Upendranath Bandyopadhyay: A Monk in the Garb of a Revolutionary Nationalist

[Sreejit Datta]

Namaskar,

The following piece on the history of Upendranath Bandyopadhyay, a relatively lesser-known figure from among our braveheart revolutionary nationalists, might interest some on this list:  

Upendranath Bandyopadhyay: A Monk in the Garb of a Revolutionary Nationalist - Indic tales

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Thanks and regards,

Sreejit Datta Associate Editor, International Journal of Studies in Public Leadership (ISSN 2583-3308) Assistant Professor & Director of Centre for Civilisational Studies Rashtram School of Public Leadership +91 80139 32260 sree...@rishihood.edu.in | www.rishihood.edu.in

[Govind Kashyap]

Sreejit ji, very good article.

I was very moved by the truth and power of the following words of Sri  Upendranath Bandyopadhyay, ably translated/presented by you:

“.... To denounce Nature [Prakṛti] completely and rush headlong towards Nirvana is to fail the very purpose of Creation. 

We need to be free, become Svarāṭ – not by being slave to Nature, not through a compromise with Her, not even by circumventing Her – but by becoming a complete overlord of Nature. One has to remain in the samsara while acquiring a complete mastery of its ways. And then this inner freedom will be reflected in every worldly action that we undertake. Then work will merely become an expression of absolute bliss [Ᾱnanda].

No fragmentary force of the world will then be able to stop that Divine Inspiration. Whatever you will then build shall never be destroyed.

This is nothing new. Aeons before now Nature had thus proclaimed:

yo māṃ jayati saṅgrāme yo me darpaṃ vyapohati ।
yo me pratibalo loke sa me bhartā bhaviṣyati ॥

"He who conquers me in battle, removes my pride, and is my match in strength in the world, shall be my Lord.”

Such sadhana is no child’s play, nor is it meant for the dependent and the weak.

Now look here, O Sons of Bengal, see if you can venture into such heroic sadhana?”

with kind regards

GK