JTF Jordens
(1998). Gandhi’s Religion: A Homespun Shawl, Oxford University Press, New
Delhi, pp. 340
As we celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s sesquicentennial
birth anniversary on 2 October this year, it is a great time to revisit his
life and works. A quintessential introduction of his works would begin with his
autobiography (The Story of my Experiments
with Truth), personal portraits by his grandson Rajmohan Gandhi (The Good Boatman and Mohandas: A True Story of a Man, His People
and an Empire) and the two-volume biography by Ramachandra Guha (Gandhi before India and Gandhi: The Years that Changed the World).
Furthermore, his entire oeuvre of 98 volumes is open for the patient scholar (Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol 1-98).
Gandhi’s faith seems to be somewhat of an enigma when compared to his political
ideas because it evolved as a syncretic mix of various philosophical strands.
More importantly, it evolved in the peculiar manner in which Gandhi’s ideas shaped
up - through a curious back and forth between philosophy and practice.
With a helpful introduction of the
author and the context of the work by historian Ramachandra Guha, this book is
an excellent tour-de-force of Gandhi’s religious ideas. Beginning as a non-committal
youth in London, Gandhi’s first foray into religion as a young adult was
through meeting with Theosophists and the vegetarianism movement. Following
this experience, his years in South Africa as a lawyer and public activist made
him question his own limited grasp of Hinduism, a religion into which he was
born. Gandhi sought advice on religious philosophy from a practising Jain ascetic
which had a profound impact on the way he interpreted Hinduism in his later
years. Jainism which emphasised rational thinking, non-violent conduct and
enlightenment of the self as highest ideals appealed to Gandhi’s sense of
ethics and the way he conducted his politics. His eclectic reading and
friendship across religious boundaries influenced him as he formulated his own
ideas about God and the first principles of ethical conduct. These experiments spanning diet, sex, health,
prayer and manual labour became an enduring exploration of truth and meaning.
This book is divided into three parts
each focusing on three different periods in Gandhi’s life- South Africa,
initial years in India and religion in action during the national movement in
India. Jordens relies on the extensive corpus of Gandhi’s own writing as
collected in his works as well as the numerous letters in which he corresponded
with his mentors, followers and adversaries. Relying on such first-hand
account, Jordens deftly brings out the evolution of his thoughts and neatly
summarises them at the end of each chapter and substantially in the last
chapter. A great introduction to Gandhi and his experiments with religion!
