The Mahatma’s spiritual journey & its effect on his worldview

Sunday Susurrations

“I worshipped Rama as Sita’s husband in the first instance, but as my knowledge and experience of Him grew, my Rama became immortal and omnipresent… the meaning of Sita’s husband expanded with the vision of Rama…” --- Mahatma Gandhi

“It is difficult not to be struck by the restrained trajectory of his thought in the face of the indignity…Gandhi thinks not of how to vent his anger but of how to do his duty. He thinks not of revenge but of justice, implying that to seek revenge is to become unjust…” --- From this book.

Gandhi: a spiritual biography by Arvind Sharma

Hachette. Pages: viii+252. Price: Rs. 550/-

“My respect for the Mahatma was deep and deathless. It therefore gave me no pleasure to kill him. Indeed my feelings were like those of Arjuna when he killed Dronacharya, his Guru, at whose feet he had learnt the art of war. But the Guru had taken the side of the wicked Kauravas…” This excerpt is from Gandhiji’s assassin Nathuram Godse’s statement in the court. He goes on to state that, just as Arjuna had shot an arrow at Drona’s feet as mark of obeisance and then killed him, he too first bowed at Gandhiji’s feet before shooting him at point blank range. One is struck by the Mahatma’s beatific spiritual influence even on a rabid hate-filled communalist like Godse. And who were the “wicked Kauravas” Godse had referred to? The Muslims, especially Pakistan, of course. And what did Gandhiji do to earn this wrath? He had gone on a protest fast for a principle – that the Government of India should keep its promise whatever be the provocation from the other side. The promise was of paying Pakistan’s share in full in the division of common assets. For Gandhiji it was not unusual to go against popular sentiment to do what was right by his lights. Strong spiritual underpinnings alone could have ensured such conviction and stamina.

Although looked upon as a quintessential politician in a saint’s garb by many, Gandhiji was essentially a secular spiritual person, who was influenced mainly by his mother, who belonged to the Pranami sect, and a friend named Raychand, who was a Jain. Another great influence was his father. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that he evolved as one of the most liberal socio-political-spiritual force in the Indian subcontinent, and one of the greatest human beings of the 20^th century. 

Although a deeply religious person, religion for him was essentially a moral force, not a set of rituals and dogmas, even as he acknowledged that the latter were creed-specific. As his political persona developed, he began to firmly believe in inclusive nationalism that was predicated on this concept of religion and secularism. He stressed upon India’s cultural unity, which defined its nationhood too. Since time immemorial, the four Dhams or pilgrimage centres, viz., Kedarnath (north), Rameshwaram (South), Puri (East) and Dwaraka (West) have been universally revered by Indians, ensuring enduring cultural unity – which in turn became vital to India’s political unity. Despite Pakistan’s formation, India has remained home to people belonging to people belonging to different religions. 

Gandhiji’s Vaishnav heritage made him an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. Yet, it was the devotion of an enlightened soul and not that of a bigot. He considered Rama’s name to be more potent than Rama himself. He says, “I worshipped Rama as Sita’s husband in the first instance, but as my knowledge and experience of Him grew, my Rama became immortal and omnipresent… the meaning of Sita’s husband expanded with the vision of Rama…” Thus, Lord Rama became a template for his conduct over years. Whether it was his refusal to eat meat, drink wine or indulge in extramarital sex in London or his insistence that India kept its promise to the Pakistani government on the agreement about division of assets, Gandhiji looked upon his actions as Rama’s way. For him not merely truth but upholding of truth in every situation had become a matter of faith. This faith, the essence of his spiritual persona, gave him strength to face up to daunting challenges in personal, political and social arenas. Indeed, even today, there is an element of disbelief as people wonder about the source of his seemingly inexhaustible energy that had kept him going against all types of daunting odds. We know that Gandhiji’s role in India’s freedom movement is generally looked upon as political. His contribution towards social reforms too is widely acknowledged. More important, he invariably took his fight to its logical conclusion. 

There was a powerful idealistic streak in his actions. When he was ejected from a train in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa, on his way to Pretoria, Arvind Sharma points out, “It is difficult not to be struck by the restrained trajectory of his thought in the face of the indignity…Gandhi thinks not of how to vent his anger but of how to do his duty. He thinks not of revenge but of justice, implying that to seek revenge is to become unjust…” His quest for justice must have appeared quixotic to even his close associates. Not that this would have deterred him; for instance, take his decision to stay on in South Africa after he had settled the lawsuit for which he had gone there. Even as he was getting ready to leave, he came to know that a bill was about to be passed by the House of Legislature, which proposed to deprive Indians of their right to elect members to the Natal Legislative Assembly. He voluntarily stayed back and left only when the attempts to disenfranchise Indians were abandoned. A more “practical minded” lawyer would have preferred to go for less arduous option of getting out while the going was good.

Perhaps, his inherent spiritual strength gave him the courage to stand by his convictions and stand up to both threats and allurements that came his way during his stay in London. On more than one occasion, he was faced with temptation for carnal gratification, which he spurned. Moreover, when he was preparing to go to London for higher studies, his community elders had declared him an outcaste. He remained undeterred. He put forth his case with unusual candour, even though not all of his opponents were won over. Similarly, in his later years, the upper caste opinion against his attempts to improve the lot of Untouchables did not deter him from pursuing the goal. Gandhiji understood that the struggle against caste system involved long-term fight on several fronts, viz., social, economic, religious and political. Therefore, moral suasion underpinned his socio-political efforts, which lasted until the end of his life.   

However, this book is not hagiographical. It raises certain questions regarding the not-so-positive aspects of Gandhiji’s thought and action. Referring to his decision to prevent administering of penicillin to his faithful dying wife, because he felt that the time for such treatment was past, Sharma asks, “Did Gandhi feel so close to God that he started playing God?” Moreover, Gandhiji himself had acknowledged that he was not an ideal father; when he wanted his sons to adopt his lifestyle, Kasturba had retorted, “You may be a Mahatma, but I don’t want my children to be mahatmas!”

Nevertheless, going back to his major contribution to political movements Sharma states the obvious but something very pertinent, “Gandhi had devised a new form of warfare. It was not unique in that no killing was involved, for some of the protesters, the soldiers in his army, were killed. It was unique in that his soldiers would not kill; his soldiers would die, but they would not kill.”

Therefore, when we wonder as to why certain protests turn into phenomenal public movements while others fizzle out sooner or later, or why some leave behind enduring impact while others are forgotten, we realize that spiritual force – the force of selflessness and truth – is the only element that stands out. This is the reason why names like Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Acharya Vinoba Bhave and Jayaprakash Narayan have left behind deep footprints on the terrain of history, albeit with varying degrees of success. Not that carving niche in history was the motive behind their actions, which had more to do with their convictions becoming the driving force. Gandhiji, their archetype, remains the fount of such inspiration. Gandhiji’s greatness lay not in achieving India’s independence, but in the fact that he came up with a “war strategy” that was transparently honest and spiritual in nature, which left behind an enduring legacy. When we see how various violent struggles eventually explode into chaos and bloodbath and turn into either dreadful defeats or pyrrhic victories, we realize the value of Gandhiji’s legacy. There is a need for our young politicians to ensure that this legacy is neither lost nor diminished through ill-advised use. 

There is a huge Gandhiana corpus comprising hagiographies and genuine biographies that give prime importance to Gandhiji’s political thought, mentioning the spiritual aspect in passing. This book gives prime importance to Gandhiji’s spiritual evolution and its influence over his thought and action in his personal, political, and social life. Thus, it contributes significantly towards a more comprehensive understanding of Gandhiji. A must-read for all, especially our young politicians with Gandhian pretensions.