Gandhi's Mastery of Self

PHILOSOPHY OF THE GITA

In the Bhagavad Gita (The Song Celestial), Lord Krishna instructs his friend and disciple Arjuna on how to fight a righteous war when Arjuna renounces his duty as a warrior. The 700-verse dialog between Krishna and Arjuna is a spectacular compendium of the many paths, the pitfalls, and qualities to attain God. There is no doubt that the Bhagavad Gita had the most transforming effect on Gandhi and was most instrumental in making Gandhi a "Mahatma."

Conquest of materialism

There appear to be four guiding principles that mobilized Gandhi's Satyagraha movement. Among the many instructions, a particular verse in the Gita on the consequences of attraction to sense objects had a profound effect on Gandhi:

If one
Ponders on objects of the sense, there springs
Attraction; from attraction grows desire,
Desire flames to fierce passion, passion breeds
Recklessness; then the memory - all betrayed -
Lets noble purpose go, and saps the mind,
Till purpose, mind, and man are all undone.

The Bhagadvad Gita, Chapter II verse 62-64, translated by Sir Edwin Arnold

While in England and South Africa, Gandhi played the perfect English gentleman with lavish evening wear made in the most fashionable Bond street in London, adorning a double watch-chain of gold who "wasted ten minutes everyday before a huge mirror watching (himself) arranging (his) tie and parting (his) hair in the correct fashion" because he took pride as a citizen of the British empire. His experiences in South Africa and India as a "colored person" and the onset of his grass roots civil disobedience movement rapidly transformed him into a rural figure clad in a home-spun cotton loincloth. He was quickly awakened to a more conscious living, living life with a purpose and living for welfare of others.

Selfless work (nishkama karma) and sacrifice

Gandhi explains selfless work with the authority of his personal experience:

"By detachment I mean that you must not worry whether the desired result follows from your action or not, so long as your motive is pure, your means correct. Really, it means that things will come right in the end if you take care of the means and leave the rest to (God)."

Gandhi's fervor and relentless pursuit of nonviolent methods can be best attributed to this spirit of detachment, as he himself said "only the person who is utterly detached and utterly dedicated is free to enjoy his life." Eknath Easwaran, who translated the Bhagavad Gita in English explains:

'The person who is compulsively attached to the results of action cannot really enjoy what he does; he gets downcast when things do not work out and clings more desperately when they do."

This idea of selfless work and sacrifice was further coupled with Christ's teachings. Gandhi notes that the, "New Testament produced a different impression, especially the Sermon on the Mount which went straight to my heart." A particular verse that delighted his mind and later became his code of ethics was,

But I say into you, that ye resist not evil; But whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if a man take away thy coat let him have thy cloke too.

Eminent historian Will Durant, in his Story of Civilization, writes about the Christ-like Gandhi as follows:

India, weaponless, accepted as her leader one of the strangest figures in history, and gave to the world the unprecedented phenomenon of a revolution led by a saint, and waged without a gun...He did not mouth the name of Christ, but acted as if he accepted every word on the Sermon on the Mount. Not since St. Francis of Assissi has any life known to history been so marked by gentleness, disinterestedness, simplicity and forgiveness of enemies."

Equanimity of mind (Sthitapragna)

Gandhi's unwavering balanced mind prohibited reckless celebration of victory or despair from failure, an attribute that helped him stay on track till the goal was achieved. There were several obstacles and setbacks to his nonviolence methods including the Chauri Chara incident and the Jalian Walla Bagh tragedy that made him question the readiness of his followers to implement his ahimsa principle. On the other hand, there were also large-scale victories like the Champaran Indigo incident and other Swadeshi movements. Gandhi mastered the vagaries of his mind to conserve strength and energy required to move ahead calmly and mindfully. It took Gandhi 31 years (1916-1447) with the help of his supporters to peacefully transfer power from the British.

Advaita

The most impressive concept behind his nonviolence and ahimsa was his belief that there was a spark of divinity in all creation. This belief helped develop a love and respect for all things living and hence was vehemently opposed to injuring, let alone killing, another life form. The inherent divinity in all, Nazareth contends, led Gandhi to believe that "there was no greater strength than the strength of the Human Spirit when it is imbued with Truth and is unafraid to die, unarmed, upholding it. Two well-known affirmations of his were "Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable will" and "A small body of determined spirits, fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission, can alter the course of history"

It's evident that Gandhi based his actions on deep spiritual principles of the major religions. It is also equally important to note the nature of such guiding religious principles. Gandhi did not approve of religion that means "nothing more than restrictions on food and drink, nothing more than adherence to a sense of superiority and inferiority." As Sir Radhakrishnan succinctly notes "Gandhi's religion was a rational and ethical one. He would not accept any belief which did not appeal to his reason or any injunction which did not commend to his conscience."

In the final analysis, spiritual ethics and wisdom, practical idealism, and a strong sense of humanity defined Gandhi's nonviolence and played a vital part in his personal transformation. However, his humility forbade him to start anything in his name.

"There is no such thing as 'Gandhism', and I do not want to leave any sect after me. I do not claim to have originated any new principle or doctrine. I have simply tried in my own way to apply the eternal truths to our daily life and problems. Those who believe in the simple truths I have laid down can propagate them only by living them...I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith."

With years of experience behind him, this great peacemaker has warned us of seven post-modern impediments to a culture of nonviolence:

1. Wealth without work
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Knowledge without character
4. Business without morality (ethics)
5. Science without humanity
6. Religion without sacrifice
7. Politics without principles

 

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