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Gita and Ahimsa

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M.K. Krishnaswamy • March 27, 2003 


Dear Devotees, 

In these distressed times, it is natural that our thoughts are about violence and non-violence. The greatest practitioner of non-violence - Mahatma Gandhi, who followed the teachings of the Bhagawad Gita in his life, wrote a commentary on all the 18 chapters of the Gita, in which he posed to himself the commonly asked question:

"... if the Gita believed in ahimsa or it was included in desirelessness, why did the author take a warlike illustration?" and replied thus, reaffirming his faith in 'perfect ahimsa':

"When the Gita was written, although people believed in ahimsa, wars were not only not taboo, but nobody observed the contradiction between them and ahimsa.................. ................... .... Let it be granted, that according to the letter of the Gita it is possible to say that warfare is consistent with renunciation of fruit. But after forty years' unremitting endeavor fully to enforce the teaching of the Gita in my own life, I have in all humility felt that perfect renunciation is impossible without perfect observance of ahimsa in every shape and form."

The statement appears in  "Anasakti Yoga (Introduction)" which may be seen at: http://home.attbi.com/~surfings/Cogitation/Gandhi_Gita.htm 

Members can access the complete "Gita According to Gandhi" at the web-site: http://hometown.aol.com/jajnsn/index.html 

Dasan,
M.K. Krishnaswamy




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