Author: Swami Tathagatananda
Publisher: Vedanta Society
Year: 2009
Language: English
Pages: 189
ISBN/UPC (if available): N/A
Description
There have been many books written about Albert Einstein and Several Written by himself. But Albert Einstein, His human side by Swami Tathagatananda is especially valuable in that it emphasizes an aspect of Einstein that is spiritually uplifting. The world knows of Einstein’s genius and his role in the Scientific breakthroughs of the twentieth century. But is doesn’t know much about the man beneath the hype.
There was also his antimilitarism, which was a feature of his life from boyhood. He was subject to violence as a result of his jewishness, and because of this, as well as his innate nature, he abhorred violence. A number of times Swami Tathagatananda Mentions Einstein’s veneration of Mahatma Gandhi who he thought was the only great political leader of the twentieth century. Einstein felt that only a world government could keep the peace on this earth.
Success did not come easily for Einstein. As a young man he had considerable difficulty getting a job, and this become especially vexing after his father died and he needed to support his mother. One is reminded of swami Vivekananda’s plight after the death of his father, when it seemed no one was willing to hire him.
None of Einstein’s difficulties ever soured him on humanity. He once said, “I feel such solidarity with all living people that it is a matter of indifference to me where the individual begins and where he ceases.” This rather Eastern sounding view accounted for his lack fear of death. As he wrote near the end of his life, “have come to look upon death as an old debt, at long last to be discharged.”
— Samuel D. Fohr
COMMENTS:
“In this book on Einstein Characterized by brevity and depth of insight, Swami Tathagatananda discusses some of Einstein’s biographical details, some of his ideas on science but all his essential ideas on life. His book will appeal both to those who want to understand Einstein and to those want to understand life, and thereby alleviate their suffering it will appeal both to the scientist and to the general reader. One can emulate Einstein’s curiosity, his sense of wonder at life’s mysteries and above all, rise above “the vanity of human desires and aims” with their disappointments, suffering and tragedies, this veritable “vale of tears,” through unselfish work, service of others and a sense of the Supreme Intelligence pervading everything.”
— Hon. Nirupam Sen – Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations
“In Albert Einstein, his human side, swami Tathagatananda sketches the main periods in Einstein’s life and career in thematically arranged chapters that reveal his familial, philosophical and humanitarian facets. Unusual and valuable is the book’s privileged view of the scientist as seen by a revered spiritual teacher of the Ramakrishna order. Tracing mystical currents that run through Einstein’s thought and work, the swami enlarges our perspective on the man-not only as a scientific genius, but as a great soul.”
— Prof. Beatrice C. Johnson, MA – Professor, Los Angeles harbor college, Wilmington, California
“In addition to sharing with the reader many of the details of Einstein’s life, Swami Tathagatananda calls our attention to the central role of harmony in his life. Firmly rooted in his sense of wonder and felling, the harmony to which Swami Tathagatananda refers is both musical and spiritual, manifest in the scientific theories Einstein posited in his pursuit of better understanding the nature of the universe. The author casts Einstein as a critically creative thinker for whom the arts and sciences were not mutually exclusive but co-dependant, a man whose complexly inclusive vision of the world allowed him to be a “militant pacifist” guided by a strong sense of a power hreater than himself that could be illuminated through science. It is these very human characteristics that the author highlights in this volume.”
— Walter Gershon, Ph.D. – Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
“Today the world knows Albert Einstein as a synonym for scientific genius, the man who showed us the fundamental unity of mass, energy, time and space. In this book, Swami Tathagatananda highlights Einstein’s humane genius, informed by his understanding of the fundamental unity of all beings. We learn of his passion for peace in the turmoil of war, his fight for tolerance and understanding against hatred and injustice, his sympathy with the plight of common people. It is a vital and necessary message for our times.”
— Alex S. Johnson, MA, Author – Professor of English, Los Angeles Harbor College, Wilmington, California
Contents
Foreword
Preface
Chapter 1 – Albert Einstein – A Profile, Part I
1. Birth, Simplicity and Wonder
2. Listen, Play, Love and Revere
3. Other Early deep impressions
4. Dire predictions undone
5. Coming od age
6. A Decision and Auspicious Consequence
7. A Mind made more serious through failure
8. Good Education and Surrogate love Yield self – Confidence
9. Maturation at the Polytechnic
10. Penury, Humiliation and Possibility
11. The Foremost task of Education
12. Keeping body and soul together
13. Redeeming grace of friendship
14. Treasured rewards of Resourcefulness
15. Cultivating Genius in a Provisionary Environment
16. Finding value in personal loss
Chapter 2 – Albert Einstein – A Profile, Part – II
17. The “New Copernicus”
18. Academic entry and progress
19. Fame at Prague
20. A Longed –for Benefit
21. A Significant Departure
22. Positive power of Intuition
23. Negative power of Exhaustion
24. To be awarded or not to be awarded – Ignoble Flaws of politics
25. Inauspicious years still bring acknowledgement
26. A Valued symbol
27. The Nobel prize
28. Contribution of Satyendra Nath Bose – “To thine own self be true
29. Finding a suitable place of refuge – A second visit to America
30. A third trip to America resolves his mind
31. With out an address
32. Le Coq Sur Mer, Belgium – A Temporary Refuge
33. A Permanent Gesture of Protest
34. Approaching the End – A Lingering Sense of Uncertainty
35. Lesser Couses fade from view as the hightest berkons
36. Dissolution into unity
Chapter 3 – Albert Einstein – His Family Life
37. Rewards and travails of marriage to Mileva Marie
38. The Coming of Success – the coming of war
39. 1914-1918 – World war and Personal Sorrows
40. Simultaneous Revolutions and Resolutions
41. A Hapless Eduard
42. Marriage to Elsa Lowenthal
43. A “Faithful Helper” joins the family
44. A Birthday gift from the city of berlin
45. Facing personal loss
Chapter 4 – Albert Einstein – The Mystic
46. Gifts of Incalculable magnitude
47. Early mystical tendency
48. A Religious temperament
49. “What I Believe
50. Einstein and Spinoza
51. “God Does Not Play Dice with the World”
52. “Do Scientists Pray”
53. Einstein’s Harmony of Science and Religion
Chapter 5 – Albert Einstein – For Common People
54. Formal Introduction to the public
55. “Queer Mixture of great warmth and great aloofness”
56. Visit to a doomed land of “Gentle Courtesy”
57. Coping with fame and praise
58. “A Citizen of the world”
59. Informality and thrift
60. Inspired by music and nature
61. Charming Alliances – Charming Verses
62. Einstein and Rabindranath Tagore
63. Philosophy of Realism and Tolerance
64. “On the Labors of other men”
65. Persevering self – confidence
66. A Spiritually guided life
Chapter 6 – Albert Einstein – A Humane Scientist
67. Abiding moral values
68. Spiritual impression of the great mahatma
69. Idealism
70. Magnanimity and Concern for others
71. “Manifesto to the Civilized world”
72. Einstein’s worthy reply
73. Forging an important friendship
74. A Change to militant pacifism
75. Crucial Departures
76. When speech is imperative – An Important Collaboration
77. The “Russell – Einstein Manifesto
78. The Pug wash Conferences
79. A Compassionate Zionist
80. A “Lone Traveler”
81. “The Conscience of the world
Chapter 7 – Albert Einstein – The Atom Bomb
82. Splitting the unity of the Atomic Nucleus
83. An Alarming Signal Ends one chapter of work
84. Momentous verifications and persistent Skepticism
85. 1938- A Pivotal year
86. Alerting a free world
87. Drafting a letter to president Roosevelt
88. An international hero is briefly Considered
89. A Matter of Secrecy in a Crucial year
90. The Manhattan project
91. A Great figure in a small Role
92. A New sense of mission in the Autumn of life
93. Another important letter to the president
94. “Oh, my God”
95. A Deep personal sense of Responsibility
Albert Einstein – Legendary Remarks
Index
