirelessly to spread the public library movement in India; in this endeavour he emphasized that libraries - whether
small or big, local or distant - had to be functionally connected. Thus he introduced in India the modern concept
that the public library system should be an integrated nationwide network of public libraries giving free library
and information services to all - rich or poor, rural or urban, literate or illiterate. Thus he instituted the first
rural and mobile libraries in India, using bullock carts and a mail order system to serve outstation clientele.
Ranganathan's vision was to have a public library system that would pool the information resources of the country
and make it available to the people in an equal and unbiased manner. He visualized libraries as resources for
perpetual self education, knowledge and information.
Other significant contributions made by Ranganathan include:
The Classified Catalogue Code (published in 1935), probably the first comprehensive code classified catalogue.
The Chain Procedure for deriving subject index entries that gives a method for deriving the headings for
subject index entries. It was applied on a large scale in the production of the British National Bibliography
(in 1950).
Library Administration and Management - rationalization of library routines with respect to planning, job
analysis, routine and time schemes.
Library Housing - through a pragmatic analysis of the functional layout needed for a library, Ranganathan
established standards for library buildings and furniture.
Professional Education - he established standards for the education of librarians. This included post-graduate
courses, the curriculum and texts for these courses. Through his efforts India took the lead in establishing the
Master's Degree and the PhD course in Library Science.
Publications - in addition to innumerable articles, Ranga-nathan wrote 62 books; these were written during the
evenings and when he was not on University site! Among the important works written by him (besides Colon
Classification and the Five Laws of Library Science) are Classified Catalogue Code (1934),
Prolegomena to Library Classification (1937), Theory of the Library Catalogue (1938), Elements of Library
Classification (1945) and Classification and Inter-national Documentation (1948).
Professor Ranganathan created many professional and educational organizations in India. He was also an international
figure in Library Science; some of the inter-national positions held included:
International Committee of Library Experts, United Nations (1948).
Faculty, UNESCO International School on Public Librarianship (1948).
International Committee on Bibliography of UNESCO (1951- 1953).
Founder, Annals of Library Science (1956).
Editor, Annals of Library Science (1956 - 1963).
Editorial Board, Modern Librarian (1937 -1947).
Professor Ranganathan was widely recognized for his contribution to Library Science in India and internationally.
He received honorary doctorate degrees (from the University of Delhi in 1948 and Pittsburgh, USA in 1964),
Fellowships and the Padmashree in 1957. He was also visiting Professor to Library Schools in the United Kingdom,
USA, Canada and Japan.
Conclusion
Inventor, educator, librarian, philosopher and mathematician, Professor Ranganathan can be rightly described as the
Father of Library Science in India. A man of great vision and seemingly inexhaustible energy, his serendipitous
entry into librarianship is tinged with a divine hand. India in the 1920's was a country largely devoid of a library
culture. With an iron determination, supreme dedication and admirable resilience, he succeeded in establishing an
advanced library service for the future of his country that would become internationally comparable. When he died
on 27 September 1972 the world lost a pioneer, perhaps the creator of Library Science. His philosophy and his
writings will continue to influence this field and may well find resonance in the era of the world wide web.
To the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa's Website
