"Centred in Truth:The Story of Swami Nitay-swarup-ananda" is the sole comprehensive biography of the illustrious monk (1899-1992) who worked tirelessly to bring Vedanta’s timeless wisdom into the mainstream of global thought and endeavor and who created Calcutta’s renowned, UNESCO-acclaimed Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture. This two-volume portrait captures the intellectual genius, loving personality, pragmatic wisdom, and exalted purpose of this innovative visionary, whose campaign for a humane world civilization has inspired scholars, artists, public figures, and spiritual seekers worldwide. The well-documented biography in Volume 1 chronicles the Swami’s efforts over decades of accomplishment to translate Vedanta’s sublime spiritual ideals into powerful human reality. Volume 2 collects writings, reminiscences, and memorial seminars that bring the Swami’s personality to life from various points of view and illustrate the power of his spiritual love and goodwill.
As a student, Swami Nitya-swarup-ananda was caught up in the spiritual fervor that was aroused in India by Sri Ramakrishna (1836–86) and further nurtured by his apostle, Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902). As a young monk, Swami Nitya-swarup-ananda developed a resolute commitment to Vivekananda’s universal message, which—integrating the ancient faith of Vedanta with modern science and humanism—called for empirical discourse and social emancipation along with the liberation of the human spirit.
Ever progressive in outlook, Swami Nitya-swarup-ananda was, in 1934, given the responsibility of organizing the Order’s proposed Institute of Culture. He and his subcommittee of India’s most illustrious scholars and monks drew up an international charter for the Institute, a full decade before the Charter of the United Nations. “Taking its stand on the conception of the divinity of man, the oneness of humanity and the unity of all religions,” it began, “the Institute attempts in its humble way to supply the cultural and spiritual foundations of a new personality among the men and women of the world, and to equip them as proper and adequate instruments for the establishment of world peace.”
This modern vision of spiritual reality, as embodied in the Vedas, the most ancient of scriptures, became the inspiration for many as Swami Nitya-swarup-ananda translated his visionary mandate into action. His innovative educational programs were anchored in an awareness of the spiritual unity underlying all aspects of human life. By 1961 the Institute of Culture, in its own magnificent facility, had emerged on the world stage and was working with UNESCO as the prototype for intercultural institutions worldwide.
The Swami himself was a prototype of the global citizen. His hopes for a humane civilization based on wisdom, empathy, and beneficence traveled with him around the world. As the U.S. State Department’s guest in 1962–63, he exchanged ideas with such notables as United Nations Secretary General U Thant, Chief Justice Earl Warren, and the philosopher Paul Tillich. His publications were supported by UNESCO and by Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. His plans for enlightened education inspired many of the world’s leading philosophers, educators, scholars, scientists, and public figures.
Swami Nitya-swarup-ananda’s approach, inseparable from Vedanta’s vision of spiritual unity, was to confront the world’s problems with practical solutions. Scientific and technological advances had outstripped humankind’s moral capacity to cope with their perilous consequences. He spoke insistently about the affinity of Vedanta with modern science. Vedanta has been called the “science of the soul,” he said, because it probes the innermost life of the human psyche, just as physics and biology probe the mysteries of the phenomenal world. But Vedanta is far in advance of modern science when it comes to the wisdom needed to temper technology’s tremendous power. The “science of the soul” cannot enter the “psychology of the future,” as he put it, until there exists the spiritual and moral power to balance the world’s technological power. For all his technological wizardry, modern man still needs to develop a world conscience.
In Vedanta there is no need for conversion—only a spiritual deepening within one’s own faith-tradition and a heart-expanding awareness of the entire human community. The timeless wisdom of Vedanta philosophy, which sees every soul as divine and every religion as a path, was Swami Nitya-swarup-ananda’s touchstone and has been a wellspring for interfaith dialogues and explorations of pluralism. It can play an equally important—indeed, a crucial—role through application of its holistic perspective to our present global crises.
Prominent scholars and religious leaders have hailed Centred in Truth as a monumental work that reveals the global vision of Vedanta and Swami Nitya-swarup-ananda’s immeasurable contribution in bringing that vision to life. This unique two-volume portrait of a truly great spirit should be of abiding interest to those who share the Swami’s passionate commitment to religious harmony and world peace.
