GANDHI AND AHIMSA
1. Context
Ukraine’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba invoked the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi to seek India’s support for the “freedom and independence” of Ukraine. His resort to Gandhian ideals was part of the mission of garnering India’s support for the peace summit held in Switzerland to resolve the two-year-long Russia-Ukraine war.
2.Gandhi and Ahimsa Philosophy
Mahatma Gandhi's principle of ahimsa (non-violence) is central to his philosophy and political strategy. Rooted in ancient Indian traditions, especially those of Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, ahimsa means not causing harm to any living being, whether through thoughts, words, or actions.
Here’s a brief overview of Gandhi’s relationship with ahimsa:
- Gandhi believed that ahimsa was a powerful tool for personal and social transformation. To him, it was not just about physical non-violence but also about purity of thought and intentions.
- He drew heavily on the teachings of Jainism and Hindu scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita, which emphasize compassion and non-violence
- Gandhi used ahimsa as a guiding principle in his efforts to secure independence for India. His non-violent resistance, or Satyagraha, was an expression of ahimsa in action.
- Satyagraha literally means "holding on to truth" or "truth force." Gandhi believed that truth (satya) and non-violence (ahimsa) were inseparable. Non-violent resistance was the path to truth.
- Some famous campaigns that applied this philosophy include:
- Salt March (1930): A non-violent protest against British salt taxes.
- Quit India Movement (1942): A mass civil disobedience campaign demanding the British exit from India.
- Gandhi’s application of ahimsa inspired civil rights leaders across the world. Figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela adopted non-violent resistance in their own struggles against racial discrimination and apartheid, respectively
- While Gandhi’s commitment to non-violence was admired globally, it also faced challenges, particularly during violent incidents in India's freedom struggle, such as communal riots.
- Gandhi believed that ahimsa required immense self-discipline and courage, often more than violent resistance
- Gandhi’s interpretation of ahimsa was not limited to politics. He extended it to other areas of life, such as vegetarianism, environmental conservation, and social reform (like the upliftment of the Dalits, whom he called "Harijans" or children of God)
3. Gandhi and his Guru
- Advaita, a Sanskrit term meaning "not two" or "no second," represents the philosophical idea in Advaita Vedanta. A misunderstanding occurred between Gandhi and Guru following Guru’s contentious remarks on the Vaikom Satyagraha, a pioneering temple entry movement in India that highlighted the issues of untouchability and caste oppression within the national movement.
- On May 31, 1924, Guru’s interview regarding the movement was published in the Malayalam weekly Deshabhimani. In the interview, Guru reportedly stated that volunteers "should scale the barricades, not just walk along the prohibited roads but also enter all temples, including the Vaikom temple. Untouchability must be made practically impossible to observe."
- Although Guru’s remarks conveyed his deep moral outrage at social inequality, the publication sparked political controversy. His statements upset supporters of Gandhian non-violence, and Gandhi himself interpreted them as a rejection of his cherished principle of ahimsa.
- Gandhi viewed Guru’s call to climb over barricades and walk along forbidden roads as a form of "open violence" against the Vaikom Satyagraha. When Gandhi was informed of Guru’s comments, the person also urged him to instruct the Indian National Congress to halt the movement to prevent incidents like Chauri Chaura.
- However, Gandhi chose not to intervene, though he expressed disapproval of Guru’s statements, describing them in Young India (June 19, 1924) as the "reverse of Satyagraha," advocating "open violence" and "imposing force."
- Guru sought to clarify the misunderstanding. He later wrote to Gandhi, explaining that the interview had been misrepresented and did not reflect his actual words. Guru emphasized that any approach to eradicating untouchability must remain strictly non-violent. Gandhi published this letter in Young India on July 10, 1924.
- The confusion stemmed from a literal interpretation of Guru’s words. Rather than calling for physical force, Guru’s statements were an expression of his moral outrage and sarcastic disdain for social inequalities, not a rejection of the Vaikom Satyagraha or its non-violent methods. Through his sarcasm, Guru was condemning discriminatory practices and ideas, not advocating violence
4. Non Violence and Discussions
- The discussion about non-violence did not conclude with Guru's letter to Gandhi. It continued when they met in Kerala in March 1925, where Gandhi sought Guru’s views on non-violent Satyagraha and the ineffectiveness of using physical force to achieve rights. Guru responded that he did not believe violence was a positive approach.
- Gandhi then asked if Hinduism endorsed violence, to which Guru replied that while physical force was allowed for kings, it was unjustifiable for ordinary people. Through this conversation, Guru expressed full agreement with Gandhi’s methods, endorsing non-violence without any reservations.
- Later, Gandhi wrote in Young India, "He (Narayana Guru) fully supported the satyagraha movement, stating that violence could never succeed and that non-violence was the only way." Guru had already laid out his thoughts on non-violence in his works such as Anukamba Dasakam, Jeevakarunya Panchakam, and Ahimsa, written during World War I.
- For Guru, non-violence was central to the Advaita philosophy he followed. In Atmopadesa Satakam, he explained that actions done for one’s happiness should also bring happiness to others. If one's actions cause harm, it reflects a form of self-hatred. This is the foundation of Guru’s belief in ahimsa.
- Guru further developed his views in Sree Narayana Dharmam, emphasizing the need to avoid causing pain to others through one’s words, actions, and thoughts. He also argued that true well-being cannot be achieved by killing other living beings for selfish reasons, and that ahimsa leads to absolute wellness.
- His Jeevakarunya Panchakam reinforces the idea of non-killing, asking how we can harm or consume other living beings if they are, in essence, our soul companions. Since we find being killed unacceptable for ourselves, we should not inflict such harm on others.
- Guru’s commitment to non-violence was also evident during a conversation at Advaita Ashram on his 50th birthday. When he asked visitors to stop the practice of sacrificing living beings at their temple, one of them asked what could be sacrificed instead.
- A monastery member suggested an ash gourd, to which Guru responded in his typical style, saying they should instead sacrifice the son of those who still wanted to continue the ritual. This sharply conveyed his stance on ahimsa.
- For Guru, compassion (anukampa) was the highest value, essential to preventing violence. He believed that a religion without compassion was not a religion at all.
- His philosophy, which equates harm to others with self-hatred, forms the basis of his "religion of compassion." To him, God is the embodiment of compassion, and a person without compassion is merely a physical body.
- In Guru's view, non-violence was not a separate concept but was deeply embedded in his philosophy, particularly through the virtue of compassion
5. Gandhi's ahimsa and Guru's non voilence
- Gandhi rejected any religious or political doctrines that conflicted with his ideals of truth and non-violence. For him, these two principles were the ultimate measure for evaluating both politics and religion. He assessed political morality based on his unwavering belief in ahimsa (non-violence).
- In this way, Gandhi’s faith in religion helped refine his approach to politics and morality. A strong faith in God was a core element of his ahimsa, as Gandhi could not envision non-violence without a deep and unshakable belief in God.
- Like other religious principles, Gandhi’s concept of ahimsa aimed for perfection. He saw violence as the denial of the highest spiritual power, while non-violence was the ideal path to reach God.
- This, in his view, allowed humanity to connect with the divine. In this regard, Guru’s ideas of non-violence and non-dualism aligned with Gandhi’s creed of ahimsa, both blurring the lines between spiritual and worldly life. For them, rejecting non-violence in daily life equated to rejecting God.
- However, Gandhi and Guru had different perspectives on the role of compassion in non-violence. For Guru, compassion was the central virtue of an Advaitin, encompassing all other values, including non-violence. In his philosophy, non-violence was part of his broader belief in compassion.
- On the other hand, Gandhi saw compassion as one of many virtues connected to non-violence. To him, non-violence was a standalone and ultimate virtue for an ideal human being. While Gandhi recognized that non-violence included love, compassion, and forgiveness, he believed that compassion alone was not enough to qualify someone as a true practitioner of non-violence
6. Way forward
Gandhi and Guru shared a profound commitment to non-violence, viewing it as essential to spiritual and moral life. While they differed in their emphasis—Guru placing compassion at the core of his philosophy and Gandhi elevating non-violence as the highest virtue—their beliefs ultimately converged on the importance of integrating spiritual values into worldly actions. Gandhi's focus on ahimsa as a stand-alone principle and Guru's broader creed of compassion both underscored their shared understanding that non-violence is key to human connection with the divine. Together, their philosophies challenge the separation of spiritual and temporal life, advocating for non-violence as a means of personal and societal transformation
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For Prelims: GS I - Indian History, Independence Movement, Quit India Movement
For Mains: GS I - Indian History
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Source: Indianexpress
