In this concluding part of the 15-part series, the author summarises the inner evolution of Indian national consciousness of which the political idea of nationalism is only a small part. He reminds us that the future course of Indian nationhood lies in spiritualising all the outer aims and activities including science, art, literature, politics and socio-economic organisation.
The author highlights the triple basis of a spiritual turn of the society if that is the future destiny of humanity and nations. This is – Divine, Freedom and Unity. The significance of individual freedom is brought to light because individual indeed is the basis of evolution of consciousness.
In this part, the author emphasises that only a decisive turn to spiritualise all life can be the true basis of a spiritual nationalism. He reminds that this decisive and all-encompassing turn of spiritual evolution is India’s true mission and role for the future of humanity.
In this part, the author brings the readers’ attention to the deeper reason why the Western idea of secularism, which is a natural outcome of the Western emphasis on outer life and mind is not in harmony with the true spirit of Indian view of life and its purpose.
Continuing with the analysis presented earlier, in this part the author argues that Indian national consciousness must arrive at a deeper subjectivity and make spirituality the sole principle of its new effort if India is to be true to her age-long endeavour and render to the world the gift of her spiritual knowledge and her means for the spiritualisation of life to the whole race.
In this part, the author argues that the time of moral phase of nationalism is over. The need of the hour is a spiritual nationalism, but before we get there we must recognise the ethical-moral development as a necessary stage in human evolution.
In this part, A V Sastri briefly outlines how the unique Indian spirit of nationalist struggle for independence led by Sri Aurobindo, Lokmanya Tilak and others was gradually replaced by the moral-ethical nature of Gandhian call for political freedom. He also writes of the limits of such moralistic attempts.
Sri Aurobindo envisages a future for the Indian nation for which there is no example or exact parallel in history, a new type of people lifting nationalism to a new pinnacle justifying the separate existence, separate effort of a whole people in fundamental unity with entire humanity.
With a religious reawakening in Bengal, the early imitative nationalism became more aligned with the Indian historical and temperamental truth. The religious consciousness extended to the political field and the movement in Bengal prefigured the coming struggle on the wider stage of India.
In this part, A. V. Sastri speaks of the imitative nature of the early nationalist movement in 19th century India. Indian leaders at that time were so mesmerised by the British versions of Indian political history that they never explored India’s unique line of political development in the past.