Kiran Chauhan

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Political Discourse

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Prof. R S Yadav

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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Peace Through Religion: Gandhian Perspective

Chauhan

Kiran

¹Dr. Kiran Chauhan, Post Doctorate Fellow, Department of Gandhian & Peace Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh-160014

162018

416570

2018

IndianJournals.com

Kiran Chauhan

Swami Vivekanand has perhaps rightly said that “thought there is nothing that has brought to man more blessings than religion, yet at the same time, there is nothing that has brought more horror than religion”. Instead of “solving our problems”, religion has itself become a “problem”. Instead of blinding together’ as its Latin etymology (Re + Legate) means, religion today has become instrument of divide and disintegration. In the past, we have seen 100 years of war in Europe in the same of religion. Even today the Middle East is on fixe due to religions war. In the name of religion, India was divided and witnessed holocaust o fratricidal riots. Iran and Iraq are fighting most savage battle even though they belong to the same religion. Hence, we are constrained to observe with impatience, “Down with Religion”. Apart from fighting one against the other, the high priests of religion have indulged in the worst forms of persecutions and inquisitions even brining people alive in the a name of religion. In Spain alone, between the years 1421 to 1781, as many as 10659 people were burnt alive and 29140 imprisoned for defying the injections and prohibitions. In our own country, thought we repeat at the top of our voice the slogan of Adeline (Absolute Monism) and Vaudhaiva Kutumbkem (The whole world as one's family) we have been practicing worst forms of segregation and apathy towards our untouchable brothers and sister. We have long practiced burning of the unwilling widows with their dead husbands. Hence, Marx was constrained to decry religion as the opium of the people”. This also led to the growth of atheism or secularism in modern times. Even an essentially religious soul like Gandhiji had to advocate the theory of “Ethical Religion”. He said – There is no religion than Truth and Righteousness”.¹ He said “you must watch my life, how I live, eat, sit, talk, behave in general. The sum total of all these in me is my religion”.²

Unfortunately, organized religions throughout history has been generally concerned with the institution of war. Many times, Churches and Synagogues have actually blessed war, and only occasionally they have opposed it. We have seen Crusades and other wards in the name of religion. In modern times, between the two world-wards in the 20th Century, and partly as a result of the gospel movement, many clergymen and laymen tried to establish new relationships between religion and international relations. But a religious peace movement including Pacirism, however, did not encompass the church and the Synagogue. Most religious institutions supported their nation's efforts in world wars first and second with the growing incidence of man-killing and the invention of atomic warfare, the urgency of peace has come to the fore. It is wholly appropriate that devout men of goodwill should join in the fore. It is wholly appropriate that devout men of goodwill should join in the search for peace transcending religious differences, “for peace and brotherhood are among the basic tenents of all religions.³ President Lyndon Johnson in his message had said:

‘The billions we appropriate to conquer poverty will be worth little unless we vanquish the most crippling poverty – man's insufficiency of understanding is meagerness of spirit.’ “The dollar we spend to eradicate disease will be wasted unless we isolate and control the deadliest of microbes – man's capacity for hatred, this penchant for violence”.⁴ The conference Declaration says: “Our religious profession, however, does obligate us to proclaim the moral and religious dimensions in all relationships between all peoples and governments”.⁵

There is strong religious basis for peace in religion for example, if we accept that “god is Lord of our national. As the prophet said: “all the nations are as nothing before Him, they are accounted by Him as less than nothing before his, they are accounted by him as less than noting and emptiness.”⁶ The faith that all nations are under the judgment and providence and mercy of God is central to all religions. Hence national idolatry is anti-God. The second bias form peace is the feeling for poverty and hunger. Our religious imperatives must impress upon us to seek revolutionary justice to do what is in our power to deliver God's people everywhere from poverty and hunger, from humiliation and oppression, from anarchy and war. Today, “partriotism transmutes individual selfishness into national egoism”. This enables good men to become the instruments of pride and ambition and greed of nations. We clothe our national will or national chauvinism with idealistic pretensions. Hence, “the most significant moral characteristic of a nation is hypocrisy”.⁷ Even democracies become victims of their own frenzied national self-righteousness. Professor Herbet Butterfield says that the most furious and cruel conflicts are between what he calls’ giant organized system of self-righteousness”,⁸ i.e., between super powers like the U.S.A., U.S.S.R., China. Gandhi's nationalism, fierce though ‘it is, is not exclusive, not designed to harm any nation or individual”. His nationalism was not narrow or chauvinistic, it was essential precondition of sound internationalism.⁹ He said: “Mynotion of Poorna Swaraj is not isolated independence but healthy and dignified interdependence.”¹⁰ Through Swaraj, we would serve the whole world.”¹¹

At another place Gandhi again reechoed his sentiments: “I would like to see India free and strong so that she may offer herself as a willing and pure sacrifice for the betterment of the world.”¹² Gandhi's idea of nationalism is that my country may die so that the human race may live.”¹³ His nationalism was as broad as his Swadeshi He wanted India's rise so that the whole world may benefit. He did not think that hatred is to essential for nationalism. Race hatred will kill the real national spirit.

Neither Gandhi's religion nor his nationalism was antithetical to the concept of Peace, because nonviolence was the article of his faith. The world is weary of hate. We see the fatigue over-coming he Western nations. We see that this song of hate has not benefitted humanity. Let it be the privilege of India to turn a new leaf and set a lesson to the world. It was his dream that his court may win tits freedom through an-violence. He said: “And I would like to repeat to the world times without number that I will into purchase my country's freedom at the cost of non-violence.”¹⁴ He was so much convinced of the efficacy of the power of non-violence and peace that he not only prescribed it in face of criminal assault but also in face of naked aggression¹⁵ by other coutries on one's own. He was convinced that Hitlerism will never be defeated by counter Hitlerism. It can only breed superior Hitlerism raised to the degree. What is going on before our eyes is the demonstration of the futility of violence as also of Hitlerism.¹⁶

It is very difficult to disentangle the moral factors from the tactical or strategic factors. Peace is farmer that an absence of war or violence. It require a positive and constructive world-view and world-order, where individual, groups and nations eschew to dominate or exploit each there and live in cooperation and mutual aid. This means that peace needs a new life-style, a new asceticism and also a new culture ideology and technology largely go together. Technology not only affects the model of development, it also influences the paradigm of Peace. Today, there is only one alternative to atom and that is Ahimsa. We can carve out some areas in which religious perspectives and the problems of peace can be found out.

Power-hungry politician and statesmen on the one hand and politician priests on the other hand have been exploit9ing religion from the very beginning. The cult of secularism had arisen as a reaction against these excesses and unholy alliance between religion and politics. Hence, Gandhi advocated epirtualisation of politics or politics based on ethical and moral principles. In the part, we have seen crusades and jehands or the hold wars. This is a time, when religion must assert against the psychology of the ‘holy war’. Even the concept of national self-righteousness has assumed the crab of religion. Hence, either there should be complete separation between the priest-craft and the State-craft or politics should have a strong universal ethical base.

There are persons who strongly advocate the use of military force to check force or overcome oppression. Even justified used of force easily lead to escalate tension and war and they do more harm than good. The use of ‘chemical’ or germ’ warfare or even ‘atom bomb’ as “deterrence” must be outlawed on moral and religious grounds. “Means and ends are convertible terms” – said Gandhi. There who say that means are after all means,”¹⁷ Gandhi would say “means are after all everything”. There is no wall of separation between means and end.”¹⁸ The means may be likened to aside, the end to a tree and there is just the same inviolable connection between the means and the end as there is between eh seed and the tree. To-day, there is hardly much difference in the goals but different people want to achieve it through different means. To use bad means for even good ends is an act of immoral action. Hence religious people must assert that only good means should be employed to achieve one's end.

It is generally hand that ere is no moral context in foreign policy matters especially in diplomatic affairs. This is wrong. Religion should force politics to accept some moral goals which is relevant in the present context. For example, (a) the prevention of war and prevention of any escalation of any conflict into general nuclear war, the preservation of individual freedom, democracy and human rights in as larger areas as possible; (c) helping all nations in their fight against poverty, hunger and justice; (d) positive support to the U.N.O. and other world Bodies.

Men of religious can work to counteract or modify the inevitable partisanship of those whose primary duty it is to protect the national interest. As servants of the Living go, the major responsibility is to the human race, as believers in the brotherhood of men, we must not permit the heard patriotism of war to demean d the faith, to place national, racial, or caudal barriers between us and our fellow men. Narrow patriotism must not allow us to alienate either the while black or yellow, communist or non-communist brothers.

Organized religion not only can but must guide the people and, through them, governments to emply the best available means to attain peace. This is possible when religious persons do not confine themselves to some ivory tower or the Himalayan came but become actively engaged in peace movements. Religious press must encourage all those traveling to many roads to peace – whether it comes from the Vatican-chief or form the Communist world. Religious press must seek to galvanize all men of good will to speak tone another and behave like brothers. The religious press must approach not only the priests and politicians but also the soldiers, prophets, pacifists and the conscientious objector.

The true rendering of the world Animsa in English in Love, or Charity – this is what Gandhi thought and said. In the positive form, Animsa means the largest love, the great charity. Gandhi, therefore says: “for me the only means of knowing god is non-violence, Ahimsa, Love. To efrain, not only form all violence, but from all ill-will and bitter thought against out opponent, and not to seek continually to win him by love and self-suffering, is the essence of Satyagrahs. Hence, Satyagraha is not only a moral equivalent of war but form of aggressive form of pacifism Gandhi's pacifism, therefore, is at root religious. If we believe in the theory of Non-dualism (Advaite), any question of ill-will or violence to others does not arise. Bitterness, or violence takes place only when there is duality. Similarly, if we subscribe to Ramanujiet theory of qualified monism (Visistadvaits), human souls regarded as parts of god. Hence to harm nay creature is to harm God. One who harms any living being cannot be called a Vaishnave. Gandhi's non-violence was influenced by religious cults and prophets like the Jainas, Lord Buddha, and Lord Jesus etc. he was born in a Vaishanva family of Gujarat and both his mother and his nurse (Rabha) were deeply religious. Their Vaishnava attitude inculcated an attitude of infinite love for all creatures. In fact, the India tradition is rooted in non-violence. Even in Varnashram dharma, thought the Kshatriyas are allowed to take up arms and flight in a spirit of brotherliness, without hate and out of sense of duty and not in a vindictive mood. Even the highest goal of Kshatriya is the becomes a Brahmin, who is filled with peaceful joy, born with common with the Universal Soul and incapable to injuring any living being. Hence, though violent resistance is allowed, and is t transcend it.” The Upanisanda always streets upon peace of mind and peace in one's behavior and society (Ahimsa).¹⁹ Yoga Sturans, which Gandhi has studied in 1903 at Johansburg, included Ahimsa in the five-fold virtues (Yamas).²⁰ The tradition of Ahimsa was further developed in the epics – the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Though there are stories onwards in the Ramayana, the moral grandeur of peace eclipses the war. The Mahabharata has demonstrated the futility of war and violence by giving empty glory to the victors and made them shed tears of sorrow and repentance. It has shoon that in a violent war, man stops to meanness and trickery as depicted in Yudhishira's life ales. Even Krishna, inspire of his detachment, was not neutral in the battle-field. For the ordinary, Mortal treading this solid each, the practice of Ahimsa seems essential for attaining the states of non-violence. Ahimsa therefore tells to Yudishthira that “ahimsa is the highest religion; the highest penance, the highest truth from which all duty proceeds.²¹ Ahimsa is the leading tenet of the Jaina Philosophy. In no other province of India is the hold or Jainism on the life f the people greater than Gujarat – the homeland of Gandhi and he was brought up in that atmosphere. Gandhi has read “Song Celestail” (Gita) and “The Light of Asia (the life of Buddha) through the translation of Edwin Arnold. Gita became his life-long companion and book of spiritual reference. Buddha's life and personality, his compassion improved him very much Buddha's teachings: “By no wrath should be conquer wrath” went deep into Gandhi's heart. Ashoka occupies a unique place in the history of non-violence. He said: “The chiefs conquest is the conquest of Right and not of might” Ashoka demonstrated the practice application of the principle of Ahimsa in state statecraft and administration. His was perhaps the first Kingdom of non-violence. The life of Prophet Mohammad depicted in Carlyle's Hero and Hero-worship influenced him. Quran prefers non-violence to valence. The very word Islam means ‘peace’. Assalamlaikum means “Peace be on you”. Every chapter of Quran begins with the name of god who is said to be compassionate and the merciful Farley Rome (5th century B.C.) also provides us with a memorable example of nonviolence non-cooperation. The exploited plebians forced the patricians, by an organized non-violent exodus, to grant them poetical and economic rights. Judaism also keep up the tradition of non-violence down from the Zenda-Avesta to the Meshna. Christianity had a remarkable influence upon Gandhiji Sermon on ht emount indeed is a book of non-violence par-excellence Tolstoy, who influenced Gandhi, was a firm believer in pacifism. He was against violence and in favour of love, non-resistance and non-co-operation the Quaker cult also influenced Gandhian concept of non-violence and peace.

Gandhiji's philosophy of peace is thus rooted in religion. Religion is love, it is lesson in non-violence. Gandhij's non-violence is not passive or simply personal. It is societal and public. Non-violence is a universal law acting in all circumstances. It is not matter of mere individual practice, but for practice by groups and communities and nations.

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Gandhi

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Ethical Religion, MadrasGaneshan, 1930.

Gandhi

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Harijan, p.49, 22.9.1946.

Thant

(Secretary General U.N.), Message to National Inter- Religious Conference on Peace at Washington, 7.3.1966.

Johnson

L B

Message, Ibid., 15.3.1966.

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IS, 40:17.

Attributed to Reinold's bookMoral Man and Immoral Society.

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Jack

Homer

New York, 1966 p.38.

Gandhi

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Young India, 6.3.1931.

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Ibid.

11.

Gandhi

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Young India, 16.4.1941.

12.

Gandhi

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Young India, 19.9.1925.

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, Desai

Gandhiji in Indian Villages, p.170.

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Gandhi

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Young India, 12.11.1931.

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Young India, 31.12.1931.

16.

Gandhi

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Harijan, 22.6.1940.

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Young India, 26.12.1924.

18.

Gandhi

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Young India, 17.7.1924.

19.

Chhandogya Upanishad, III.17.

20.

Yoga Sutra od Patanjali, Ch.III, IV.

21.

Mahabharta, Anushasana Parva, 104.25,105,. 23-45.