Acharya Narendra Deva
Acharya Narendra Deva (30 October 1889 – 19 February 1956). A scholar of Indian Buddhism and Marxism. He was one of the leading theorists of the Congress Socialist Party in India, and active in the Hindi language movement.
He served as the 8th Vice Chancellor of University of Lucknow from 1947-1951,[1] and as Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University from December 1951 to 31 May 1954.[2]
Buddhist studies
Narendra Deva acquired deep understanding of the vast Buddhist literature available in the Pali language. He mastered the complete texts of the Tripitaka and Anupitaka. He acquired an understanding of Shamathayana (Samadhi) of the Sthaviravada school.[3]
The ethical teachings of Buddhism created a deep impression on Acharyaji's life. He had great appreciation for Shantideva's Bodhicharyavatara, which he often recited for friends. In particular, he valued the verse: "Of what avail would an empty moksha be to me, when the whole world is engulfed in pain and misery."[3]
- It was Acharyaji's contention that the logical and touching exposition of morality and spirituality provided by Buddhism enables us to approach our culture freed from the evils of blind tradition. This was the solid philosophical foundation on which was built his concept of morality. It was in this light that he surveyed the ethical doctrines the East and the West, and thus did he arrive at a unique understanding of Indian culture.[3]
- Acharyaji wanted to make available in Hindi all possible material for the study of Buddhism. For this purpose, he wished to get Hindi translations of research papers and of authoritative texts. His Hindi work 'Bauddha Dharma-Darshan' is his important contribution in this field. Consisting of 5 sections divided into 20 chapters, it covers the entire field of Buddhist religion and philosophy. The book includes accounts and translations of important works of Buddhist authorities, such as Vasubandhu, Arya Asanga, Hiuen-tsang, Nagarjuna and Chandrakirti. The Chapter on Buddhist Logic can be considered to be Acharyaji's unique contribution.[3]
Acharyaji also translated other Buddhist texts, including Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakosha. Acharyaji had also prepared an English version of Abhidharma Kosha.[3] He was assisted in this project by the German-Canadian translator Herbert V. Guenther.[4]
He also translated Hieun-tsang's Vijnapti-matratasiddhi, an authoritative commentary on the Vijnanavada school of Buddhism.[3]
Political activism
Narendra Deva was a key leader of the Congress Socialist Party from its founding in 1934 and was imprisoned several times during the freedom struggle. He was at times a member of the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly.
His democratic socialism renounced violent means as a matter of principle and embraced the satyagraha as a revolutionary tactic.[5]
He advocated the abolition of poverty and exploitation not just through his belief in the Marxist materialist dialectic, but especially on moral and humanistic grounds. Furthermore, he insisted that "without political democracy social democracy was a sham". Deva was active in the peasant movement and served as president of the All-India Kisan Congress. He was also an atheist, rejecting the glorification of God which, he argued, by implication denigrated humankind.[3]
He remained associated with the Socialist Party and its successor, the Praja Socialist Party, until his death in 1956.[3]
Notes
- ↑ "University of Lucknow / Former Vice Chancellors". lkouniv.ac.in. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
- ↑ "Banaras Hindu University, [BHU], Varanasi-221005, U.P., India. - Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India." www.bhu.ac.in. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Acharya Narendra Deva's Contribution, buddha2550.org
- ↑ Ilse Guenther, Herbert Guenther: Striving for Insight and Understanding, Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies
- ↑ India on Acharya Narendra Dev: 1971, 1989. istampgallery.com
Further reading
Acharya Narendra Deva, Wikipedia- Acharya Narendra Deva's Contribution, buddha2550.org
