Narla Venkateswara Rao - Study

Study

Narla's forte was deep study of subjects he took up, whether history, philosophy or theology as well as Indian culture .He read the original texts comparing them with their western counterparts. On the Bhagavadgita or the Gita as it is popularly called, for instance, he collected different editions, including commentaries by various authors. He studied the Gita from different perspectives since it is regarded as the quintessence of Hindu philosophy with an undying impact on India. Similarly he studied the texts of the Upanishads, their interpretations, and different versions. He included in his intellectual sweep, foreign experts like Max Mueller, Schoephenhour, Nietzsche etc. Narla's broad approach to the understanding of Indian culture was both positive and negative. He published his observations in several volumes. The books include The Truth about the Gita, An essay on Upanishads, the Poverty of Intellectualism in India (Mysore University Lectures), The East West-dichotomy. Narla also brought out his stray thoughts in two volumes, Gods Goblins and Men: Man and his universe.

Narla also stood against injustice to scholars as well. A thesis of a Telugu scholar G.V. Krishnarao, entitled Studies of aesthetics in KALAPOORNODAYAM (in English) - was held up by the University of Madras . The examiners from Andhra were said to be prejudiced against him and therefore holding up the acceptance of the thesis. The caste factor also played a part in it. Krishnarao was a critic of Marxism and a well -known writer. Unable to find fault with the content and reasoning of the thesis, the examiners were on a fishing expedition to spot loopholes in his language. Krishnarao was only a graduate but allowed to submit his thesis for a Ph.D. degree. Narla studied the matter thoroughly and pointed out howlers in the language of examiner's reports! He pointed them out in a strongly worded letter to the Vice- Chancellor, Dr. Govindarajulu Naidu. Apprising the vice-chancellor of the mischievous role of caste minded examiners, he said he would have to expose the case before the public if they sat on his thesis further. The examiners then reconsidered the case and recommended Krishnarao for the award of the degree. The Andhra Prabha later published several critical articles of Krishna Rao on Marxism and the Marxian approach to literature, the art and aesthetics/

Narla also studied the negative aspects of India both in the past and the present. He thought the ancient seer Yagnavalkya was a stumbling block to free thought because his ideas ruled out questioning and inquiry. He was an authoritarian. He wanted to thrust on the people the sacred texts with a dictatorial attitude. That was the root cause of India’s backwardness in the past. In the modern days Mahatma Gandhi brought religion into politics to achieve independence. He depended upon his inner voice, which was unverifiable. His decision- making was often flawed. Gandhi encouraged law breaking to oppose British rule in India. His Satyagraha led to violence. His food fadism also restricted healthy bodybuilding. Gandhi had no scientific outlook on any aspect of life. He depended on the Gita and everyday recited it at his prayer meetings. While admiring Gandhi’s role in the freedom movement Narla opposed his religious approach to solving political and other problems. Narla pointed out the defects in Indian culture from divergent perspectives and appealed to the younger generation to discard belief in KARMA, REBIRTH etc., which undermined vitality and sense of self-dependence. The fatalistic attitude of Hinduism particularly stood in the way of India’s path towards renaissance, scientific revolution, and humanism. Hence Narla advocated adoption of humanistic values where humans rely on themselves for solving problems.