I want to make the point in this blog that Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy, teachings and example were misunderstood and misused by sentimental do gooders in India. Much of the time post independence has been wasted. The country has failed to develop and whole generations of Indians have wasted their lives because nobody did some clear thinking on this subject – the subject being the debt we owe the Mahatma, how best to make the nation prosperous, how to avoid communal violence and the role of religion in our public and private lives.
I was educated in a premier school in New Delhi where Priyanka Gandhi (of the Nehru Gandhi family) did her schooling. My grandparents admired Mahatma Gandhi and wanted to follow his teachings. It is not surprising that both these two tried to inculcate in me the desire to serve the poor and downtrodden of the country.
But I think that the best way for me to repay my debt to the Mahatma is to make a good constructive use of my rights and privileges as a free citizen. I don’t necessarily need to follow his teachings and example but to chart my own path. And there are many ways of constructively using my time.
There are many fields of knowledge that I can take an interest it – philosophy, art, poetry, music, literature, mathematics, chess. I can learn a skill that helps me grow spiritually – the eastern martial arts, origami, flower arrangement and so on. I can build a business or master a profession This is a very small list of things to do. And I haven’t even mentioned religion until now.
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Mahatma Gandhi as everyone knows wanted to serve the nation and took religion seriously. He said publicly that he was a politician who was trying to be a saint. He may well have succeeded in his efforts. But spirituality is not one size fits all. What motivated the Mahatma completely fails to get my juices going.
I have not the slightest interest in either joining politics of serving the poor and downtrodden of the nation. I am not noble; I am completely selfish. And there is a place for me also as far as spirituality is concerned.
I know something about religion and spirituality and I have the required knowledge to criticize the way people are induced to serve the nation. The following are the points that I think are valid:
- Firstly – as Osho says – true religion is only for the few. The Bible states that Many are called but few are chosen. To try to get the entire nation to practice Karma Yoga as a way of serving the downtrodden was bound to fail.
- Also Karma Yoga does not necessarily mean service to the downtrodden. It means to do your duty given your role in life and in society. Karma yoga means the path of action; to act without hankering for the results. It does not necessarily mean service although it does not exclude it. This is a very important and complex concept and I cannot do justice to it in a short blog. You will need to read a good commentary on the Bhagavad Gita.
- Next I think I am not wrong in saying most people are – like me – completely selfish and not in any way noble. Mahatma Gandhi may have been a very spiritually evolved and noble person who was motivated by thoughts of duty and service but I am not. And true spirituality knows how to speak to me in a language that I understand and am motivated by. The books I have read emphasize how I can live life more abundantly (as Jesus wanted) and also how I can be self aware and blissful. There is more than one way to skin a cat.
- Next the role of religion is to serve God or the Universe. Serving humanity is only a means to that end. This was not given due emphasis by the people who are trying to propagate Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy.
- Also Karma yoga is only one of four paths to the Divine as per Hinduism. The others are Raj Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga. None of them require service to the poor and downtrodden.
- Also the difficulties of true religion were not made clear. You do not use an atom bomb to kill a mouse. True spirituality demands turning your life upside down and completely revolutionizing your life. It will be much easier to convince people to serve the poor by emphasizing the respect you get in society, the good karma you accumulate and your future prospects in politics. As I said earlier you have to speak to people in a language they understand.
Here are some relevant blogs on related subjects:
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