But only now that I’ve become older, wiser and more spiritual, I understand his philosophy much better…
On the occasion of his 141st birth anniversary, I think I’m now able to finally write a few words about the man, the Mahatma, the father of the Indian nation, the man who made the country free.
So much has already been written, said and depicted about the great man, that with my limited knowledge I can only put forth some of my views here.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a great political leader whose persistence & philosophy brought about India’s independence. But most importantly he was great a spiritual leader and that's what I connect with the most.
I realize the reality a lot more now and it's a real great feeling to be enlightened and feel so very wise.
His ideas crossed over and influenced many notable being Rev Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.
And it’s not just all idealism. Well, many commoners might think it’s so and that his ideas of non violence (for which he’s mostly known) will never work in today cut throat competitive world where every day can be a struggle for the common man.
While doing my research on the Hindu religious book ‘The Bhagavad Gita’ I bumped into how he deciphered it.
Till now I and many other took one of our famous epics 'The Mahabharata' quite literally…As a story, not realizing as a little girl how much meaning it otherwise holds.
Well, sadly there weren’t anyone as such to explain that to me either.
Gandhiji in his commentary on The Gita had interpreted the battle (of Kurukshetra, the big battle which culminates the epic) as "an allegory in which the battlefield is the soul and Arjuna( the character that listened to Krishna's commentary which became ‘The Geeta’) man's higher impulses struggling against evil.
Now while exploring my own spiritual side, I personally realize that it’s such a beautiful interpretation.
So he talks about how that the war is constantly going on within man between the tendencies of good and evil." It’s actually all within us- the struggle between good and evil.
A spiritual development class I attended said the demons, the evil within one were classified as greed, lust, arrogance, unhealthy attachment and anger.
Other scripture and wise preaching would add in selfishness, envy, ingratitude, gluttony, ignorance, cowardice,slyness, manipulation, craftiness,cruelty, hypocrisy,sycophancy,apathy and vanity to the list as well.
So it's up to us- what should win and what should lose. It’s difficult for any human being to achieve that but one should ideally try for the good to never outweigh the evil.
Sadly most people end up letting evil win which combined together can wreak havoc and make the person who carries the vices look like a demon himself.
Whoever could reach that high level and conquer the same would rise up and become a great soul and become a great human being, a great person.
That’s simply what our religious leaders and gurus of different sects had achieved…
That’s how they became what they were and came to be revered forever. Thus they became what they became, achieved nirvana, liberation and so on.
And hence it’s said: The kingdom of heaven is within us. We just need to find it.
Only a few can while the rest drift around aimlessly through life.
I wish I knew and understood all this well before, but I was naive, a young teen and had no guidance to help me properly decipher things.
Now Mahatma means a great soul.
Rabindra Nath Tagore accorded and popularized a very apt name for the man indeed!
He was a doer, he strongly believed like a few wise men before him in practicing whatever he preached. He had said: "An ounce of practice is worth more than tones of preaching”.
It’s well documented how he would often test his desires and check if he could control them. It was another matter that he was criticized for the same as well.It's been well known that he always practiced 'simple living and high thinking'.
Along with other things, he checked his will power by going on hunger strikes. He totally believed in punctuality and loved to keep himself busy with work. He had asked people to not belittle any form of work as no work is big or small.
It’s so true because for the right kind of balance in the society all types of work are important (but of course the work shouldn’t harm anyone).
As Gandhi thoroughly imbibed selflessness in his life, it perhaps led to a few strains in his relationships with his family. He believed that everything he had belonged to everyone which kind of led to a slightly rocky and troubled relationship with his son Harilal( talked about in the Indian movie ‘Gandhi, my father’).
There are many similar examples about his way of life.
He taught people to love children (which ideally every wise man should do as children are the world’s future) and saw the image of God in them.
Vaishnavo jana to tene kahiye je.... was one of his favorite bhajans..
And it basically meant that one who is a vaishnav, knows the pain of others, does good to the ones in misery and does not let pride or ego take over his mind and so on...
Truly wise and noble, right?
His modesty he reflected and wanted to propagate with the quotes like these: "It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err."
He was a doer and he had said, "Whatever you do may seem insignificant to you, but it is most important that you do it."
He was a firm believer in practicing whatever he preached. He had said: "An Ounce of practice is worth more than tonnes of preaching".
And he would ask people to never lose faith ever by saying: "When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always. "
The world is cruel and tough and it’s difficult to keep the faith all the time but this kind of inspiration is really wonderful to have.
Gandhiji was above religion.
Another favorite bhajan of his raghupati raaghav raajaaraam...iishvar Allah tero naam, sab ko sanmati de bhagavaan which when translated would say, “God or Allah is your( The supreme soul) name, and bless everyone with this wisdom, Lord.”
Sadly though the wisdom couldn’t be imbibed by all, was misunderstood and his life was cut short by a Hindu extremist.
He was greatly influenced by the teachings of Christ.
Martin Luther King Jr had later said: “Christ gave us the goals and Mahatma Gandhi the tactics.”
Some of Gandhi’s quotes and beliefs clearly reflected Christ’s teachings.
He exactly followed some things which Christ had preached.
It seems that's one source from which idea of non violence struggle, the passive resistance came from
He had said: "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
He too was okay with offering the other cheek if someone would slap him on one.
Once he had said perhaps when the constant struggle with the British made him slightly wary :"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians (he meant only, some I'm sure). Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
He had quoted: "A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave"
It’s sad that most people still think that goodness, patience and politeness is weakness.
His Birthday October 2nd apart from being ‘Gandhi Jayanti’ in India is now the ‘International Day of Non-Violence.
Talking of inspirations apart from the ones already mentioned, he inspired James Lawson, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Aung San Suu Kyi, and even John Lennon and a few others. Physicist Albert Einstein exchanged written letters with Gandhi, and called him "a role model for the generations to come"
It was good to see Time Magazine name The 14th Dalai Lama, Lech Wałęsa, Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, Aung San Suu Kyi, Benigno Aquino, Jr., Desmond Tutu, and Nelson Mandela, Children of Gandhi, his spiritual heirs to non-violence.
His ideals just continue to inspire …
US president Barack Obama had said just before becoming president: “Throughout my life, I have always looked to Mahatma Gandhi as an inspiration, because he embodies the kind of transformational change that can be made when ordinary people come together to do extraordinary things. That is why his portrait hangs in my Senate office: to remind me that real results will come not just from Washington—they will come from the people”
When asked once as to who was the one person, dead or live, that he would choose to dine with, he had quickly said, ‘Gandhi as he’s somebody I find a lot of inspiration in. He inspired Dr. King with his message of nonviolence. He ended up doing so much and changed the world just by the power of his ethics."
Sadly in the India Gandhiji made, there’s so much corruption and most people have moved away from his teachings, his way of life, his philosophy and don’t take it seriously or perhaps find it just too idealistic. The world as a whole would have been a much better place if the right philosophy was adapted by majority.
But maybe it’s the law of nature and the world can’t become like heaven…
At times as these one can recall what he had said, "You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."
Just like how Paulo Coelho later said in the very famous 'The Alchemist' (that whatever you desperately want in life, the universe conspires to get for you), Gandhi had believed, "A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes."
"Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well."
I for one like a few commoners of my kind have a lot to thank for this kind of wisdom, which he imbibed, followed and preached.
Thankfully a few kind people have asked me how I manage to portray the image of a good human being and look happy, good and positive at most times. I think it’s because I kept the innocence of my childhood (when human beings have no vices as such, have no lust, greed, envy, ingratitude, selfishness, etc ) alive and gradually got influenced by good philosophy of this kind.
There’s a long way to go. But it’s a wonderful feeling to be on the right path, to be influenced by the right kind of things and to be cultivating lovely values. It makes life much more meaningful when one is of high spiritual order.
It’s all very idealistic, but I would simply say thank you Mahatma and all those who kept the spirit of the Mahatma alive in all these years and will continue doing so in the years to come!
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