Gurudeo Ranade Jamkhandi

( In his reviews of Prof. Ranade's Pamphlets on a comparative study of Greek and Sanskrit and Herakleitos)

" A very solid article...Prof. Ranade has done his work with great thoroughness...... with a minute accuracy ... I have dwelt on these points because they leap to the eye in the perfection otherwise complete of an admirable essay, which, I hope, is only the first sketch of a more important treatise. Especially new and interesting are the parallels between Greek and Vedic accents and the re-arrangement of Greek Conjugations according to Sanskrit classification ( In the Year 1916).

When Gurudeo Ranade published his essay on Herakleitos in 1916, Shri Aurobindo differed from Prof. Ranade regarding the fact that Herakleitos was not a mystic. In this context both of them, exchanged many letters, and finally Prof. R. D Ranade wrote to Shri. Aurobindo ' Let us wait and See '. In this Connection Shri. Aurobind Ghosh wrote this in his preface to book on Herakleitos.

" On one or two difficult points I am inclined to differ with the conclusions he adopts. He rejects positively Pfieiderer's view of Herakleitos as a mystic, which is certainly exaggerated and, as stated, a misconception; but it seems to me that there is behind that misconception a certain truth.....

It is perhaps too much to hope that it is from a series of essays an philosophers or a history of philosophy

by this perfect writer and Scholar. At any rate such a work from such a hand would be a priceless gain. For Professor Ranade possesses in a superlative degree the rare gift of easy and yet adequate exposition; but he has more than this, for he can give a fascinating interest to subjects like philology and philosophy which to the ordinary reader seem harsh, dry, difficult and repellent. He joins to a luminous clarity, lucidity, and charm of expression in equal luminousness and just clarity, of presentation and that perfect manner in both, native to the Greek and French language and mind, but rare in the English tongue. In these seventeen pages he has presented the thought of the old enigmatic Eohasian with a clearness and sufficiency which leaves us charmed, enlightened and satisfied."

..... Certainly, as Mr. Ranade, says, 'mere aphorism is not mysticism' (From Arya - December 1916 to June 1917)