Gandhian Spirituality

Religion and spirituality are loaded words today. Mostly because they are wielded by those with vested interests. Whenever leaders dress up in religious garbs, skeptics—tired of such charades—immediately relate it to the parable of the wolf in sheep’s clothing. There could be nothing more repugnant in the eyes of a critic than a politician acting thus.

Gandhi was a paradox to this popular belief. He boldly proclaimed that he was a Hindu. He visited temples, conducted prayer meetings where he gave spiritual discourses, and had a deep knowledge of Hindu scriptures. He even wrote a commentary on the ancient religious text of Bhagavat Geeta. His faith was so deeply rooted that he said in case he was to be assassinated, “… I may deliver up my soul with the remembrance of God upon my lips”.

However, Gandhi’s religion was starkly different from that of the politicians today. Rather than spreading hatred and violence, it strived for peace, love, and universal brotherhood which gave Gandhi an almost saintly appeal.

Holistic Religion of Gandhi

“There is no religion higher than truth and righteousness.”

Unlike the popular leaders who build temples to appease the majority vote bank, conduct meditations during elections in front of cameras, and vilify other religions, Gandhi was spiritual by principle. Though Gandhi never denounced formal religion, his concepts were different from it. He did not confine his beliefs to rituals, superstitions, and dogmas. His religion was Dharma—the cosmic law underlying right behavior and social order. His God was Truth.

Gandhi’s religion, in other words, was a code of conduct he observed through all his actions, thoughts, and attitudes. His spiritual life was not separate from his political and social life.

“For me, there is no politics without religion-not the religion of the superstitious and the blind, religion that hates and fights, but the universal Religion of Toleration. Politics without morality is a thing to be avoided. For me, politics bereft of religion are absolute dirt, ever to be shunned”

Gandhi’s polity and spirituality are inseparable. He believed in truth and followed non-violence. Even while leading 33 million Indians on a freedom struggle against the iron-fisted colonial rule, Gandhi never deviated from his path of non-violence, either through words or deeds. Instead, he forged a unique way of resistance called Satyagraha.

A social being, Gandhi’s spirituality shined in the form of minimalism, transparency, equality, and universal service. He led a simple life akin to that of the poorest in India. Living with his fellow beings in self-sustained villages or Gandhi grams, he did all the chores like cleaning, washing, weaving, farming, and so on. He also considered all human beings equal and fought against the caste system and Hindu-Muslim divide.

A path towards self-realization

“To me, God is Truth and Love. God is Ethics and Morality. God is Fearlessness. God is [the] essence of life and light and yet He is above and beyond all these. God is conscience… He is the purest essence… He is all things to all men. He is in us and yet above and beyond us.”

Gandhi was a patron of human welfare. His religion, which transformed hearts and prompted people to be selfless, created an aura of saintliness around him. Ultimately, his religion, experiments, and struggles were his efforts toward self-discovery.

“Let me explain what I mean by religion. It is not the Hindu religion which I certainly prize above all religions, but the religion that transcends Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and others, which changes one’s very nature, which binds one indissolubly to the Truth within, and which ever purifies. It is the permanent element in human nature which counts no cost too great in order to find full expression and which leaves the soul utterly restless until it has found itself, known to its maker, and appreciates the correspondence between the maker and itself”

On the 77th anniversary of Indian Independence, we ought to ask ourselves whether our beliefs lead us through the bloodied path of fanaticism, violence, and hatred or the footsteps of Gandhi towards love, peace, and self-realization.

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