04

“To me God is Truth and Love; God is ethics and morality. God is fearlessness. God is the source of Light and Life and yet He is above and beyond all these. God is conscience. He is even the atheism of the atheist. For in His boundless love God permits the atheist to live. He is the searcher of hearts. He transcends speech and reason. He knows us and our hearts better than we do ourselves.”  –Mahatma Gandhi

The above-mentioned short statement of Mahatma Gandhi is, undoubtedly, the manifestation of the truth of Indivisible Totality and the reality of Universal Unity in the periphery of the same Entity, which are the first and the second of the fundamentals respectively of the (ever established, eternal) Sanatana-Hindu Dharma, the acceptor of everyone equally in its ambit without any discrimination. Mahatma Gandhi himself had firm faith in the Indivisible Whole. He accepted the reality of Universal Unity. His above-mentioned short statement is, undeniably, inspired by the basics of the Sanatana-Hindu Dharma, the Indivisible Whole and the Universal Unity.

As indicated already, the same Indivisible Whole constitutes the universal unity. Everything movable and immovable in the visible-invisible universe, is within the periphery of the same Indivisible Totality. Nothing or no one, is outside His authority, supremacy and Omnipresence. This is the first of the basics of the Sanatana-Hindu Dharma. In the Sanatana-Hindu Dharma, innumerable names including Parabrahman and Brahman appear for the Omnipresent and Omnipotent Indivisible Whole, the creator of universal unity. In the Vedas and the Upanishads, He, the Supreme Being is addressed by different names for His different virtues and tasks He performs for the smooth and systematic operation of the universal order. Parameshwara, Prabhu, Paramatma, Data, Ishwara etc. are the names only for the Omnipresent and ever-existing Almighty Supreme Being.

From the basic treatises of the Sanatana-Hindu Dharma, especially the Mantra of the Rigveda (1:164:46), “Indram Mitram Varunamagnimaahuratho Divyah Sa Suparno Garutmaan/ –One Unique Truth Brahman; Indram (the Supreme), Mitram (friendly to all), Varunam (Supreme), Agnam (Leader), Divyah (Superman –source of light), Suparna (Sustainer), Garutmaan (Bearer of the universe).” and the introductory Mantra of the Ishavasyopanishad (the Ishopanishad), “Om Puurnamadah Puurnamidam Puurnaat Puurnamudachyate/ Puurnasya Puurnamaadaaya Puurnamevaavashishyate//” –that is, “Whatever is expressed in the form of “Om” that is Parabrahman; that is the Whole. This is the Whole; from Wholeness emerges Wholeness. Wholeness coming from Wholeness, Wholeness still remains” the reality itself is evident in this regard.

Mahatma Gandhi accepted God as Truth. Truth is ever-existent, permanent, and the ultimate goal beyond reason and discovery. God, Mahatma Gandhi believed, is the source of light and life. He is Supreme and Omniscient. He is the Master of all, even those who are atheists. He is the life-giver and the up-bringer and guardian of all. Mahatma Gandhi especially called God the infinite source of love –the Ocean of love and it is that great virtue of the Lord, which is, in fact, the basis of unity everywhere. It is the medium or pathway of Jagat-welfare. Therefore, man’s spirit of and longing for Jagat-welfare and also his actions are seen in context of his firmness or commitment to the Satya –truth.

As mentioned, Mahatma Gandhi had a firm belief in both the fundamentals of the Sanatana Dharma, the Indivisible Totality and Universal Unity. He accepted God as the maker of Universal Unity and the Lord of the universe considering Him to be the ultimate truth. Mahatma Gandhi firmly believed in the authority of God as the Controller and the Director of the universe, and His Law –the Divine Law. He presented before fellow beings the truth of Indivisibility of God and His Law. For union or oneness with the Supreme Truth or God-realization, taking it as the goal of life, Mahatma Gandhi called on man to dedicate himself to the welfare of the world, which necessarily included his own welfare. In this regard, while stepping forward on the path of life he urged man to always keep Ahimsa –non-violence, the supreme human value at the centre of his actions. The highest, natural and eternal value of Ahimsa –non-violence is the best way, medium or means of acknowledging and following the principle of “Parasparopagraho Jiivaanaam –all life is basically bound together and interdependence” in life practices leading one to “Aatmavat Sarvabhuuteshu –accepting all beings equal to one’s own self.” Ahimsa, in its core spirit, is, in short, an active goodwill towards living beings. At the same time, it is an attitude of owning the nature, environment etc. feeling responsible for the large-scaled welfare of the creation. For this, it is expected that there should not be an unnecessary tamper with nature and its unjust exploitation. Along with this, there should be no effort to rupture and pollute the environment. Nature-conservation and environmental-equilibrium are included in the condition of an appropriate practice of Ahimsa by a human being.

In the Fourth Mantra of the First Sukta of the First Mandala of the Rigveda, there is a prayer for protection from “Adhvaram”, i.e., “the evil of violence”. This very prayer is the basic chain or link, which declares Himsa –violence as a great sin and opposite to it establishes Ahimsa –non-violence as the highest and all-time human value. Thus, Ahimsa, originally manifested as an opposite state of violence from the Rigveda, has been explained and analyzed in other basic texts of the Sanatana-Hindu Dharma as an all-welfaristic and highest human value to be followed always. It is, eventually, established as the third of the basics of the Sanatana Dharma.

Guidelines for the practice of non-violence in individual life and collective actions have also been stated in those basic texts while keeping the greater welfare of one and all in the centre. The pioneers of the Sanatana Dharma –Avataras, Rishis-Maharishis and Yugapurushas presented exemplary models of Ahimsa through their life and actions while being one with the creation and all that is within it. The relevance of those examples has not diminished till date. With the purpose of the realization of the truth of universal unity and the familiarity with the fact that one’s own welfare essentially expands to the welfare of all. And, their conduct will inevitably keep inspiring generations to observe non-violence in their actions for a just and equitable society.

The manner in which Mahatma Gandhi, as a man of the era, along with realization of the highest human value of non-violence, presented before fellow-beings all-time importance of Ahimsa in life practices, individual and public, and its being the basis of universal unity that still remains unique in the entire available human history.

All walks of life have an inevitable impact on each-other. In other words, all walks of life are interdependent. Thus, they are inseparable from one-another. Keeping this reality in the centre, Mahatma Gandhi brought non-violence into the political sphere. He accepted the truth of the interconnectedness of religious, social and political fields. According to the demand of time and space, he (having the basic spirit of non-violence intact), with necessary modifications made effective experiments on the strength of Ahimsa in the political field. Through his experiments, he got the expected successes in his lifetime itself. Inspired by the experiments of Mahatma Gandhi, many Jananayakas –heroes from all over the world were also successful in experiments in their respective countries, which they made on the basis of Ahimsa. This, we can repeat, was an unprecedented event throughout human history. This brought to the fore the truth of the unavoidable interconnectedness of all walks of life with Ahimsa as a universal formula to achieve one’s goal. At the same time, the all-time significance of non-violence as the highest human value became apparent. Mahatma Gandhi proved his firm association with the Sanatana Dharma by embracing Ahimsa in his life along with giving a unique and practical dimension to non-violence, the third basic of the Sanatana-Hindu Dharma while keeping its fundamental spirit integral in his actions.

Having the core spirit of non-violence integral, Mahatma Gandhi transformed Ahimsa as per the demand of time and space, thus, proving his commitment to the fourth basic of the Sanatana-Hindu Dharma that is “Nuutanairut, continuously to do anew.” (The Rigveda: 1:1:2) His viewpoint in line with the basic spirit of “Nuutanairut” can also be clearly comprehended and understood through one of his mentions (Harijan, April 29, 1933 AD), in which he said, “In my search after Truth aI have discarded many ideas and learnt many new things. Old as I am in age, I have no feeling that I have ceased to grow inwardly or that my growth will stop at the dissolution of the flesh. What I am concerned with is my readiness to obey the call of Truth, my God, from moment-to-moment, and, therefore, when anybody finds inconsistency between any two writings of mine, if he has still faith in my sanity, he would do well to choose the latter of the two on the same subject.”    

Hence, Mahatma Gandhi’s unwavering belief in the truth of the Indivisible Whole and Universal Unity, his realization of non-violence as the highest human value and embracing it in his attitude and expressing commitment to the eternal Law of Change and its adoption in life-practices like non-violence itself, make him a true Sanatanadharmi. Mahatma Gandhi was, undoubtedly, an outstanding Sanatanadharmi. He was a believer in and the follower of the fundamentals of the Sanatana-Hindu Dharma. The truth of his being a follower of the Sanatana Dharma should be assessed or understood by his belief and observance of the basics of the Sanatana-Hindu Dharma.