Religion is the soul of Indian life and the prosperity of our nation, to
a great extend, depend upon the extent to which the people cling to these ideals.
Our country has a rich tradition in religion. This has been the tradition that
has come down to us from our ancestors. We welcomed all religions and not only
tolerated other religions but also appreciated them. We considerably borrowed
from all religions and so religion and spirituality are rooted in the minds of
Indian people. One can see the traces of religion throughout their life. To an
Indian, religion is one great sustaining force pertaining to all the spheres of
their lives and decline of our nation is due to its retreat from religion.
India is great for her philosophy and religion and this made Max Muller to
state that the study of religion is incomplete unless it is studied with
reference to India.
Today the entire humanity is facing a crisis.
The world has become too materialistic resulting in a loss of spiritual values.
Everyone is lost in the mad race for money, power and politics. A reign of terror,
chaos, confusion, oppression and exploitation surrounds. Thus, we are living in
a period of disintegration of faith and growing disillusionment about the
traditional values which have come down to us. These are values which are
embodied in the spirit of India
and helped our country to survive to this day. These are the values which came
to us through the great religions and our culture is a mixture of all these
cults. It is this religion that we require in the contemporary situation.
Mahatma Gandhi understood the mind of Indian people in which religion is a
sustaining force pertaining to all the spheres of their lives. Hence he
expressed his social, political, and economic ideas in religious terms. He said
“Man without religion is man without roots. Religion is the basis on which life
structure has to be erected if life is to be real.”1 He held that
public, social, political and economic life would be much purer if we do it in
the spirit of religion. Through this paper we are trying to bring out the
relevance of Gandhian ideal of spiritualization of politics in the modern
scenario.
Gandhi gave a practical color to the lofty
principles of religion not only in the individual life but in the social plane
also. “For Gandhi, religion is not only limited up to the concept and essence
of God but it is a day-to-day practice. Our entire daily works, whether it is
economics, politics, religion or all our deeds, are supposed to achieve the
same distinctions. They are intermingled. They are interlinked or
interdepended. Separately, they do not have any importance and relevance.”2
Truth and Ahimsa were regarded as the highest values from the Vedic times, but
these were not always applied in the practical life. They were given the
highest place and practical shape by Mahatma Gandhi. He considered them as a
means of achieving political, social and economic ends and there by as means of
social reconstruction. Here our attempt is to recapitulate how Gandhiji had
used Truth and Ahimsa in his nation-building work and how religion and morality
played an important part in every sphere of his activity.
Religious Philosophy of
Gandhi:-
Mahatma Gandhi cannot be regarded as
originating any new system of philosophy. He only tried to assimilate in his
own way the teachings that appealed to him. He tried to apply these teachings
not only in his personal life but also to social, political and economic problems.
He told that the whole gamut of man’s activities constituted an indivisible
whole and we cannot divide it into social, economic, political and purely
religious work into watertight compartments. It provides a moral basis to all
other activities which would otherwise lack reducing life into a maze of ‘sound
and fury signifying nothing’. This is the essence of Gandhism. Thus he wanted
religion to be the life force or that guiding factor of all human activity.
Mahatma Gandhi’s
view of religion is highly practical as he believed that one could reach God
only by service to man. He could not find God apart from humanity. His mission
was not only to humanize religion but also to moralize it. He would reject any
religious doctrine that was in conflict with morality. As it was stated by
Gandhi “Let me explain what I mean by religion. It is not the Hindu
religion….but the religion which transcends Hinduism…which changes one’s very
nature, which binds one indissolubly to the truth within and which ever
purifier.”3 True religion and true morality are inseparably bound
with each other. If religion in the sense of spiritual realization along with
social advancement and freedom is the end; morality is the means. For Gandhi,
“God is Truth, Love ethics and morality”4. He regarded non-violence
as the means to morality. He held it as the supreme virtue and the guiding
factor of all affairs of life. It is also the means to attain Truth which is
another name of God.
Truth and Ahimsa:-
Ahimsa and Truth are the
guiding principles of Gandhian philosophy and religion. Ahimsa according to him
is the practical expression of Truth. There is no religion higher than Truth.
Gandhiji held that Truth is the ideal of life and all his activities whether
social, political or humanitarian were directed to the end of the search of
Truth.
Gandhiji’s assertion that Truth is God
carries with it a great value in our religious life. He insisted that religion
is based on Truth. The object of devotion should be Truth. This can help to
create a sort of universal brotherhood in respect of religion because worship
of Truth can unify persons belonging to different castes, creeds and religions.
He was of opinion that all persons including the atheist can be brought under
the religion of Truth. Again, reason could reject any thing but not Truth. This
led him to say that “if it is at all possible for the human tongue to give the fullest
description of God…then we must say that God is Truth …But I went a step
further and said Truth is God…”5 Thus Truth provides common platform
for all and it is the only factor which is completely universal and
comprehensive. This, more than anything else lead Gandhiji to assert the
primacy of Truth.
According to Gandhi, if Truth is God,
non-violence or Ahimsa is the way of realizing Him. It is the practical
expression of Truth. It was a part of the spiritual discipline in Indian thought.
It was Gandhi who transferred the ethics of Ahimsa from the individual to the
social plane. Gandhiji always held that “In the course of the search for Truth,
non-violence came to me. Its spread is my life mission. I have no interest in
living except for the prosecution of that mission.”6 Thus an account
of Gandhi’s theory Truth necessarily takes us to the consideration of his views
on the nature of non-violence.
According to Gandhi, Ahimsa is natural to
man and once the spiritual side of man is awakened, his non-violent nature
becomes apparent. Ahimsa in its positive aspect is nothing but love and love
according to Gandhi is that energy that cleanses one’s inner life and uplifts him.
Ahimsa demands a sincere effort to free mind from feelings like anger, malice
hatred, revenge, jealousy etc because these create obstacles in the way of
love. Thus for Gandhi we see that the positive aspects of Ahimsa are more basic
than its negative aspects since it represents an essential quality of mankind.
The practice of ahimsa requires an inner
strength, which can only be generated by a living faith in God. The love of God
would turn into a love of humanity because a sincere faith in God will make man
see that all human beings are fellow beings and essentially one. Gandhi thus
showed that the realization of man’s essential oneness with the entire creation
and beyond that, with Supreme Reality or the Truth, is the fulfillment of human
life. Hence we see that the method of reconstructing a non-violent society is
based on the principles of Truth and non-violence. The details to be followed
show how Gandhi put his religious principles based on this Truth and
Non-violence into practice in the different fields of social, political, and economics.
Religion and Politics:-
As Gandhiji was a politician with unshakable
religious convictions he was of opinion that politics cannot be separated from
religion since according to him both had the same ideal of service to mankind.
By introducing religion into politics Gandhiji wanted to introduce morality
into politics. He said, “…that is why my devotion to Truth has drawn me into
the field of politics; and I can say without the slightest hesitation and yet
in all humility, that those who say that religion has nothing to do with
politics do not know what religion means”.7 He clung to the moral
and religious considerations even in the fields of politics. And he did not
hesitate to say that “my politics and all other activities of mine are derived
from my religion”8. Thus Gandhiji clearly points out that his
political outlook was influenced by the spirit of religion.
The principles of Truth and non-violence
which forms the pivot of Gandhi’s political activity are basically religious
principles. He brought down these principles from the heights of
spiritualization to the day to day life of common man. By this he wanted to
show that there is nothing bad about politics if it was guided by moral and
religious principles. Hence he stated that,”…for me there is no politics devoid
of religion. …politics bereft of religion is a death trap because it kills the
soul”9. He firmly held that success in politics should be achieved
only by truthful means. Thus Gandhiji revolutionized politics by introducing
the maxims of ethics and religion.
Spiritualization of
Politics by Gandhi:-
It is commonly
believed that politics has nothing to do with religion, morality and spirituality.
These are assumed to be the subject of personal and private life. Gandhi proved
himself as a revolutionary political thinker and activist by asserting that
they cannot be divorced from politics and other corporate forms of our life. “Gandhi’s
approach was deductive empirical and pragmatic. He deduced certain conclusions
from his basic assumptions- Metaphysical and ethical. Metaphysics, ethics Economics,
Sociology and Politics were intertwined. He was for, in Toynbee’s language,
‘etherialisation’, that is, spiritualization, of politics. Spiritualizing meant
for Gandhi moralizing.”10 Thus his politics can rightly be called
religious politics.
Politics of modern
civilization is nothing more than a game of deception, exploitation, coercion,
and suppression which tend to foment quarrels, division and fights. This was
stated by H. A. Gani, when he wrote “Morality is the sine qua non for the effective functioning of any political system.
But it is a matter of great pity that political climate in our country has been
devoid of moral values. It is full of deceit, dishonesty and all types of
corrupt practices. The conspicuous absence of adherence to basic moral tenets
is one of the main reasons for our present day political degeneration. Today,
politics has become so unprincipled and opportunistic as at no time in the
history of our country. A far as morality is concerned, no political party is
clean. The difference is only one of degree.”11 In other words, it
is a symbol of power politics and is little concerned with duty and service of
human kind which should be the goal of real politics. Gandhi wanted to remove
these dichotomies and false notions regarding politics and political life. This
led him to reassert the ancient concept of Rajdharm- the righteous polity is a
new and integral way.
Gandhi
basically believes in the unity of religion and politics. Politics divorced
from religion, according to him becomes debasing and is like a corpse only fit
to be buried. He is firm in his opinion that the degeneration of modern
civilization and particularly politics is only because it has been divorced
from religion. In his own words “if the attempt to separate politics from
religion had not been made, as it is even now made, they would not have
degenerated as they often appear to do”.
The basic concept of both religion and
morality in Gandhian scheme of thought are truth and non-violence. Gandhi held
that the foundation of every religion is morality and there is no difference
between sects regarding their moral foundations. As stated by Upasana Pandey,
“Religion is one which can flourish an individual’s moral and ethical nature.
According to Gandhi, the essence of religion lies in morality and humanity. For
a true morality religion plays a similar role as water plays for seed within
clay”.12 Gandhi held Gokhale as his political guru. He saw in his
politics, the politics of selfless service. To him Gokhale stood for
spiritualizing the political life and the political institutions. This kind of
politics can only possible “when truth, fearlessness and non-violence are
dominant factors that a person can devote himself unselfishly to the service of
the nation.” Thus, for Gandhi, there is no politics devoid of religion and morality.
Gandhi both by his principle and conduct advocated the religious politics to be
adopted by the humanity.
Gandhi’s
approach to politics was very much open to truth. The ancient politics rendered
round the glories of kings and emperors and it had less concern with the
masses. But on the contrary, the modern politics effects even the lowest strata
of people in society. So, modern politics is concerned with universal welfare
of human beings. And this purpose of politics cannot be achieved without being
religious. Religion alone can provide us universal love for the people. Gandhi
remarked that “a man who is trying to discover and follow the will of God
cannot possibly leave a single field of life untouched”. It was this imperative
which led Gandhi to spiritualize politics.
The implication
of religious politics of Gandhi can be seen in his different techniques of
solving the political problems and framing the blue print of a non-violent or Sarvodaya
order of society. The positive concepts o Gandhian politics like Sarvodaya,
swadeshi, satyagraha, communal harmony, social justice, grama swaraj,
decentralized polity and economy , and the concept of a state, Trusteeship all are based on his concept of
truth and non-violence and hence they may legitimately be called the
manifestation of his religious politics. Last but not the least, his concept of
non-violent state is in itself the embodiment of religion in politics. Gandhi
not only lived and died with religious politics but also institutionalized
politics with the essence of religion. This religious politics of Mahatma
Gandhi is hundred percent relevant in the modern scenario when the world is
facing the different manifestations of violence.
Satyagraha as the method of Truth in Politics:-
Satyagraha was introduced by Gandhi into
politics as a technique of Truth and Ahimsa. From the very word it follows that
it is ‘agraha’ of ‘satya’ and thus it means holding fast to truth. As a means
it implies sticking to the truth while endeavoring to procure the end through
such non-violent methods as non-co-operation and fasting. It was in the
political field that Gandhi made successful use of this means.
In fact, Satyagraha appears to Gandhi
almost as a religious pursuit. It rests on a religious belief that there is one
God behind everything and being, and as such the same God resides in every one
of us. Satyagraha demands selfless and sincere pursuit of Truth without any
consideration of any advantage or gain. Gandhiji describes it as a force
against violence based on love. There must be love for the opponent. Thus Satyagraha
is based on the conviction that through love, ahimsa and conscious suffering,
the forces of evil can be neutralized because this is the Divine way, the way
of Truth. Gandhi believed that this technique is universal in its applications.
It is the most powerful weapon to resist violence and secure social, economics
or political emancipation.
.Concluding Remarks:-
To conclude, we can say the greatest
contribution of Gandhi lies in transforming religion from a system of ritual
into a practical code of conduct. This was the new interpretation that he gave
to religion. This trend of socializing religion started in India during
the time of Sri Ramakrishna and was further advanced by Swami Vivekananda and
culminated in Mahatma Gandhi. He himself gave a religious color to every field
of action. The political system that is guided by the forces of religion can
withstand the most difficult circumstances.
In
the realm of reality which he expressed as ‘Truth’ he maintained that reality
is neither wholly material nor wholly spiritual but a combination of both. We
can also say that in the religious stand point Gandhi successfully synthesized
theism and atheism when he declared reality as ‘Truth’. In the field of
morality and values Gandhi sought to bring about a synthesis between ends and
means.
From the above account it is clear that if
leaders of today are influenced by similar virtues of religion, it will go a
long way in reducing the present crisis in India. Political life as we find
today stands blind to all religious values. Our age needs politicians who are
not merely motivated by the considerations of power and economic gains but by
human considerations. As it is said in the last chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita Gandhi
wanted the spiritual vision and social service to go together .Here he
indicated the double purpose of human life i.e., personal perfection and social
efficiency. Gandhiji tried to emphasize this particular point to bring about a
peaceful condition of human existence. It is expected that this Gandhian
technique will bring about a revolution in the near future, if not immediately.
Reference:-
1. Gandhi, M.K, Harijan,
2.7.46
2. Pandey Upasana (2010) Postmodernism
and Gandhi, New Delhi, Rawat
Publications, p.204.
3. Gandhi,M.K. Young
India, 12.5.20, p.
4. Gandhi.M.K. Young India, 12.3.25.p
5. Gandhi,M.K. Young
India, 31.12.1931.
6. R. K. Prabhu and U. R. Rao,
(comp. and edited) (1967) The Mind of
Mahatma Gandhi, Ahmedabad, Navajivan Publishing House.p.43.
7. Gandhi, M.K, (1994) The
story of My Experiment with Truth, Ahmedabad, Navajivan Publishing House.p.383.
8. Gandhi, M.K, Harijan, 2.3.1934.
9. Gandhi, M.K, Young India, 3.4.1924, p.112.
10. Choudhury Ramananda (2007) “Gandhi’s
View of Politics”, Gandhi Marg, Vol, 29, No, 2 July-Sept, p.216
11. Gani.H.A (1998) “Political
Parties and Degenerations of Democratic and Moral Values”, Radical Humanist,
Vol, 62, No.2, May, p.28.
12. Pandey Upasana (2010) Postmodernism and Gandhi, New Delhi, Rawat
Publications, p.204.
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