6. Spiritualization of politics
Gandhi believed that the modern age was the age of politics because almost all the aspects of individual and social life were directly or indirectly organized and administered by the state. As a result, he thought that there was need for the spiritualization of political life and political institutions as a means to serve humanity. With this conviction he entered the political field. But he rejected the attempt of politicizing religion by leaders like Lokmanya Tilak (1856–1920, supreme political leader of India before Gandhi’s rise) who had introduced the public celebration of Ganesh festival as a means to generate unrest against the British rule. Gandhi led an aggressive ideological battle against Tilak who did not consider Gandhi as a politician and called him a sadhu (saint). Tilak said that politics was not a game of sadhus but of worldly people. Gandhi retorted, ‘The epitome of all religions is to promote purushartha and purushartha is nothing but a desperate attempt to become a sadhu, i.e., to become a gentleman in every sense of the term’.[12] Unlike Tilak, Gandhi wanted women also to do purushartha. It was impossible without fearlessness which Gandhi called the first requisite for spiritual conduct. Gandhi criticized Tilak’s policy that ‘everything is fair in politics’ and the maxim of ‘evil in return for evil’. Instead he said that there should be good in return for evil. He believed in the inviolable connection between the means and the end and the maxim that one reaps what one sows. As he considered India’s struggle for freedom a spiritual endeavor, he was emphatic about the purity of means.
He also rejected Tilak’s interpretation of the Bhagvad Gita. Tilak had written a critique of the Gita titled Gitarahasya[13] in which he argued that the Gita taught selfless action, karmayoga. Gandhi did not agree with Tilak and said instead that the Gita taught non-violence and renunciation, anasaktiyoga. He was trying to deemphasize masculine Hinduism and create a different space for an inclusive one. It was indeed a difficult task because in Hindu mythology and in visual representation, Hindu Gods and Goddesses have been shown armed with different weapons. Hindu epics and mythologies are replete with battles between rulers and between Gods and demons. Gandhi understood that indirectly Tilak and other leaders of Congress were trying to imitate models of muscular masculinity practiced by the colonial masters. He pointed out that in the process they were sacrificing their unique identity as Indians.
Gandhi also had to fight many ideological battles against right wing Hindutva ideologues (those who believed in Hindu majoritarianism) and Muslim leaders who used religion to serve their separatist communal agenda. He believed in the doctrine of Advaita (non-dualism), which means unity of existence. He understood the binaries present in the modern age, such as man and nature, masculine and feminine, living and non-living things, East and West, and strove to go beyond them in search of common ground. Based in his belief in non-dualism, he would not let the British do injustice because they were an integral and inseparable part of humanity, and would not let Indians unleash hate on the British that would compromise their humanity. Moksha (liberation) was the ultimate aim which had to be attained through being part of society and with mutual help. Hence, he gave importance to community living and collective prayer. Gandhi did not want religion reduced to a Saturday or Sunday affair. He wanted people to live it in every moment. Gandhi had faith that human nature in its essence was one and, therefore, unfailingly responded to the advances of love. For him, even Hitler and Mussolini were not beyond redemption. It could be possible only with self-suffering and not by hatred.
According to Gandhi, one could cultivate renunciation by observing the vows of truth, non-violence, celibacy, non-stealing, non-possession and control of the senses. For him, independence of India was just a milestone in the long journey towards swaraj or Ramraj (Kingdom of God), which he defined as rule over self and its base desires. By inculcating these values, one could gain the soul force which was the only weapon at hand for Indians in this unequal battle against the mighty British empire. Gandhi never expected India to practice non-violence out of weakness. It had to be practiced being conscious of one’s strength and power. He believed that soul force made human beings fearless even when facing guns and cannons. Gandhi witnessed two world wars and destruction caused by atomic weapons. He believed that modern science and technology bereft of human values had led to armed cowardice because in modern warfare humans never came face to face with the enemies. Soul force was an inclusive and accessible power which could be practiced by all: women, the aged and children. Soul force does not capitulate to subjugation. Gandhi called it a new kshatriya (warrior) spirit. It made the practitioner fearless and struck at the roots of colonialism.
Violence was visible in many prevalent socio-religious practices of Hinduism. It was present in social relationships between men and women, between upper caste and lower caste relations, between the rich and the poor in India. Gandhi advocated that Hinduism had to be purged of its inhuman practices to gain soul force. Injustices heaped on women, dalits and indigenous peoples had to be done away with. Gandhi gave women equal status in society and invited them to participate in the struggle for independence as equal partners. He redefined the concept of masculinity and asked men to incorporate the best feminine qualities. He did not believe that imbibing positive feminine qualities made man effeminate. He also expected women to inculcate positive masculine qualities such as confidence and courage.
For Gandhi, God was not a person, but an eternal principle. For him, God was truth and truth was God. He said that even the atheist did not doubt the necessity of truth and that in their own way, they were in search of the divine. Satyagraha therefore was a search for truth, for God. Gandhi called it a Dharmayuddha (righteous warfare). In this form of spiritual warfare, non-cooperation and civil disobedience were like branches of the tree called satyagraha. On this path, the only way to truth was to be non-violent, even to one’s oppressor. Satyagraha was an attribute of the spirit within, which was latent in everyone. As one person could not claim understanding of the whole truth, satyagraha gave some credit for honesty of purpose to the opponents also. Satyagraha became a medium of conversation. One who followed satyagraha wanted to convert the opponent to their view and at the same time was ready to be converted if they thought that the opponent had convincing argument based on truth. In satyagraha, no one was victor and no one was vanquished. It was a communal journey towards truth. Independence was the realization of the ‘Kingdom of God within oneself’ for both the colonizers and the colonized. It would help the colonial masters to liberate themselves from the dichotomy of noble Christian values and the un-Christian acts of exploiting the colonies. Satyagraha refined masculinity and femininity as a spiritual search for truth.
[12] The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol.16, Ahmedabad: The Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, 1965, pp. 490–491. Purushartha is an important aspect of Hinduism. It expects a human being to follow four aims in his life – dharma (moral duty), artha (economic prosperity), kaam (pleasure) and moksha (liberation from the cycle of life and birth). But it was not a universal ideal in Hinduism. The dalits, treated as untouchables, and women did not have right to moksha. They were also denied economic opportunities.
[13] Bal Gangadhar Tilak wrote this book during his six-year imprisonment in the prison of Mandalay (Myanmar) between 1908–1914. The book was published in 1915. It is a critique of the most sacred scripture of Hinduism, Bhagvad Gita. There are three paths to liberation from the cycle of birth and death in Hinduism, Gyan Marg (the path of knowledge about God and creation), Bhakti Marg (devoting oneself to God, emphasizing sentiments instead of knowledge), and Karma Marg, which means a person should do his duty uprightly without caring for outcome. Tilak argues that Gita preached Karma Marg. He exhorted Hindus to realize their duty towards their nation and participate in the struggle for independence.