PHILOSOPHICAL ARTICLES BY DR. N. V. KULKARNI

INDEX

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Bhartṛhari develops the Sphota doctrine in a metaphysical setting, where he views sphoṭa as the language capability of man, revealing his consciousness. Indeed, the ultimate reality is also expressible in language, the śabda-brahman, or “Eternal Verbum”.

“Visual incidence of ‘Nama’ becoming ‘Sabija’ and also, answer to whether the tradition of spiritual teacher, disciple, sabija nama existed in other religions

    1. Anaximander’s conception of Apeiron-Infinite has been regarded as the first European philosophical conception of God.  Pythagoras did great injustice to it by saying that the conception of the unlimited was an even, and not an odd number.  The article attempts to shed light on this injustice.          Anaximander’s Apeiron-Infinite
    1. Text of paper submitted at the VI. World Congress of the International Christian Studies Association: ‘Science and Religion: The Missing Link’ hosted by Pepperdine University Malibu, California, USA. Aug 2004
      1. An essay on Indian thought and ideals which gaze beyond Plato’s Philosopher King for a theonomy proclaiming one God, one World, one Humanity. Discussion on Rational mysticism, which has been hitherto regarded as a contradiction in terms, must now be a truism.     Rational mysticism
    2. The acme of spiritual realisation to be the mystic’s visualization of his own form, which is liberation here and now.
    3. This is the end of mystic’s perusal’s goal.  But thereafter and otherwise a panorama of mystical experiences are met with which cannot be explained as arising out of dichotomy.  We have to search elsewhere for an answer.  We will first enumerate some such experiences and then probe for a possible and plausible answer.”
    1. The pilgrimage of a spiritual seeker from whence Nada, Bindu, etc. appear to him till their culmination into ONE as depicted by Shri Gurudev in his words.  An attempt made to trace the journey from Bindu to Sindhu lies before the readers.           The pilgrimage of a spiritual seeker
    1. “Discussion on:
      1. Decartes’ doctrine of self-consciousness
      2. Kant’s idea of logical or epistemological apperception
      3. Jame’s psychological apperception
      4. Spiritual apperception and its unity as expounded by Prof. Ranade.
    2. The Upanishadic seers concluded after experiencing that Self-consciousness is the ultimate category of existence.  ” Doctrine of self-consciousness
    1. “The Self is endowed with the supreme power of dichotomizing himself.  The self can divide himself into the knower and the known”, “—the knowledge, invocation, and repetition of a deity’s name (the name imparted by the spiritual teacher — author) constitutes in itself an actual, if mystic union with the deity named. 
    2. The acme of spiritual realisation to be the mystic’s visualization of his own form, which is liberation here and now.
    3. This is the end of mystic’s perusal’s goal.  But thereafter and otherwise a panorama of mystical experiences are met with which cannot be explained as arising out of dichotomy.  We have to search elsewhere for an answer.  We will first enumerate some such experiences and then probe for a possible and plausible answer.”
    1. An essay on the Evolution of Rational Mysticism in the times of Nimbargi Maharaj, Bhausabeb Maharaj, Amburao Maharaj and Gurudev
    1. Getting rid of idea of mineness.  You have dominion everywhere and nowhere.  (Gurudev –  A Saint is really beyond all these qualities Yoga or Bhoga does not matter to him). 

This article proposes to supplement Prof. R. D. Ranade’s thoughts (from 13th session of the Indian Philosophical Congress held at Nagpur (December 1937) presidential address)  with the developments as of date, and to show how a Metaphilosophy of Spirit is emerging for a better future.

    1. “Religious Language is employed to depict various facts of the relations between man and his Maker. Then two questions are posed.
      1. Words describing God, do they imply any special meaning?
      2. Has the description any functional value?”            Religious Language
    1. “Does mysticism deserve the status of scientific knowledge?  Or are mystical phenomena such that they become a proper domain for the scientific method?  Mystics talk about the experience of God and therefore their language is universal.
    2. There is mystical experience just as certainly as there is psychological experience and sensory experience.  In that sense we can speak of the science of mysticism just as legitimately as we speak of the science of psychology, biology or physics.”
    1. While unfurling the Divine Canvas of Vishwarupa, Cosmic Atman, Great Transfiguration, Mysterium Tremendum in his various works Prof. Ranade not only depicts the occasions fully but puts them in echelons.

About Dr. N. V. Kulkarni's writing

Incentives for my writing…

Blessed by Shri Gurudev-Prof. R.D.Ranade and after becoming his disciple, I developed an urge to become an ideal disciple.  For he has said “It is the duty of an ideal disciple to sing the glory of his master. He has no other vocation. ”

I certainly may not be ideal but my vocation is to sing the glory of my master, my only vocation now and vocation is divine call.

Prof. R.D.Ranade in all his erudite and monumental works has left great challenges and small appeals on various topics for research, supplementing his writings, and grasping the full impact of the issues under consideration. I will cite only one great challenge set forth by him though there are many, viz. his detailed scheme of 10 chapters for “Pathway to God in World Literature”; to be undertaken and completed by scholars.

Jack Crittenden in his ‘Forward’ to Ken Wilber’s “The Eye of Spirit” concludes “Through his truly extraordinary work he gives us encouragement to continue our own work – the life journey to wholeness.”

As to the small appeals encountered in his works, these have formed topics of my various articles as explained therein or added heretofore if not included earlier.

Dr. N. V. Kulkarni

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