Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan: The Tall Amongst the Tallest on Dharma and Democracy

Introduction

Like a luminous thread woven through Indian thought, dharma, the path of righteousness, ignites the sacred flame of humanity within. By steadfastly walking this path, we illuminate the way for truth’s eternal victory, Satyameva Jayate. In this journey, as Dr Radhakrishnan exhorts, we fulfil the whispered call of our scriptures, our lives becoming a melody of human saintliness.

To uphold dharma, does education help? Sure, education equips us to uphold dharma, but is that all? Dr Radhakrishnan reminds us that mere academic prowess or physical health falls short. It is the awakening of our ‘spiritual sensitivity’ that imbues our actions with purpose and connects us to a deeper reality. This, he believes, is the goal of education. Spiritual sensitivity is a deliberate and thoughtful attitude that guides one’s actions, being aware. To this effect, he ardently emphasized the importance of spirituality in humanity.

Addressing the Karnataka University convocation, Radhakrishnan offered a practical recipe for success: read, read deeply, and read with focus. He argued that amid life’s challenges, great books and good company are the "incomparable fruits" we should seek out. To ensure that scientific and technological advancements serve humanity, he urged students and teachers to embrace the wisdom of literature, philosophy, and religion. He said, “There is a great verse which says that in this poison tree of samsara are two fruits of incomparable value. They are the enjoyment of great books and the company of good souls.” 

Teachers’ Day: 5 September 

One and a half decade after India’s political independence from the imperial British Raj, India has been observing September 5 as the Teachers’ Day. Teachers' Day forever bears the mark of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, scholar, statesman, and educator. His impact on nascent India shines through his roles as first Vice President and Chairman of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament (1952-1962), and even rising to second President, succeeding Babu Rajendra Prasad. 

Across educational institutions, in India, it is not uncommon to find portraits of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan gazing out alongside Pt Jawaharlal Nehru or Mahatma Gandhi. His stern demeanour, accentuated by spectacles and a traditional South Indian headgear, reflects his scholarly background and priestly lineage. Yet, beyond the outward image, his name evokes a guiding spirit in Indian education and an erudite voice for interpreting the nation's unwieldy philosophical tapestry. Radhakrishnan's intellectual prowess encompassed not only the teachings of Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity, and Islam, but also delved deep into the Hindu texts of the Vedas, Shastras, Upanishads, Brahma-sutras, epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and the profound Bhagavad Gita.

When Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was the President of India, once “he was visited by a few students of him with a request of celebrating his birthday. Instead, Dr Radhakrishnan asked them to dedicate it to teachers. Thus, celebrations of September 5 as Teachers’ Day started in India,” reported The Hindustan Times. By this time in his career, he had gathered vast experiences in the educational sector across India serving as the Vice Chancellor of Andhra University, Banaras Hindu University and Kolkata (Calcutta) University. He had also become an eminent educationist and interpreter of ancient Indian philosophy to the West and the East emphasizing the universality of humanity.

While at the University of Calcutta, Radhakrishnan was invited to give a series of lectures at Manchester College, Oxford, in 1926. He returned on a tour in 1929-30 to give the Hibbert Lectures at University College, London, Open University in the UK mentions. Radhakrishnan was knighted (Sir) in 1931 and invited to take up the Spalding Professorship of Eastern Religions and Ethics at All Souls College, Oxford from 1936 to 1952. Radhakrishnan also served as an Indian delegate to the League of Nations during the 1930s. The university credits his success in comparing Eastern and Western philosophies and in interpreting Indian philosophy for Western audiences by providing rationality to it.

Teachers Should be Paid Well

With the experiences of being a student and teacher, Radhakrishnan campaigned for the betterment of teachers. Dr Kavita Sharma, an educationist, said in an interview with Sansad TV for a documentary film on Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, “He never romanticized the teaching profession like everybody says, it’s a very noble profession. It is a noble profession, but he consistently said that your teachers need to be paid properly. They need to have a particular social status so that they can deliver. Because no profession can be just made to, not get a return, if, if you want good talent to be attracted towards it.”

Although Teachers’ Day is celebrated on September 5 across schools and colleges, universities and educational institutions in India with performances and remembrances in memory of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, there is another day in a year that has little pedagogic value and more cultural significance rooted in ancient heritage: Guru Purnima.

Unlike Teacher’s Day, Guru Purnima has no fixed day in a year as it is celebrated annually on the full moon day in the month of Aashaadha (June-July) based on the Hindu calendar. For example, Guru Purnima is observed on 21 July 2024, was observed on 3 July 2023 and would be observed on 10 July 2025.

However, Guru Purnima has transnational and trans-religious importance for it is celebrated in Nepal and Bhutan, and by the Hindus, Jains and Buddhists within the country and beyond, diaspora. Guru Purnima, also known as Vyasa Purnima, the tentative birthday of the sage Veda Vyasa, author of Mahabharata and compiler of Vedas, is more of a religious festival to offer respect to a spiritual guru.

Additionally, there is World Teachers’ Day, observed annually on 5th October. It is a day to celebrate how teachers are transforming education but also to reflect on the support they need to fully deploy their talent and vocation, and to rethink the way ahead for the profession globally. His vision for teachers was truly universal, extending far beyond borders even before the concept of globalization truly took hold. However, a question lingers: Why didn't India champion September 5th as World Teachers’ Day instead of October 5th?

“He symbolized what one of our Upanishads has said that teaching is nothing but a dialogue between the teacher and the taught,” said Dr Kavita Sharma. In the country, Radhakrishnan himself stressed that the students should be taught the history of the different nations, the elements of modern science and technology, and glimpses into world literature so that the minds are sharpened and feelings refined. He earnestly desired that ‘our children are treated as human beings and not as automata’.

Education in the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India 

As a member of the Constituent Assembly, he played a pivotal role in the framing of the Indian Constitution and in establishing the University Grants Commission, a body that maintains and coordinates standards in the country. He envisioned that education should be decentralized in India: not the sole prerogative of the Government of India, but the state governments should have an equal say. To this effect, he succeeded in creating a balance between the central government and the state governments over education. This resulted in placing education in the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India. 

Indian Tricolour and Motto: Satyameva Jayate

At the time of framing the Indian Constitution, in the Constituent Assembly, the proposed national flag’s saffron colour faced criticism. Undeterred, Radhakrishnan eloquently presented his case before the flag committee. He emphasized that the three colours were not mere emblems of division, but unifying symbols steeped in profound meaning. Saffron, or bhagwa, he explained, transcended its religious connotations, instead representing the ideals of sacrifice and indifference to material gain, qualities he deemed indispensable for politicians. White, he continued, shone as the guiding light of truth, while green served as a constant reminder of our shared bond with the soil, the source of all sustenance.

Dharma Chakra the Ashoka Chakra: The Wheel of The Law of Dharma 

Dharma is one of the untranslatable Indian words rooted in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali and Dravidian languages loaded with meaning and echoes code of conduct. The Ashoka Chakra wheel in the centre of the middle white stripe of the national flag is the Wheel of the Law of Dharma, also called Dharma Chakra. It signifies motion, or movement, and truth, satya, and virtue. In the fiery crucible of independence, a new flag was forged. Radhakrishnan, its ardent advocate, argued that India must cast aside the inertia of the past and forge ahead. The Ashoka Chakra, he emphasized, was not a mere emblem, but a dynamic wheel of peaceful change, propelling the nation from colonial shadows into the bright sunshine of democracy. This potent symbol, he pointed out, whispered of the ancient Ashoka Lion Capital, a majestic reminder of India's heritage, and subtly echoed the spinning wheel, the banner that had spun threads of freedom throughout the struggle against British rule. The 24 spokes in the Dharma Chakra depict the qualities that should be in a person. The spokes are attributed as the pathway for humans and will lead the country on the path of progress. The 24 spokes represent Chastity, Health, Peace, Sacrifice, Morality, Service, Forgiveness, Love, Friendship or cordiality with the citizenry, Fraternity, Organization or Strengthening the unity and integrity of the nation, Welfare, Prosperity, Industry, Safety, Awareness, Equality, Artha, Policy (have faith in the country's policy), Justice, Co-operation, Duties, Rights and Wisdom. 

All the spokes talk about the holistic development of an individual in the country of democracy. These are also a constant reminder to all the countrymen about their rights and duties irrespective of caste, religion, or language. “Our motto is, truth alone prevails. Truth is the name which we give to God,” Radhakrishnan said. The national emblem of India contains the phrase Satyameva Jayate: ‘Truth alone triumphs’, a mantra from the Hindu scripture Mundaka Upanishad but a timeless phrase of universal value. Satyameva Jayate was adopted as the national motto on 26 January 1950, the day India became a Republic.

The philosopher Radhakrishnan, without being politically active by aligning with the right and the left and the centre of political parties, earned his place in the covetable positions of the country. His erudition and way of living were aligned with his commitment to the betterment of the country through education, in interpreting Indian thought and philosophy. In this way, he emerged as the complementary figure for Nehru, who presented India’s statesmanship, Gandhi its people, and he presented intellectual spirituality. His philosophy also enabled India to build bridges between Indian spiritualism and Western democracy. 

Radhakrishnan vociferously argued that political arrangements and economic ties are mere sandcastles against the tide of discord. To build a truly lasting world community, we must dive deeper, cultivating a shared psychological foundation. This, he proclaimed, is the transformative power of literature, the ability to awaken in us the unwavering realization that we are not isolated individuals, but interconnected threads in the vast tapestry of humanity.

The Adventitious Philosopher

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan studied philosophy because of an external factor of chance rather than by inherent nature in the land of unborn India under imperial rule. He studied philosophy at a time when its career path was mainly teaching and a Western subject. A student of philosophy, however, can branch out as a politician, paralegal, marketing or research consultant, data analyst, administrator, journalist, or psychologist among others. In the case of Radhakrishnan, he also taught psychology after he had graduated from Madras Christian College and when he was a student preparing to teach philosophy at Madras Presidency College. 

Philosopher and Philosophy 

A philosopher is a person who is a learner in philosophy, or studies philosophy. In ancient Greece, philosophy was the love of wisdom, exploring aspects of existence, knowledge, language, mind, and reason for this and that with critical inquiry. It is the study of the processes governing thought, the conduct of life, morals, character, and behaviour; the mental balance of calmness and composure; investigation of the universal laws of regulation; and underlying knowledge and reality including aesthetics, ethics, logic and metaphysics.

Philosophy is also the study of a field of acknowledgement or activity such as the philosophy of politics, polity, and economics among others. Indian philosophy has its roots in its pre-ancient times alongside Western philosophy rooted in Greece, Arabic-Persian and Chinese philosophies. Indian philosophy, however, has been emphasizing abstract and concrete themes as varied as sorrow and samsara, meditation and renunciation, nirvana and moksha, karma and dharma. Over time, philosophy branched out as epistemology, (what is knowledge, how to acquire it), ethics (code of conduct) logic (reasoning, exploring by arguments on why something is right or wrong), and metaphysics (reality, existence, properties, objects). The subfields are aesthetics, and philosophies related to language, mind, religion, and politics among others. 

After completing his schooling in his tiny native town of Tiruttani and the temple town of Tirupati, he joined Voorhees College in Vellore for his high school education called First of Arts. Then he joined the Madras Christian College. In an interview for a documentary produced by Films Division, established under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, a year after independence, Radhakrishnan revealed that he did not have a spectacular background but was a rigorous student. “When I passed my intermediate what was then called the first of arts examination…It was open to me to have taken up mathematics or history for my BA degree but the accident of my getting a few books on philosophy from my cousin of mine who just passed the BA degree examination made me select philosophy…Not that I had any predilection for it or eagerness to solve the problems of the world. An accident of getting the books free that decided my career as a student of philosophy.” 

As a student of philosophy, he was completely absorbed in the subject because of the social milieu and by the subject. He recalled, “The way in which Indian philosophy was criticised by the teachers in Madras in those years led me an interest in Indian thought and find out what is alive and what is not alive in Indian thought, how much it has changed and how much it should change for the betterment of our own culture. I tried to make a clear study of Indian thought (ethics, aesthetics, Indian philosophy, Hindu philosophy), whether the criticisms are justified or not, what is wrong with it and what it has to shed off and what is right with it and what has to be preserved.” 

As a student, he started to write for the college magazine on aspects of philosophy which is invariably linked to religion and rituals among others. His thesis was “The Ethics of the Vedanta and its Metaphysical Presuppositions”, which was to be a reply to the charge that the Vedanta system had no room for ethics. Later published titled ‘The Ethics of the Vedanta’, he argued by stating that philosophy is a criticism of life and it is judged by its capacity to improve, and the Vedanta philosophy satisfied the demands of the moral consciousness and with ethical interest.

His thesis invited commendation from his professors, Rev. William Meston and Dr. Alfred George Hogg. Since then, it almost became his mission to study Indian philosophy and religion critically and objectively. He went on to emerge as the apologist of Hinduism and ancient philosophy of the land against ‘uninformed Western criticism’ and as the resonant voice in interpreting Indian thought to the West and the country.

Books

Radhakrishnan’s works include Indian Philosophy (1923–27), The Philosophy of the Upanishads (1924), An Idealist View of Life (1932), Eastern Religions and Western Thought (1939), and East and West: Some Reflections (1955). He edited Mahatma Gandhi: Essays and Reflections on his Life, which was presented to Gandhi on his seventieth birthday, 2 October 1939.

He is credited for his interpretation of the Hindu scripture: Bhagavad Gita. Journalist Kuldip Nayar said in an interview, “I think the book he wrote on the Gita was more a philosophical book than in any case religious book. Here is a comparative study of religion, traditions, cultures, and civilizations. So, he gives a larger kind of interpretation, varied kind of an interpretation, to the book Gita.”

His best work, hailed as a masterpiece, is Indian Philosophy. “This work gives a clear and rational account of the highest conceptions of Hinduism. The happy blend of Eastern conceptions with Western terminology makes the book intelligible even to the inexpert and it need hardly be added, instructive. Professor Radhakrishnan has shown that in their perception of the goal, in the acuteness of their reasoning, and the boldness of their conceptions, the Indian thinkers are second to none,” noted Times Literary Supplement. “Comprehensive and authoritative. No such adequate account of Hindu thought has appeared in English. The spirit, motive, and method of this great book are admirable,” Church Times reviewed. Indian Philosophy embarks beginning with the situation in India, characteristics of Indian Thought charges against Indian Philosophy, the Vedic Period and its hymns, theology, monotheism verses monism, cosmology, religion, ethics, eschatology, the philosophy of the Upanishads, the pluralistic realism of the Jainas and the ethical idealism of Buddhism, Brahmanism, epics Mahabharata and Ramayana, codes of Manu and Bhagavad Gita. His philosophical diagnosis in the book mentions the unity of all systems and the decline of philosophy in the recent past and the present. His observation is, ‘there is a cordial harmony between god and man in Indian thought, while the opposition between the two is marked more in the west’. 

One of the constant barbs of the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity and Islam against Hinduism has been idol worshipping in the country. To that his response in the book was that Gods in India are closer to the devotee – they are friends, they are lovers, they are the near and dear. In contrast, in the Judeo-Christian gods seem to be distant and vengeful. Zeus is bent on destroying the human race, and Prometheus and Hercules have to defend mankind against divine vengeance. The main tendency of Western culture is an opposition between man and god. Whereas in India man is a product of god. The whole world is due to the sacrifice of god. The Purusha Sukta (spiritual unity of the universe) speaks of such an eternal sacrifice that sustains man and the world. In it, the whole world is pictured as one single being of comparable vastness and immensity animated by one spirit, including within its substance all forms of life. 

Recognition and Responsibility

Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru the first Prime Minister of India detected the philosophical powers of Radhakrishnan and called upon him to contribute to a free and independent India. He was one among the three to deliver a historic speech in the Constituent Assembly at midnight on August 14, 1947. He led the Indian delegation to the Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 1946–52) and was elected chairman of its executive board (1948–49). From 1949 to 1952, Nehru appointed Radhakrishnan as the ambassador to the Soviet Union, India’s second ambassador to Moscow. When Stalin finally agreed to meet him in January 1950, he was impressed with the philosopher-ambassador of India. It should be noted Stalin had not received Radhakrishnan’s predecessor even once! During their meeting, Radhakrishnan answered Stalin’s questions (why Ceylon was not a part of India, whether India still employed British officers in its army and navy) before suggesting that the USSR take the initiative to end the Cold War. Stalin answered by saying that it takes two hands to clap and that there was another side responsible for the Cold War too. Radhakrishnan replied with a sentence that left Stalin at a loss for words. “As a peace-loving country, the Soviet Union should withdraw its own hand as it takes two hands to clap.” When he was returning to India, Joseph Stalin commented: “You are the first person to treat me as a human being and not as a monster. You are leaving us and I am sad, I want you to live long.”

Radhakrishnan possibly saw the fallibility in a human being, however powerful he might be and should be treated as a human, which reminds us why some lawyers defend the indefensible. One of his quotes is: “The worst sinner has a future, even as the greatest saint has had a past.” On his return to India in 1952, he was elected the Vice President. During his vice-presidency, his reputation was firmly established as a spiritualist and philosopher, too. Jan Myrdal, the ‘enfant terrible’ of Sweden, poet, political columnist and art critic, writes about him in his book India Waits, a travelogue that documents and interprets the human details of contemporary reality: “In the newspapers, I read that the Vice President said what we had expected him to say. Vice President Emphasizes Spiritual Values: Dr Radhakrishnan quoted the Upanishads and stressed that the amassing of wealth must not be the goal of human labour. He has recently visited Holland, Germany and Hungary, and the leaders of these countries had confessed to him with uncommon unanimity that their people were better off than ever but were not at all happy. This proves that man needs more than just material well-being.” 

As the Vice President of India, he had come to aid the Indian foreign policy, especially with China, when Prime Minister Nehru found Mao in China intractable and antagonistic. Ramachandra Guha writes, “In 1960, Chinese Prime Minister Chou En-Lai spent a week in New Delhi, meeting Nehru every day, with and without aides. A photograph reproduced in the Indian Express after the second day of the talks suggested that they were not going well. It showed Chou raising a toast to Sino-Indian friendship, by clinking his glass with Mrs Indira Gandhi’s. Mrs Gandhi was stylishly dressed, in a sari, but was looking quizzically across to her father. On the other side of the table stood Nehru, capless, drinking deeply and glumly from a wine glass while avoiding Chou En-Lai’s gaze. The only Indian showing any interest at all was the vice-president, S. Radhakrishnan, seen reaching across to clink his glass with Chou’s.” Guha writes that along with G. B. Pant, he complained to Chou, ‘more in sorrow than in anger, of China’s lack of appreciation for all India had done to gain its communist government legitimacy in the eyes of the world.’

While India's internal boundaries shifted and solidified, new states blossoming and territories finding their place, Radhakrishnan emerged as a guiding hand. He navigated domestic complexities, filling diplomatic gaps when Prime Minister Nehru could not tread. Nagaland's 1963 inauguration in 1963 is one such example. With Nehru hesitant, Radhakrishnan stepped in, offering a calming presence. This reassuring voice served India equally well during external conflicts, bolstering national spirit during wars with Pakistan and China as the nation safeguarded its territory.

Presidential Years: 1962-1967 

With the explicit support of Prime Minister Nehru, after the retirement of Dr. Rajendra Prasad as the President of India, Vice President Dr S. Radhakrishnan won the 1962 presidential elections by an overwhelming majority. On his appointment, Bertrand Russell, a famous philosopher said, “It is an honour to the philosophy that Radhakrishnan should be the President of India, and I, as a philosopher, take special pleasure in this.” Because even in the USA and UK, no philosopher had the opportunity to become the Head of the State. Plato stressed and inspired philosophers to become kings. It is a tribute to India that she should make a philosopher her President. 

At the invitation of President Kennedy, USA, in 1963, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, President of the Republic of India, paid a state visit. President Kennedy admiringly remarked about their first encounter, “The president is a noted philosopher. When I commented on the weather this morning, he said, we cannot always control events, but we can always control our attitude towards events. This is only the beginning I’m sure, president, of a good deal of the wisdom that we will derive from your visit so that I know that I speak on behalf of all of my countrymen in welcoming the distinguished president of a great country to the shores of the United States.” 

The striking outward personality of Radhakrishnan was that he ‘never concealed his own Indian identity while he visited foreign countries and this made him an ideal President. His personality reflected different sides of his nature-physical, intellectual, moral and spiritual. As the President of the nascent Indian republic, Radhakrishnan administered oath of office to Prime Ministers four times between 13 May 1962, 13 May 1967 beginning with the demise of Jawaharlal Nehru. It was not an easy period for the young country, which saw some of the biggest challenges to India’s integrity. 

During this period, he saw the deaths of two Prime Ministers, Nehru in 1964 and Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966. On both these occasions, he administered the oath of office to Bharat Ratna Gulzarilal Nanda, in 1997, as interim Prime Minister of India for two 13-day tenures. On Shastri’s death, he administered an oath of office to India Gandhi as the Prime Minister of India. 

Dr Radhakrishnan’s presidency coincided with pivotal moments in India's history. While wars with China and Pakistan posed immediate threats, the loss of Nehru and Shastri added to the national anxieties. Yet, under his leadership, India witnessed smooth transitions of government and remained firmly committed to democracy. His neutral stance, respect for the Constitution, and ability to bridge divides proved crucial in steering the nation through uncharted waters, a young democracy with a diverse parliament representing a newly independent nation. Unifying a young nation riddled with fault lines – caste, creed, region, religion, language, ideology – was Radhakrishnan's monumental task. With unwavering faith in the people, he championed democracy as both a spiritual duty and a political system. His tenure as President saw him navigate these tumultuous times with the combined wisdom of philosopher, statesman, and sage. His intellect, dignity, and warmth embodied his philosophy – one must reach peaks of achievement, but true fulfilment lies in returning to the embrace of society.

Having fulfilled his commitment to a full term as President, Radhakrishnan, in 1967, chose to retire from public life, much to the admiration of those who longed for yet another term. He said, “Left to myself, I wish to get out of the present office.” He showed disinterest in another term and paved the way for Dr Zakir Hussain, who was then the Vice-President of India, as the Congress nominee for the Presidency of India. 

To this day, he is one of the best-liked public figures of his time across the country.

The Farewell to Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Radhakrishnan, born in 1888 in Tiruttani, returned to his storeyed art deco residence Girija, in Madras (now Chennai) in 1967. Though retired, he continued writing through the 1960s. However, declining health, marked by a stroke and a hip fracture in the 1970s, confined him to bed. Yet, the music of Carnatic tradition remained a source of comfort and serenity in his final years.

In 1975, Dr Radhakrishnan was awarded the Templeton Prize, established in 1972. The prize was a philanthropic initiative of Sir John Templeton, who wanted to recognize discoveries that yielded new insights about religion, and he set the award amount above that of the Nobel Prizes in order to recognize the importance of what he called ‘progress in religion’. Radhakrishnan was awarded the Templeton Prize ‘for his vital contributions to bridging the understanding between cultures and religions of the Eastern and Western hemispheres. In coming to their conclusion, the Templeton Prize judges decided that he ‘led the rediscovery of the understanding of God and his contributions to modern Hinduism is one of the most outstanding features in world religion today.’ 

Due to his age and illness, he was not able to attend the Prize ceremony held in London’s Guildhall with HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who then was presiding over it. The award was accepted by The Indian High Commissioner Shri B. K. Nehru on his behalf. Unable to speak at that time, Radhakrishnan gladly expressed his feelings with a broad smile. The Bharat Ratna Vice President of India, peacefully passed away in Chennai (then Madras) on 17 April 1975 at the age of 86. The philosopher, who was called upon to serve the country, balanced religion and politics. He revealed throughout his life that dharma, spirituality and democracy are important in life, especially in politics. 

The Treasure of the Country: Democracy 

Radhakrishnan envisioned a world united by ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ where humanity transcended borders and divisions to stand as one family. This universal connection, he believed, held the key to eradicating conflict and inequality. In the realm of politics, he stood firmly against superstition and irrationality, embracing a rationalist approach. For him, the future of independent India lay in a robust democracy, one that offered every citizen the chance to flourish and express their individuality. His interpretation of democracy, bold and inclusive, might have raised eyebrows at the time, but he saw it as essential for granting legitimacy and stability to a fledgling nation. He believed that national symbols and emblems should serve as constant reminders of this core message.

Democracy in India affords opportunities for all, he reckoned. He called upon India that it should persevere to create opportunities for the betterment of one’s soul, spirit, and individuality: betterment of oneself. He looked at politics through religion and regarded democracy as the highest religion as it guaranteed liberty of thought and freedom of conscience to every citizen. He said,” I am a great believer in democracy, not because it is a fine political arrangement but because it is the highest religion.” He asserted that the freedom of the individual should never be suppressed. In a society, the individual should be able to develop his mind and spirit.

As the Vice President and President, he never bowed in front of narrow-minded politicians albeit never developed any political philosophy but gave utmost importance to individual liberty. He believed in economic betterment and equality in social status for all in democracy, which should be a way of life. Addressing the convocation ceremony of Karnataka University, Radhakrishnan stressed that the teachers and students form a family and in a family, one cannot have the spirit of a trade union. He urged, “We must strive to become democratic not merely in the political sense of the term but also the social and economic sense. It is essential to bring about this democratic change, this democratic temper, this kind of outlook by a proper study of the humanities including philosophy and religion.” 

Dharma: The Enduring Legacy 

Dharma is the refrain of Indian philosophy and democracy is the melody of Indian citizenry. Both dharma and democracy form the collective leitmotif of the young social democratic republic of the world rooted in more than two millennia-old civilisation. But the competitive melody of the country is democracy. Together, dharma and democracy form the quintessential soul of the country since independence. 

Dharma is indeed one of the directly untranslatable Indian words rooted in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali and Dravidian languages foundational to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism and loaded with multiple meanings relatable to codes of human conduct. It means the eternal and inherent nature of reality, cosmic law underlying right behaviour and social order, universal truth, universal law, righteousness, law, doctrine, teaching, truth, duty, natural law, social duties, and good qualities that are the constituent elements of all existence. Dharma enables one to overcome duḥkha and escape from the cyclic existence of samsara. Dharma the moral values-righteousness is one of the Purusharthas, the four goals of a human life among Artha, Kama and Moksha. However, Dharma is considered more important than Artha or Kama, which are obtainable by upholding Dharma, which could lead to Moksha, the ultimate goal of human life.

Sanatana Dharma signifies the everlasting set of ethical duties and spiritual practices expected of all, regardless of background or belief. Honesty, non-violence, purity, kindness, compassion, patience, self-control, generosity, and self-discipline are among its core values.

The term has also more recently been used by Hindu leaders, reformers, and nationalists to refer to Hinduism as a unified world religion. Sanatana dharma has thus become a synonym for the “eternal” truth and teachings of Hinduism, the latter conceived of as not only transcendent of history and unchanging but also as indivisible and ultimately non-sectarian.

What is Indian philosophy? Is Indian philosophy Hindu or Vedic philosophy? Is Indian philosophy a syncretisation of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism? Or something more, Islam and Christianity? The answer to this could be one word that underlies all religions: righteousness: dharma, both abstract and concrete, the eternal and inherent nature of reality, cosmic law underlying right behaviour and social order, universal truth. He said: 

“Dharma is to be performed by all of us”, he said, quoting the Sanskrit aphorism in the Mahāsubhāṣitasaṃgraha: Anityani sarirani vibhavo naiva sasvatah | nityam samnihito mrtyuh kartavyo dharmasamgrahah || (Our bodies are perishable, wealth is not at all permanent and death is always nearby. Therefore, we must engage in acts of merit, good conduct.)

‘Performing dharma’ became Radhakrishnan's clarion call, a potent mantra devoid of religious dogma. He envisioned dharma and democracy as a luminous tapestry, woven with threads of service and empathy, stretching beyond any single faith. This, he believed, was the spirit that would weave India's socialist democratic future into a vibrant, inclusive reality. “Dharma is helping others, and adharma is causing harm. It's that simple. Why elaborate with volumes of books? If you understand that hurting is wrong and bringing joy is right, then you are on the path of dharma.” stressed Radhakrishnan. Dharma and democracy sans religious connotations have universal appeal and form the leitmotif of socialistic democratic India. 

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