HISTORY AS SPIRITUAL AWAKENING: SISTER NIVEDITA AND INDIAN KNOWLEDGE TRADITION

Abstract

Every inch of Indian history upheld the implication of nationality. What had been done in the past, was reflected in the present, and on the basis of which future would be built up. History would remind the path of national reawakening. According to Sister Nivedita, to point out the essential elements of nationality, it was necessary to evaluate nation’s own history. She emphasised on the fact that India as a civilisation living every moment in historic wisdom. The great creation of Ramayana and Mahabharata enchanted her. According to her, both of these epics were the backbone of India’s present identity. For the reawakening of the nation, reinterpretation of India’s past glory would inspire the whole country because past spiritual and intellectual accomplishments of a nation always enhanced the national dynamism. This paper seeks to analyse Nivedita’s idea of reinterpreting Indian history. How Nivedita emphasized the importance of reiterating the country's past glory as a way to inspire Indians towards nation-building.