ABSTRACT
This chapter explores an alternative form of Hindu political expression—one that is arguably more authentically Hindu than Hindu nationalism. It explores the vision for Hinduism that is implicit in the social activism, but even more so in the religious pluralism, of the Ramakrishna Mission and the thought of its founder, Swami Vivekananda. In the North American popular imagination, Hinduism is identified with the nonviolent philosophy and politics of Mahatma Gandhi—an identification that this essay seeks to reinforce. Criticisms of Hindu nationalism are often met with the reply that it is a political and not a religious movement. The most obvious embodiment of Vivekananda's ideal of seva, upon which he has had the clearest and most direct influence, is in the service work carried out by the sannyasis of the Ramakrishna Order and their lay supporters. A Hinduization of politics, rather than a superficial politicization of Hinduism, could ultimately transform not only India but the world.
