Mahatma Gandhi and Narayana Guru’s idea of non-violence

Ukraine’s erstwhile Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba invoked the bequest of Mahatma Gandhi to question India’s enactment for the “freedom and independence” of Ukraine. His edifice to Gandhian ideals was portion of the ngo of garnering India’s enactment for the bid acme held successful Switzerland to resoluteness the two-year-long Russia-Ukraine war.

It shows that Gandhi’s doctrine and signifier of ahimsa is insurmountable successful immoderate sermon of bid successful a satellite successful which countries are struggling hard to interruption retired of the vicious rhythm of conflicts. However, similar immoderate governmental philosophy, Gandhi’s thought of non-violence was not unchallenged. His speech with his contemporary, Narayana Guru, helps elucidate the intricacies of Gandhi’s creed of ahimsa.

Gandhi and Guru

Being 1 of the astir eminent Indian governmental leaders successful the 20th century, Gandhi could not abstracted religion from politics. He cherished the spiritual doctrines of information and nonviolence successful spiritualising his governmental mission. Similarly, Guru, the spiritual person and societal reformer successful Kerala, could not detach his actions and thoughts from the issues of worldly life. For him, worldly beingness and its complexities were not specified illusions but an indispensable portion of his spirituality. That is wherefore helium equated societal favoritism against chap quality beings with the rejection of God.

Thus, some Gandhi and Guru acceptable akin goals but walked done antithetic paths to attain them. A cautious investigation would uncover that the favoritism betwixt authorities and religion is blurring betwixt and wrong their thoughts. Despite differences connected immoderate societal issues, some Gandhi and Guru agreed connected the necessity of cherishing the worth of nonviolence for spiritual well-being and quality welfare. When Gandhi preaches values of truth, ahimsa, and emotion successful politics, Guru’s conception of compassion assembles each these virtues successful the duties of an Advaiti. Advaita is simply a Sanskrit connection that means “not two” oregon “no second.” It refers to the philosophical conception successful Advaita Vedanta, a non-dualistic schoolhouse of Hindu philosophy.

Unraveling misunderstandings

However, a misunderstanding arose betwixt Gandhi and Guru pursuing the latter’s arguable interrogation connected the Vaikom satyagraha. The Vaikom Satyagraha was the archetypal among galore temple introduction movements successful India, which foregrounded the contented of untouchability and caste oppression amidst the nationalist movement.

Guru’s interrogation connected the question was published successful Malayalam play Deshabhimani connected May 31, 1924. In this interview, Guru was reportedly cited arsenic saying, “[V]olunteers . . . should standard implicit the barricades, and not lone locomotion on the prohibited roads but participate each temples including the Vaikom temple. It should beryllium made practically intolerable for anyone to observe untouchability.”

Although these statements of Guru bespeak his motivation outrage against societal inequalities, the work of his interrogation paved the mode for a governmental controversy. Guru’s statements irked the staunch supporters of Gandhian nonviolence, portion Gandhi perceived these comments from the eminent fig successful Kerala arsenic a rejection of his astir ineffable method of ahimsa. He besides thought that Guru refuted the Vaikom satyagraha and viewed his telephone to ascent implicit the barricades and locomotion on the prohibited roads arsenic enactment for ‘open violence’.

Clarifying misunderstandings

The idiosyncratic who informed astir Guru’s comments to Gandhi besides urged him to instruct the Indian National Congress to telephone disconnected the Satyagraha instantly to debar repeating events similar Chouri Chaura. But Gandhi refused to intervene. Instead, helium expressed his displeasure implicit Guru’s comments, labeling them arsenic the ‘reverse of Satyagraha’, a telephone for ‘open violence’ and an illustration of ‘imposing force’ successful his play journal, Young India, connected June 19, 1924.

Guru wanted to resoluteness the misapprehension astir his comments. Later, helium wrote to Gandhi and informed him that the interrogation was prepared without correctly knowing the meaning of what Guru had said. Guru besides categorically stated that ‘any method of enactment that whitethorn beryllium adopted for eradicating the evil of untouchability indispensable beryllium strictly nonviolent’. Gandhi published Guru’s missive successful Young India connected July 10, 1924.

Gandhi’s misapprehension astir Guru’s content successful the method of nonviolence came retired of literal interpretations of his words. What Guru had expressed done his comments was not a telephone for carnal unit but his motivation outrage and sarcastic contempt for societal inequalities and discriminatory practices. It was not a refutation of the Vaikom Satyagraha oregon its nonviolent methods. On the contrary, it rejected discriminatory thoughts done his unsocial means of sarcasm.

Debate connected non-violence continues

The statement connected the method of nonviolence did not extremity with Guru’s clarification missive to Gandhi. It continued erstwhile Gandhi met Guru successful Kerala successful March 1925. He sought Guru’s sentiment connected nonviolent Satyagraha and the futility of utilizing carnal unit successful a question to attain rights. Guru replied that helium did not deliberation that convulsive unit was good.

Gandhi further asked whether the Hindu religion sanctioned violence. Guru replied, the usage of carnal unit is permitted for kings, but it is not justifiable for mean people. In this conversation, Guru expressed nary quality with Gandhi’s governmental means and alternatively unconditionally agreed with the method of nonviolence.

Later, Gandhi wrote successful Young India, “He (Narayana Guru) wholly approved of the satyagraha question and said that unit would ne'er win and that nonviolence was the lone method.”

Compassion and nonviolence

Guru composed his seminal works connected nonviolence – Anukamba Dasakam, Jeevakarunya Panchakam and Ahimsa – during World War I. For Guru, nonviolence is the cardinal quality of a follower of Advaita philosophy. In Atmopadesa Satakam, Guru writes that immoderate 1 does for the happiness of oneself should origin happiness to others. If one’s enactment causes harm to others, it reflects a signifier of self-loathing. This is the rationale of Guru’s ahimsa.

He further articulates his thought of non-violence successful the dialog Sree Narayana Dharmam (Sree Naryana Smriti), which emphasises the value of avoiding symptom to others’ bodies, minds and souls by one’s words, deeds and thoughts.

Guru further explains that eventual well-being is not attainable for those who termination surviving beings for their selfish needs. On the contrary, the signifier of ahimsa leads one’s beingness to implicit wellness. His Jeevakarunya Panchakam echoes akin ideas connected non-killing. Guru asks however we tin termination and devour different surviving beings if they are our psyche mates. He reasoned that since being killed is thing we find unacceptable and undesirable for ourselves, we should not bash the aforesaid to others.

Commitment to non-violence

Guru’s committedness to the rule of nonviolence was made evident during a speech helium had with visitors astatine Advaita Ashram connected his 50th birthday. When Guru asked them to cease the ritual of sacrificing surviving beings astatine their temple, 1 of them asked what could beryllium sacrificed instead. An inmate of the monastery suggested utilizing an ash gourd arsenic a substitute. Guru rejected this and stated, “kill the lad who does the ritual”. Could a monk marque his views connected nonviolence immoderate clearer?

Compassion (anukampa) is the eventual worth that helps incorporate the imaginable for unit against others. For Guru, a religion sans compassion is not a religion astatine all. His philosophical teaching that views harm to others arsenic a signifier of self-loathing constitutes the halfway of his ‘religion of compassion’. For Guru, God is the embodiment of compassion and a idiosyncratic without compassion is conscionable a body.

Nonviolence request not beryllium referred to arsenic an autarkic class – it is immanent successful Guru’s philosophy, particularly successful the virtuousness of compassion. Being a societal reformer and sage, Guru saw nary favoritism betwixt spiritual goals and societal enactment aimed astatine the payment of humanity. Similarly, successful Gandhi’s governmental thought, religion and authorities were inseparable entities.

Gandhi’s ahimsa and Guru’s nonviolence

Gandhi disapproved of each the spiritual and governmental doctrines which conflicted with the ideas of information and nonviolence. For him, information and nonviolence were the litmus trial of authorities and religion. He evaluated governmental morality against his implicit doctrine of ahimsa (non-violence). This is however religion helped Gandhi to purify his attack to authorities and morality. A ‘living religion successful God’ was the indispensable portion of Gandhi’s ahimsa, arsenic helium could not conceive of non-violence arsenic a creed without this information of indomitable religion successful God.

However, similar immoderate spiritual doctrine, his formulation of ahimsa sought perfection arsenic a principle. For Gandhi, unit was the negation of the highest spiritual force, and nonviolence was a cleanable way to God. This is however the quality taxon takes portion successful the realm of the divine represented by God. This is wherever Guru’s thought of nonviolence and nondualism conscionable with Gandhi’s creed of ahimsa. Both person blurred the rigid boundaries betwixt spiritual and temporal life, suggesting that rejecting non-violence successful worldly beingness leads to the negation of God.

But Gandhi and Guru differed implicit the centrality of compassion successful their thought of non-violence. For Guru, compassion was the indispensable virtuousness of an Advaiti, and it encompassed each duties and values, including non-violence. In his philosophy, non-violence was an integral portion of his broader creed of compassion.

Gandhi, however, viewed compassion arsenic conscionable 1 of the galore virtues associated with a practitioner of non-violence. For him, non-violence stood arsenic an autarkic and eventual virtuousness of perfect quality beings. While Gandhi acknowledged that non-violence encompassed virtues of love, compassion, and forgiveness, helium argued that compassion unsocial cannot suffice 1 to beryllium a practitioner of non-violence.

Post Read Questions

What are the cardinal principles of Gandhian philosophy, and however does his conception of nonviolence (ahimsa) stay applicable successful addressing the conflicts faced by the modern world?

How did Gandhi’s committedness to information and nonviolence service arsenic a litmus trial for spiritual and governmental doctrines, and successful what mode did his religion successful God power his doctrine of ahimsa?

How did Mahatma Gandhi and Narayana Guru disagree implicit the centrality of compassion successful their thought of nonviolence?

How did Mahatma Gandhi and Narayana Guru’s perspectives connected nonviolence blur the boundaries betwixt spiritual and temporal life?

(Dileep P Chandran is an Assistant Professor astatine the section of Political Science successful University of Calicut, Kerala.)

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