CHAPTER III INFLUENCE OF SERMON ON THE MOUNT ON GANDHIAN NON - VIOLENCE

Transcription

1 CHAPTER III INFLUENCE OF SERMON ON THE MOUNT ON GANDHIAN NON - VIOLENCE

2 CHAPTER - III INFLUENCE OF.'. SERMON ON THE MOUNT ON GANDHIAN NON-VIOLENCE Non-violence is a crucial Gandhian principle. Its influence on Gandhi I s life was so great that it is called one of the two pillars on which rested the entire framework of his life and activities; the other being truth. In Gandhi I s own words: "Nonviolence is the first article of my faith. It is the last article of my creed". 1 When we study the influence of the Bible on Mahatma Gandhi I s life and thought, especially I the Sermon on the Mount I, we can see that the two important thoughts that influenced Gandhi are non-violence and love. Mahatma Gandhi is considered by million as the father of the Indian nation, a social reformer and a pioneer of the use of non-violence in his political public sphere. His influence is far reaching and his impact world wide. Therefore it is not surprising that Martin Luther King (Jr.) is refered to as the Gandhi of the U. S., Danilo Dolei as the Gandhi of Sicily and Alolifo Pera Esquied as the Gandhi of Argentin. This obviously means that Gandhi has become normative for man, nation and people. 1. Young Indian, 23 March, 1922, P.166.

3 Gandhian non-violence is very important and relavent in the present world. Violence is spreading all of the world. Issues like adivasis. women and dalits have become explosive. caught between violence and non-violence to bring about liberation and justice. Even enthanasia is considered as a form of violence. Violent Crimes in India has increased from 8.2% in 1953 to 18.6% in Bombblasts and murder in many parts of the country indicate violence of our time. Jesus Christ also was an apostle of non-violence. The whole of the New. Testament especially the I sermon on the Mount I preaches the theory of non-violence. Presented before pilata. the then governor. Jesus practised this. He offered not just the other cheek but his entire body. He practised non-violence with constancy. It is certain that Gandhian concept of non-violence was shaped and influenced by the non-violence preached and practised by Jesus Christ. In the whole of human history. the two great Apostle of non-violence are Jesus Christ and Mahatma Gandhi. In this Chapter. we look into the non-violence preached by Gandhi and then Jesus Christ and finally how Christ I s non-violence influenced Mahatma Gandhi I s thought. 75

4 The word ahimsa is a combination of the sanskrit word 'himsa', with the negative prefix lai. It is usually translated as non-violence. It is a special characteristic of Hindu terminology, to use a negative prefix before a word to express the contrary meaning of the same word. Etymologically, Himsa ' comes from 'hims' which mean to injure, harm, slay, disturb, break etc. 2 Ahimsa then means the renunciation of the will to kill or to harm. On account of its seemingly negative form, ahimsa can be considered negatively and positively. In fact, in some forms of Hinduism, the negative aspect has become prominent; for instance among the Jains, ahimsa has been centralized in the refusal to take the life of even the smallest insect. 3 Accordin'g to Gandhi, in its negative form, "ahimsa means not injuring any being, in body or mind. It may not therefore hurt the person or any wrong-doer or bear ill-will to him mental suffering 4 ll It rules out not only evil deeds or killing, injuring and harsh words or harsh judegement but even evil thoughts. IIIf 2 A. A. Mac Donnell, A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary (London: Luzae a Company, 1958), P C.F.Andrews, QE., cit., P Speeches and insitings of Mahatma Gandhi, P

5 we return blow for blow, we depart from the doctrine of ahimsa. But I go further, if we resent a friend I s action, we shall fall short of the doctrine by resenting, I mean by wishing that some harm should be done to the enemy, or that he should be put out of the way, not even by an action of ours, but by the action of somebody else, or say by the deving agency. If we even harbour this thought, we depart from the doctrine of ahimsa". 5 In short, in the negative sense, ahimsa means avoiding injury to anything on earth, in thought, word or deed. 6 When we analyse the Gandhian concept of ahimsa, we realize at once that it is not a purely negative.affair as not to kill, not to injury etc. IIAhimsa is not the crude thing it has been made to appear. Not to hurt any living thing is no doubt a part of ahimsa. But it is its least expression".7 "Also it is not mutual forebearance or mere kindness to all living creatures. Likewise it is not a passive state, not to oppose evil or to overlook evil. It is not non-resistance. It is non-violent resistance, which is a very 5. M.K.Gandhi, QE. cit., 6. Harijan, 7 Sept., H135, P Ibid., 28 Jan., 1939, P

6 different action". 8 thing, a positive and dynamic method of But it is a positive state of doing good. To quote Gandhi's own words, "I accept the interpretation of ahimsa, namely that it is not merely a negative stat!=! of harmlessness but it is a positive state of love, of doing good even to the evil doer. But it doesn I t mean helping the evil doer to continue the wrong or tolerating it by acquiescence. On the contrary, love, the active state of ahimsa, requires you to resist the wrong doer by dissociating yourself from him even though it may offend him or injure him Physically".9 Here Gandhi identifies ahimsa with love. Nay it means for him pure love or better, universal love. He defines true love as follows: "The real love is to love them that hate you; to love your neighbours even though you distrust them of what avail is my love, if it be only so long as I trust my friend? Even thieves do that".10 Ahimsa in the positive sense not only demands love of the enemy but also forbids the non-violent man 8. Ibid., p.ln. 9. Young India, 28 August, 1920, P Harijan, 3 March, 1946, P

7 to consider anybody of his enemy. I pray notice the guarded nature consider anybody of his enemy" but I Who considers himself to be your enemy'. So for one who follows the doctrine of ahimsa there is no reason for an enemy; he denies the existence of that enemy. But there are people who consider themselves to be his enemy, and he cannot help that circumstance".11 Thus ahimsa in the positive sense means the largest love; love even for the evil doer. However this does not mean mere submission to the will of the evil-doer. On the contrary, it means putting one's whole soul-force against the will of the tyrant. According to Gandhi, evil cannot be overcome by evil or violence, because then one will be collaborating with the evil doer, in propagating evil. Also the deed and the doer are totally different. In the words of Gandhi, "man and his deeds are two distinct things, whereas a good deed should call forth approbation and a wicked deed disapprobation, the doer of the deed, whether good or wicked, always deserves respect or piety 12 as the case maybe" So this resistance to evil should necessarily be non-violent. 11 M. K Gandhi, QE cit., P Ibid., P

8 The effective way to oppose something non-violentiy or with love is by suffering. For "love does not burn others, but it burns 13 itself ll IIAgain, love never claims, it ever gives; love ever suffers, never revenge itself".14 Gandhi was convinced of this effect of suffering. lithe conviction has been growing upon me, that things of fundamental importance to the people are not secured by reason alone but have to be purchased with their suffering. Suffering is the law of the human beings; war is the law of the jungle. But suffering is infinitely more powerful than the law of the jungle for converting the opponent and opening his ear, which 15 are otherwise shut to the voice of reason". The impulse for an important change must come not from reason but from the heart, and suffering has a special force to move the heart. In short, I ahimsa consists in allowing others the maximum of convenience at the maximum of inconvenience to us, even at the risk of life".16 As he progressed in the practise of ahimsa, Gandhi distinguished three levels of non-violence. The highest of the Young India, 20 Feb, 1930, P.60. Ibid., 1 July, 1925, P.248. Ibid., 5 Nov., 1931, P.341- Ibid., 2 Dec., 1926, P

9 three is the non-violence of the brave. lithe doctrine of nonviolence is not for the weak and the cowardly; it is meant for the brave and the strong. The bravest man allows himself to be killed without killing. And he desists from killing or injuring; because h e knows that 1.t IS. wrong t" 0 InjUre II 17 It' IS the nonviolence of the one who practises it, not out of mere necessity, but from inner conviction based on moral considerations. For him it is a creed.18 It is also the mightiest force on earth.19 This non-violence is not merely political but pervades every sphere of life. A man practises it not only in deeds but also in wrods and even in thought. One adopts it as the law of life, not because it serves one's purpose, but because violence is intolerable. There is no remedy for the evils of the world except non-violence. So those who practise I the non-violence of the brave will never surrender their sense of human unity and brotherhood even in the midst of conflicts of interests, and will ever try to convert and 20 not coerce their adversary. And it is the surest and quickest 17 Harijan, 20 July, 1947, P Ibid., 27 July, 1947, P Ibid., 1 Feb., 1942, P Ibid., 31 Aug., 1947, P

10 t o oppose evl 'I 21 Fear1essness and f orglveness ' ar~ the necessary qualities of ahimsa. Fearlessness is necessary, for the votary of non-violence has to cultivate the capacity for sacrifice of the highest type in order to be free from fear. He racks not if he should lose his hand, his wealth, his life. He who has not overcome all fear, cannot practise ahimsa to perfection.22 He should be ready to forgive his opponent, because his intention is only to convert him. Moreover he knows that forgiveness is the quality of the Brave. 23 According to Gandhi, the non-violence of the brave is so efficacious, that even if there is on.ly one who practises it, victory is sure. To quote Gandhi, "During my half a century of experience, I have not yet come across a situation when I had to say that was helpless, that I have no remedy in terms of non-violence".24 Again, "No power on earth can SUbjugate you when you are armed with the sword of ahimsa". 25 Second' is the non-violence practised as a mere policy or expediency in a certain sphere of life. Gandhi calls it the nonviolene of the weak or passive non-violence of the helpless. 26 A M.K.Gandhi, QQ. cit., P.323. Harijan, 1 Sep., 1940, P.268. Ibid., 30 March, 1947, P.86. Ibid., 24 Dec., 1938, P Ibid., 9 June, 1946, P Ibid., 26 March, 1938, P

11 man adopts it not because of his mental conviction but on account of his weakness to use violence. "I have frankly and fully admitted that what we practised during the past thirty years was not non-violent resistance, but passive resistance which only the weak offer because they are unable to offer armed resistance II.27 They may use violence when in their own estimation, the suitable occasion arises. lithe weak and the helpless are non-violent on action because they must be. But in reality they harbour violence 28 in their breasts and simply await opportunity for its display". This inclination to violence, will surely be shown in the course of time, for, "a policy takes the shape of a creed whilst it lasts, no longer 29 ll Explaining the nature of non-violence, used in India to secure independence, Gandhi wrote: lias I have said, India as a nation is not non-violent in the full snese of the term. Her non-violence is that of the weak; she betrays her weakness in many of her daily acts. She appears before the world today as a decaying nation. I mean here not in the political sense but Ibid., 27 July, 1947, P.251- Ibid., 26 March, 1938, P Ibid., 27 July, 1947,. 83

12 essentially in the non-violent moral sense". 30 This became clearer when after Independence, the communal riots broke out. Then instead of using non-violence to settle the disputes of every 31 kind, people were killed one another. 'Then using violence at the first opportunity, India showed the essential characteristic of her non-violence of the weak. From this Gandhi realized that, "There is no such thing as non-violence of the weak. Non-violence 32 and weakness is a contradiction in terms 11. About its efficacy, Gandhi has serious doubt. For, the efficacy of non-violence comes from the readiness to suffer. But here non-violence comes from the readiness to suffer. But here non-violence is only an expediency or policy. A man follows a policy only until he meets with some difficulty. If the difficulty is great, there is the possibility of even abandoning the policy. In the words of Gandhi, "policy is essentially a temporary expedient which one might alter as circumstances alter. It is easy enough to follow truth and non-violence as long as no suffering is involved". 33 All Ibid., 12 Oct., 1935, P.276. Ibid., 31 August, 1947, P Ibid., 27 July, 1947, P.253. Young India, 28 March, 1931, P

13 85 the same Gandhi was of the opinion that non-violence as a policy, can be efficacious if people pursue it fearlessly and courageously. And in this case, it will lead to non-violence of the brave. The last type is the non-violence, so called by mistake, the passive non-violence of the cowards and the effeminate. 34 Love and fear are contradictory terms. "cowardice and ahimsa do not go together any more than water and fire". 35 A coward flees from his opponent instead of facing him, not because he loves him, but he does not have the courage to face him. This is unmanly and dishonourable. "Cowardice is impotence, it is worse than violence. The coward desires revenge but being afraid to die, he looks to others, may be the government of the day, to do the work of defence for him. A coward is less than man. He does not deserve to be a member of a society of men and women".36 Whether there is choice between cowardice and violence, Gandhi prefers violence. 37 According to Gandhi, in every case of 34. Ibid., 12 August, 1926, P Harijan, 4 Nov., 1939, P Ibid., 15 Sept., 1946, P Young India, 11 August, 1920, P.3.

14 aggression, resistance is the supreme duty. To resist nonviolently is the most manly course. But when one cannot deliberately accept non-violence as a principle of conduct violent resistance is one I s first and foremost duty. For, "it is better to be violent if there is violence in our breasts than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence 38 ll Again IIIf one has not the courage, I want him to cultivate the art of killing and being killed rather than in a cowardly manner flee from danger for the latter in spite of his flight, does commit mental himsa. he flees because he has not the courage to be killed in 39 the act of killing ll "Unlike a coward, a violent man is courageous and true to his feelings II "I have therefore said more than once in these pages that if we do not know to defend ourselves, our women and our places of worship by force of suffering in non-violence, we must if we are men, be at least be able to defend all these by fighting. 40 In Gandhi's opinion, a coward can never become nonviolent. "I can no more preach non-violence to a coward then I 38 Harijan, 21 Oct., 1939, P Ibid., 15 Jan., 1938, P Young India, 16 June, 1927, P

15 can tempt a blind man to enjoy healthy scenes".41 Again: Nonviolence cannot be taught to a person who fears to die and has no power of resistance... Before he can understand non-violence he has to be taught to stand on his ground and even suffer death, in the attempt to defend himself against the aggressor who bids fair to overwhelm him. To do otherwise would be to confirm his cowardice and take him further away from non-violence. Whilst I may not actually help anyone to retaliate, I must not let 42 a coward seek shellter behind non-violence so called". But it is not so difficult for a violent man to become non-violent for 'translation from swordmanship to non-violence is possible and, at times, even an easy shape".43 "And in my own experience, I have had no difficulty in demonstrating to men trained in the school of violence, the superiority of non-violence".44 Thus, "there is hope for a violent man to be somebody non-violent, but there is none for a coward" Ibid., 29 May, 1924, P Harijan, 20 July, 1935, P Young India, 12 August, 1926, P Ibid., 29 May, 1924, P Ibid., 16 June, 1925, P

16 Gandhi holds that non-violence and truth are intimately connected. They are like two sides of a coin or like two sides of a smooth unstamped metallic disc. 46 He also considers them to be his two lungs. 47 They are even synonymous. 48 So he says, "Ahimsa is my God and truth is my God. When I look for ahimsa, truth says, find it out through me. When I look for truth, ahimsa says, find out through me". 49 Yet ahimsa is the means, while truth is the end "Nevertheless ahimsa is the means, Truth is th endii. 50 So Gandhi is ready to sacrifice ahimsa for the sake of truth, but not the latter for anything whatsoever 51 ll Again non-violence was discovered during his search of truth. 52 This was confirmed by his experience also. For, "a perfect vision of truth can only follow a complete realization of ahimsa".53 Thus to him truth is 46 Ibid., P Young India, 21 Oct., 1926, P.304. Ibid., 4 June, 1925, P.191- Ibid., 4 June, 1925, P.191- Ibid., P.201- Harijan, 28 March, 1936, P.49. Idem. 53 M.K.Gandhi, QE. cit., P

17 the highest law, while ahimsa is the highest duty. 54 Truth rather than ahimsa, is the end because truth as such exists beyond and is unconditioned by space and time, while ahimsa exists only on the part of finite beings. 55 Also, when ahimsa is divorced from truth, it becomes im moral. To quote Gandhi, "without truth there is no love; without truth it may be affection as for one I s country to the injury of others; or infatuation, as of a young man for a girl, or love may be unreasoning and blind, as of ignorant parents for their cl)ildren" 56 For Gandhi, ahimsa is not one among the means, but the only means to attain truth. "Ahimsa is not the goal. Truth is the goal. But we have no means of realizing truth in human relationships except through the practise of ahimsa". 57 "Truth is my religion and ahimsa is the only way of it I S realization" 58 Thus, "ahimsa being the means, we are naturally more concerned 54. Harijan, 28 March, 1936, P R.B.Gregg, Power of Non-violence Navajeevan Publishing House, 1957), P.503. (Ahmedabad: 56 Ibid., P Harijan, 23 June, 1946, P Ibid., 30 April, 1938, P

18 with it in our everyday life. It is ahimsa, therefore, that our masses have to be educated in Education, truth follows from it as a natural endii.59 Because ahimsa is the only means to attain truth. Gandhi insists that it is necessary for everybody in everyday life. For, according to Gandhi, truth as known to man is never absolute but -relative. 60 And each individual has to determine, whether one thing is true or not. When everyone sees a thing from his 0 wn point of view, it can apear to one as true and to another as false at the same time. And since all are obliged to strive after truth, there can be confusion. To avoid this confusion, Gandhi brings in the criterion of ahimsa. 61 Besides if violence is used to remedy this confusion. it attacks not only the evil but also the evil-doer. This is against the great truth, the unity and sacredness of all beings. To quote Gandhi I S own words. lilt is quite proper to resist and attack a system, but to resist and attack its author is tantamount to 59 Ibid., 23 June, 1948, P L.Fischer. A week with Navajeevan Publishing House, 1925). P.102. Gandhi (Ahmedbad: 61. Young India, 4 Feb., P

19 resisting and attacking oneself. For we are all torred with the same creator, and as such the divine powers within us are infinite. To slight a single human being is to slight those divine powers and thus to harm not only that being but with him the whole worldii. 62 Moreover, ahimsa is as old as the old, IIIf we tum our eyes to the time of which history has any record down to our times, we shall find that man has been steadily progressing towards ahimsa. Had it been otherwise, the human species should have been extinct by now, even as many of the lower species have disappeared 63 ll In the beginning, people practised it in their daily life conciously or sometimes unconciously. 65 But afterwards this habit was slowly given up and himsa gradually replaced ahimsa 66 ll This is the reason for the ills of our world today. So it is necessary to revive the eternal law of answering anger by love and of violence by non-violence. Or in other M.K Gandhi, Q. cit., P.206. Harijan, 11 August, 1940, P.245. Ibid., 14 Dec., 1947, P.468. Ibid., 22 Feb., 1942, P.48. Ibid., 30 March, 1947, P

20 words. "If we believe that mankind has steadily progressed towards ahimsa, it follows that it has to progress towards it still further. Nothing in this world is static, everything is kinetic. If there is no progression. then there is inevitable retrogression" 67 Mere practise of ahimsa does not satisfy Gandhi. It should become a part of us, nay it should be the leading principle of our life. "We have to live and move and have our being in ahimsa even as Hitler does in himsa. It should be intelligent and creative. The intellect plays a large part in the field of non-violence. I hold that it play a larger part in the field of non-violence".68 So Gandhi says, "A man who wants to lead a religious life on this earth and a man who wants to realize himself on this earth in this incarnation must remain nonviolent in every shape and form and in everyone of his actions" Harijan, 11 August, 1940, P Ibid., 21 July, 1940, P The Hindu, 16 March,

21 From the necessity of non-violence comes its universality. If the practise of non-violence is necessary to lead a religious life and thus to realize oneself on this earth, it should be possible for each and everyone, because the ultimate aim of life is self-realization. 70 Again, non-violence is the law of our species. 71 A law, to be a law in the strict sense, should be possible for everybody. So "the religion of non-violence is not meant merely for the Rishis and Saints. It is meant for the common people as well". 72 Gandhi thinks that God has purposely chosen him, an imperfect instrument, to show the common people the possibility of practising non-violence. 73 The universality of ahimsa signifies that unlike violence, non-violence can be practised by all, irrespective of health, time, age or sex. Besides, universality demands not only that non-violence be applied to isolated acts but that it should pervade the whole being. One cannot think of using it in one's own little affairs. 70. Ibid. 71 H.. 4 N arljan, ov., 1939, P Young India, 11 August, 1920, P Ibid., 5 Sept., 1936, P

22 "If one does not practise non-violence in one's personal relations with others, and hopes to use it in bigger affairs, one is vastly mistaken. Non-violence, like charity, must begin from home". 74 Such unswerving pursuit of non-violence is impossible withoutaliving faith in God. Non-violence succeeds only when we have a living faith in God. The deeper meaning of ahimsa or non-violence in action is self-suffering; the infliction of pain or rather the acceptance of pain on onself instead of its infliction on the opponent. The reason for such submission to pain is the nature of the love which ahimsa is. "Love never claims, it ever gives. Love ever 75 suffers, never resents, never revenges itself". And again "The test of love is tapasya and tapasya means self-sufferin".76. It is thus entirely reasonable that Gandhi saw and defind active nonviolence as conscious suffering. 77 The meaning of Satyagraha as 74 Ibid., 28 Jan., 1939, P Young India, 9 July, 1925, P Ibid., 12 June, 1922, P.l Ibid., 11 Aug., 1920, P

23 'truth force' is borne out as self-suffering, for self suffering is not a "weak submission to the will of the evil-doer, but it pitting of one's whole soul against the will of the tyrant. Working under this law of our being, it is possible for a simple individuals to defy the whole might of an unjust empire".78 The suffering is the penalty for refusal to submit to the will of the tyrant. In preferring suffering to submission to evil, one is at once suffering for truth and justice and indentifying oneself with and on the side of truth and thus affirming one's individuality with or indivisibility from truth at the very point of self sacrifice. The human and the divine dignity of the individual is thus established by self-suffering. While self-suffering as penance or tapasya was an ancient and rather self-centred concept and practice in India, Gandhi turned it inside out by de-centering the self from it and concentrating it on another self, for whose moral persuation and conversion it was undertaken. As non submission to evil was a pedagogy in action, self suffering was a pedagogy by passion or suffering, making the pedagogical circle complete. Self suffering is not a substitute for inabiliy to use violence, but a real choice in the fae of violene as a viable 78. Ibid., 10 April, 1920, P

24 alternative. When so made, the option of self suffering is not the weapon of the weak, drawn from the armory of cowardice to be deployed indiscriminately. "Suffering injury in one I s own person is of the essence of non-violence and is the chosen substitute for violence to others II 79 Expediency is not ruled out. in the choice of selfsuffering, but if satyagraha is to be true to its name in conflict situations, self suffering and voluntary submission to injury cannot be last resort, but a policy decision and choice made quite early in the course of the conflict. Initially, satyagraha may invoke the sacrifice of many lives, but in the long run, the loss of. life would prove to be less numerous in self suffering than in the alternative of violence. Life lost in the self-suffering enriching the world by their sacrifice.80 Gandhi took care to distinguish self suffering from passive resistance. The latter would imply a physical incapacity to resort to violence, combined with the inner compulsion or 79~ M.K.Gandhi, Non-Violence in Peace a War (Ahmedbad: Navajeevan Publishing House, 1948), P Ibid., P

25 drive towards violence 81 passive resistance was therefore the non-violence for the weak. When criticizing his followers and himself towards the end of his life of having failed to inculcate the full meaning of stayagraha as the non-violence of the strong, he implicity confessed that he had actually proposed only the non-violence of the weak. Gandhi spoke of the ambiguities of passive resistance as follows: "Passive resistance may be offered side by side with the use of arms. Satyagraha and truth force, being each a negation of the other, can never go together. In passive resistance, there is always present an idea of harassing the other partly and there is a simultaneous readiness to undergo any harship inflicted upon us by such activity. While in satyagraha, there is not the remotest idea of injuring the opponent. Satyagraha postulates the conquest of the adversary by 82 suffering in one I s own person". Gandhi I S self suffering non-violence presupposed the courage to take up arms in the face of a threat or danger. Cowardice and non-violence were poles apart. "I do believe" 81 M K Gandhi, Satyagraha in Navajeevan Publishing House, 1939), P.175. Africa (Ahmedabad: 82 Ibid., P

26 wrote Gandhi, "that where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence. Non-violent conduct is never demoralizing; cowardice always is Further, "Non-violence cannot be taught to a person who fears to die and has no power of resistance. He harbours violence and hatred in his heart arid would kill his enemy if he could, without hurting himself. He is a stranger to non-violence". 84 Courage, which was the pre-requisite for self suffering, was as much a matter of nurture and training as the art of violence and warfare. The votary of non violence has to cultivate the capacity for sacrifice of the highest type in order to be free from fear. He who has not overcome all fear cannot practise ahimsa to perfection.85 Truth, non-violence and self-suffering (satya, ahimsa and tapsaya) are the values which constitute Gandhi I s way of conflict resolutiion, involving immediately an exploration of the human context of the conflict and leading ultimately to an ethical 83. Ibid., 31 Oct., 1924, P Harijan, 20 July, 1935, P Ibid., 1 Sept., 1946, P

27 . 86 h umanlsm, even through non-eo-operation and disobedience in given contexts. The most potent contribution of Gandhi to India and to the world was the technique of Satyagraha. satyagraha is a sanskrit word composed of satya (Truth) and Agraha (Firmness).87 So Literally it means "holding on to Truth" or "insistence on Truth,,88 As Truth, for Gandhi, is God, satyagraha in the general sense of the word means the way of life of one Who holds steadfastly to God and dedicates one I s life to Him. Since the only way to attain this is love or non-violence, Satyagraha is the relentless pursuit of truthful ends by nonviolent means. It is the vindication of truth not by infliction of suffering on the opponent but on one I s self.89 In satyagraha selfsacrifice or suffering has an important place. Gandhi even called it the law of suffering. The main idea underlying the insistence on suffering in Satyagraha is this. Since, according to Gandhi, a 86. Ibid., P Autobiography, P Young India, 23 March, 1921, P Ibid., 14 Jan., 1920, P.5. 99

28 Satyagrahi can know only the relative truth, never the absolute truth, he cannot inflict violence on the opponent to change his view, for what appears to be true to him may appear to be error to the adversary. So he can only try to convert the opponent by using violence to himself, Le. by self suffering. 90. JESUS CHRIST - A PIONEER OF NON-VIOLENCE The path adopted by Jesus Christ was one of nonviolence. For the first time in the history of mankind Jesus Chirst propagated and preached non-violence and made it a code of life compulsory for his followers. He put forward non-violence as a religious virtue and a commandment. He says "You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also, and if anyone would sue you and take your coat, let him have your clock as well, and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles". 91 As we have said earlier, Gandhian non violence in the broad sense is unending love. Jesus 90 Idem. 91 5t.mathew, 5:

29 Christ taught to love even enemies, "you have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven".92 Religious piety consists not in loving friends, but foes. Jesus continues, "If you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brothern, what more are your doing than 93 others" Jesus not only preached non-violence but strictly instructed his disciples to practise it in their lives. Whenever they deviated from the path of non-violence, he corrected them. We see one such incident in Jesus I life. When the Roman army surrounded Jesus to arrest him, one of his disciples stretched out.his hand and drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, "put your sword back into its place, 94 perish by the sword ll for all who take the sword will Ibid., Ibid., Ibid., 26:

30 Non-violence comes into fruit by undergoing self suffering. The violent man inflicts pain on others and kills them. But the non-violent man undergoes pain and inflicts suffering upon himself for the conversion of the evil doer. Jesus Christ incarnated to save mankind and remove the evils in the world. For that purpose he chose the path of non-violence. He not only preached non violence but practised it in spirit and letter in his life. Christ taught us to turn our left cheek also when one strickes on the right. But he not only turned his left cheek but his whole body to the enemies. Jesus instructed his followers that those who want to follow h,im should practise non-violence and as a result should be read to undergo suffering. The path of Christians is a path of suffering. In St. Mathew. 16: 24 we read. "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me". Christ himself has the clear vision that his mission is that of non-violence and it should be attained through inflicting suffering. Jesus says he must "go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed". 95 Jesus Christ practised the highest form of non-violence in his own life. We see that Jesus was arrested by the then 95 Ibid., 28:

31 authorities simply because he said truth which was not like by them. Jesus criticized the immoral deeds and vanity of the teachings of the high priests. He said true religion consists not in rituals but in doing good deeds. He preached the way of love of that of law. This made him an enemy of the religious leaders. They arrested and tortured him, but he didn I t react. He simply took the path of non-violence. When he was presented in the court, one of the officers struck Jesus but Jesu.s simply suffered that. Even though he had a heavenly army to protect him and destroy the earthly army, he didn I t deviate from the path of non-violence. 96 Jesus was scolded and tortured severly by the authorities but he simply suffered all humiliation silently. Taught Jesus was aware of his might and power, he simply suffered. He says, limy kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews". 97 Finally Jesus was crucified for an unjust cause. Even on the cross, one of the soldiers pierced his side but he uttered not a word. This Apostle of non-violence not only suffered at the 96. Ibid., 26: Ibid., 26:

32 hands of his enemies but even prayed for them on the cross. PRINCIPLES OF NON-VIOLENCEiFROM THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT Gandhi advocated certain fundamental principles on which he based his concept of non-violence. These principles pertain to the human, to society and the world in general. He derived these principles from various religious sources. The Sermon on the Mount was an important source or resource for these principles. Here we elaborate on some of these Principles. First, according to Gandhi, non-violence has a definite theological dimension in the sense that a non-violent crusader must have a living faith in God. In the II HarijanII of 1939, he announced the various qualification of a Satyagrahi. He had said that a Satyagrahi doesn I t depend for his strength, on external meqns. His strength comes from within, from his reliance on God. He went on to assert, "A Satyagrahi imbibed with such faith, inspire the whole people by his example and may induce a heart change even in the oppressor, who freed from fear will the more readily appreciate his simple faith and respect it 98 ll 98 M. K Gandhi, Satyagraha: Non-violent resistance, (Ahmedabad: Navajeevan PUblishing House, 1939), P

33 Obviously such a demand pats a severe limitation on nonviolence. Gandhi himself recognised, "In the long run non-violence cannot work in those who do not have a living faith in the God of Love". 99 To him the hero of non-violence must be like a piece of clay in the hands of the divine potter. This belief in God is basic to the Bible in general and the Sermon on the Mount in particular. Jesus Christ teaches us that we should have an unfailing and constant faith in the providence of God. Jesus says, "I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or drink ~ nor about your body, what you shall put on. Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns; and yet your heavenly Father feeds them".100 The Bible is certainly one of the sources for faith in God. Secondly, Gandhi based his non-violence on the principles of the goodness of every person. Through non-violence we need to appeal to this innate goodness. Gandhi once said, "Man as animal is violent but as spirit non-violent. The moment 99 Paul Regaman, The Mystery"" of Non-violence, (Ahmedabad: Navajeevan Publishing House, 1962), P St. Mathew 7:

34 he a wakens to the spirit within, he cann I t remain violent. Either he progresses towards ahimsa or rushes to his doom".101 Gandhi recognised the sinful character of human beings but emphasized on their goodness. This is the pre-supposition of many of the verses of the Sermon on the Mount. For example, we read in the Sermon on the Mount, "You are the salt of the earth you are the light of the world let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and give gory I to your Father wh" 0 IS ill h eaven. " 102 Increasingly this aspect is being accentuated by Christian theologians like John Macquarrie. He affirms, "But I do not think of sins as having utterly destroyed the image of God or as having totally extinguished the drive towards authentic humanity. There is in man original righteousness as well as original sin, a tendency of fulfilment which is often impaired but never quite abolished; for if it were, the very conciousness of sin would be impossible".103 Gandhi himself realized this problem in the midst of the struggle for independence but he refused to negate this principle. 101 Harijan, 28 Sept., 1993, P St.Mathew 5: John Macquarrie, Three issues in Ethics, (Newyork: The Seabury Press, 1972), P

35 We must realize that the application of non-violnce very often prompts moral complacency rather than contrition. Non-violence may shame an aggressor into goodness but it may also prompt him to further agrression. Thirdly Gandhi based his conception of non-violence on the principles of the redemptive power of love. The Sermon on the Mount inspired him in this direction. In the Sermon on the Mount,' we see the need of forgiving love, "You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you, you love your enemies and pray- for those who persecute you".104 It was this belief which prompted Gandhi to say, "Even Nero becomes a lamb when he faces love".105 He had strongly maintained that every satyagrahi must overcome evil by good, anger by love, falsehood by truth and himsa by ahimsa. He staunchly believed that every fallen person could be saved by love. Obviously Gandhi had the implicit faith that an aggressor would melt at the sight of suffering. Here again we need to recognise the entrenched and intransigent character of sin and evil in the world. We must 104 St. Mathew 5: H arijan, Oct., 926, P

36 recognise the impersonal historical forces which disrupt all human goodness and justice. As such it is rightly said, lithe meekness of the spirit of love in solving larger and more complex problems become increasingly apparent as one proceeds from ordinary relations between individuals to the life of the 106 sqcial groupll. The reality of our time does not always reflect the triumph of redemptive love in the economic, political and social spheres. The fundamental issue is to demonstrate the power of redemptive love through non-violent resistence. Gandhi showed it in some measures in his struggle but it can I t be absolutised. Fourthly, Gandhi I s conception of non-violence is based on the principle of parity between ends and means; the tree and fruit enunciated in the Sermon on the Mount.107 Gandhi had an unflinching faith in the dictum, lithe means must justify the end". For him the means and end are two ways of conceiving the same acuality. They can be distinguished only temporally. Both means and ends partake of a continuous process. Gandhi has said, lithe 106 Karl Rahner, Foundations (Newyork: Jesuit PUblication, 1920), P.412. of Christian faith =~-=-"7"~------""';";'-~;"'::":= 107 St.Mathew 7:

37 means precede the end in time but there can be no question of moral priority ll.l08 The end must inevitably come out of the means. He insisted on the purity of means to achieve a noble end. Only this renders action, authentic and authoritative. But we must realize that in the midst of human predicament in terms of economic, political and social injustice we can I t deliberate on the :;neans when the end is immediate and urgent. Therefore Bernard Haring said, IIHe who sacrfices the mass good for his personal conscience has a perverted conception of what is meant by personal salvation ll 109 The urgency of the end and the cause to be achieved are the criteria for the use of means. But it must be conceded that it is very difficult to establish this objectively and critically. In the midst of human dilemma, it is not always possible to incarnate the end in the means. rigid and legalistic about our use of means, When we decide to be we may delay justice and defer righteousness 108. M.K.Gandhi, QE.. cit., P Bernard Haring, Free (NewYorl<: Seabury Press, 1978), P and faithful in Christ ----~~~;.;;.;;",;~-...;;:~-...;;:.:.:.:..~ 109

38 INFLUENCE OF SERMON ON THE MOUNT ON GANDHLAN CONCEPT OF NON-VIOLENCE The Sermon on the Mount would have attracted Gandhi to St. Mathew 5: 5, which says, "How blest are those of a gentle spirit, they shall have the earth for their possession". And "How blest are peacemakers; God shall call them his son". These verses have been conductive to the formulation of the idea of non-violence. Mathew 5: influenced him very much because these verses speak against retaliation and malice and affirm categorically love and forgiveness as the way of life. From this perspective, he conceived of the two masters mentioned on St. Mathew 6: 24 as violence and non-violence. The other verse which he quoted very often in his writing is St. Mathew 7: 21 which states; "Not everyone who calls me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but only those who do the will of my hevenly father" ~ The verse that helped him to put the sermon in a wider perspective was St.Mathew 5:17 which asserts "Do not suppose that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I did not come to abolish but to complete". From this verse he derived the principle of continuity and extension of truth throughout all time. On this basis he refused to negate the variety of religious traditions and experience. The various verses 110

39 quoted above from the Sermon on the Mount appear frequently in his writings, in I Harijan I and I Young India I which have made greaterm impact on his life and philosophy. Of course he would have read such similar verses in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and in other religions. These together had a cumulative effect in his enunciation of the concept of non-violence and negate violence explicitly. Gandhi had his own interpretation of the Biblical verses. He did not conceive them literally. he refused to accept many verses as it is. Therefore he said, lithe message of Jesus, as I understand it, is contained in the Sermon on the Mount unadultered and taken as a whole; and even in connection with the Sermon on the Mount, my humble interpretation of the message in many respects in different from the orthodox". 110 Although his interpretation was different from the orthodox, he was able to say, "Then I can say that Jesus occupies in my heart the place of one of the greatest teachers 110. Young India, 8 Sept., 1927, P

40 who have made a considerable influence on my life. Leave the Christians alone, for the present I shall say to the Hindus that your lives will be incomplete unless you reverently study the 111 teachings of Jesus 11. He himself tried to unify the teachings of the I Gita I, the I Light of Asia I and the I Sermon on the Mount I. Through his readings of the various sacred texts, he came to the conclusion that renunciation is the highest form of all religion. In spite of his attempt to unify various teachings, it was the New Testament in general and the Sermon of the Mount in particular attracted him most. He said, lilt was the New Testament which really awakened me to the rightness an value of passive resistance. When I read in the Sermon on the Mount such passages, resist not h 1m ' that' IS evl 'I I was simp '1 y overjoye. d" 112 He not only advised his Hindu friends to read the Sermon on the Mount but also the Indian Christians likewise. He felt that much of Christianity which is practised is a negation of the 111 M.K.Gandhi, The message of Jesus (Ahmedabad: Navajeevan PUblishing House, 1923), P.BB. Christ 112 Ibid., P

41 5erlDon on the Mount, particularly in terms of crusades, war and the violence of his time. For him the law of love is enshrined in the Sermon on the Mount which he called the I Law of Abandon' which brings out very well the voluntary and vulnerable character or love. In 'Young India I he wrote, "It is the Sermon on the Mount that endeared Jesus to me and even if it is proved that Jesus never lived, still the Sermon on the 113 Mount would be true to me". It was Jesus I ethical thought that was paramount for Gandhi. Therefore the I Law of Abandon I which he derived from the Sermon on the Mount was the foundation of his concept of non-violence. Then it is not surprising that on his visit to Rome, he was able to say, "I saw there at once, that nations like individuals, could only be made through the agony of the cross and in no other way. Joy comes not out of the affliction of pain on others but out of pain voluntarily brone by oneself".114 Here we realize that although Gandhi cold not significantly move from the percept to the person of Christ. Yet he seriously embraced 113. Ibid., P M.K.GandI:1i, lac. cit., P.ll0. 113

42 the idea of abandonement embodied in the cross. So it is righly stated by S.K.George, "Christianity has got to recapture the fundamental element in its teachings. A religion which has the cross for its centre and symbol ought never to forget that it was pang-born and that the values it stands for can only be conserved and enshrined in the heart of a world it seeks to save by the willing endurance of pain. It is this great lesson that is being emphasized a new by that true servant of God: Mahatma Gandhi" 115 Even the great American evangelist, E. Stanley Jones was compelled to admit, "Never in human history has so much light been shed on the cross as has been through one man and that man not even called a Christian. Had not our Christianity been vitiated by our identification with non-chrisitan attitudes, we would have seen at once the kinship between Gandhi's method and the cross. A non-christian saw it instinctively".116 It was the Sermon on the Mount that inspired Gandhi in this direction and it appealed to Christians. It inspired Christians to become worthy of the message that is embedded in it. He told a group of YMCA people in Colombo, Sri Lanka, that they should drink 115 S.K George, Gandhi I s Challenge (Kottayam: Vikas Publishers, 1949), P.29. to Christianity 116. E.Stanley Jones, Mahatma Gandhi: An Interpretation, (Newyork: Image Books, 1970), P

43 deep of the fountain, that it, the Sermon on the Mount and to serve God, the compassionate, tolerance incarnate. Gandhi writes in Harijan, "Though I can I t claim to be a Q1ristian in the sectarian sense, the example of Jesus I suffering is a factor in the composition of my undying faith in nonviolence,. which rules all my actions, worldly and temporal. I knew that there are hundreds of Christians who believe likewise. Jesus lived and died in vain if he did not teach us to regulate the whole of life by the enternal law of love". 117 About the influence of sermon on the Mount on his teaching of non-violence, Gandhi himself wrote in Harijans: "You have to work out non-violence not merely because I swear by it. I am but a sojourner on this earth for a few days. I want the help of all who have faith enough to work for non-violence, especiall~ Christians, for thousands of them believe that the message of Christ was that of peace on earth; I mention Q1ristians especially because there are individual muslims who believe in non-violence. There are many who regard it as a 117. Harijan, 20 July 1930, P

44 special message of Koran. And as you know there are Hindus who disown me becase of my out and out belief in non-violence. Now the message of Jesus has been before the world for 1900 years, 118 I therefore want to be my fellow workers". In Gandhi I s own words, "The teaching of Christ was nonretaliation or non-resistance to evil: of all the things I read, what remained with me forever was that Jesus came almost to give a new law not an eye for an eye, and a to,oth for a tooth, but to be ready to receive two blows when one was given and to go two miles when you are asked to go one".119 We shall conclude this part with the words of stanley Jones, "I bow to Mahatma Gandhi, but I kneel at the f.eet of Christ and give him my full and final allegiance. And yet a litue man, who faught a system in the framework of which I stand, has taught me more of the spirit of Christian non-violence than perhaps any other man in East or West ll 118. Ibid., P E.Stanley Jones, QE. cit., P