Rahul Gandhi’s assertion in parliament that BJP leaders like Narendra Modi and others do not represent Hindus because they continuously spread fear and hatred and stoke violence is evocative of what Mahatma Gandhi wrote anout Hinduism when Rahul’s grandmother, Indira Nehru, got engaged to Feroz Gandhi on February 26, 1942.
In response to those who attacked and even abused Feroz, a Parsi by faith, for wanting to marry Indira, whose religion was Hinduism, Mahatma Gandhi wrote an article titled “Indira Nehru’s Engagement” in which he regretted the fact that someone could be at the receiving end of abuse for his creed. Those attacking him were outraging Hinduism, the Mahatma wrote. “The Hinduism of my conception is no narrow creed. It is a grand evolutionary process as ancient as time, and embraces the teachings of Zoroaster (sic), Moses, Christ, Mohammed, Nanak and other prophets that I could name”. Then he quoted a Sanskrit stanza:
विद्वद्भिः सेवितः सर्भिनित्यमद्वेषरागिभिः
हृदयेनाभ्यनुज्ञातो यो धर्मस्तं निबोधत॥
He stated that Hinduism could be defined by the meaning of that stanza which he translated as, “Know that to be (true) religion which the wise and the good and those who are ever free from passion and hate follow and which appeals to the heart”.
In the context of our fraught times – and his – it is quite extraordinary that Mahatma Gandhi understood Hinduism by invoking that Sanskrit stanza which firmly acknowledged that a true religion is followed by worthy people free from hatred and ill will.
It is equally extraordinary that Gandhi flagged the inclusive character of Hinduism by referring to the exemplary teachings of Zarathustra, Moses, Christ, Mohammed, Nanak and other prophets within the scope of the Hindu faith itself. Therefore, he claimed that Hinduism is no narrow creed.
Coincidentally Rahul Gandhi in his speech in the Lok Sabha, also invoked the teachings of Shiva, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Guru Nanak and glowingly referred to Islam, Jainism and Sikhism to convey the enduring message that all prophets and diverse faiths emphasised the removal of fear and hatred. Therefore, he forcefully accused those BJP leaders including Modi who transmitted toxicity in the name of religion of not being Hindus and of not representing the whole Hindu society.
The “Abhya Mudra”, or posture of fearlessness, which Rahul Gandhi referred to via the image of a meditative Lord Shiva and other religious personalities and beliefs resembles the examples of ‘satygrahis’ that Mahatma Gandhi unearthed from mythology and history to launch the non-violent struggle for freedom anchored in Satyagraha. According to him, the first satyagrahi was Prahalad from Hindu mythology. Prahalad’s father Hiranyakashyp wanted his son to not repeat the name of Lord Hari and to dissuade him Hiranya struck fear in his son’s heart by employing many violent methods including attempts to kill him. But Prahalad was not fearful at all and so persisted in repeating the name of the lord. Mahatma Gandhi drew the lessons of Satyagraha from Prahalad, who refused to submit himself to the violent diktat of his father.
Gandhi then cited the examples of Socrates from Greek history, Jesus Christ from Christianity, Imam Hussain from Islam and Meerabai from Hinduism as stellar examples of satyagrahis. He said that all those historical figures from different religions showed extraordinary fearlessness in the face of the oppression they faced and so constituted sources of inspiration for Satyagrahis. Meerabai held a special place for him as the only woman satyagrahi in this list. He employed these examples from different religions and periods to mobilise people during the freedom struggle and persuade them to not be scared of the British but to fight for independence fearlessly – and without any trace of hatred against the British.
By taking examples from mythology and history, Rahul Gandhi also flagged the lesson he found in the Abhay Mudra – of shunning fear and not causing fear in the hearts of others. What he did is evocative of Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of satyagraha. It is heartening that in Rahul Gandhi’s speech there was the resonance of an enduring aspect of the freedom struggle. This is now of paramount significance to defend the idea of India and the Constitution.
S.N. Sahu served as officer on special duty to former President K.R. Narayanan.
This piece was first published on The India Cable – a premium newsletter from The Wire & Galileo Ideas – and has been updated and republished here. To subscribe to The India Cable, click here.
