E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi’s Pancha Mahavrat… 87karma. But his preference was for karmayoga. He found areaffirmation of his views on karmayoga in his spiritual sourcebook, the Bhagavd Gita. He interpreted the Gita to bring allthree paths in consonance as the practice of Karmayoga wasnot possible without bhakti and jnan. Nevertheless hispreference was for Karmayoga. But Tilak had also pleaded forKarmayoga backed by bhakti and jnan. Where did Tilak andGandhi differ in their interpretation of the concept ofkarmayoga in the Gita. What departure did Gandhi make?Gandhi was aware that ‘action’ leads to bondage. Thus, the realchallenge was to find a way out from the dilemma of inactionand bondage. How to pursue worldly action which does notlead to bondage? Gandhi again found a way out in hisinterpretation of the Gita. He found a key in the concept ofanasakti (non attachment) to open the lock and find a way outfrom karma bondage syndrome.He strongly believed that it was asakti (attachment)particularly for grabbing the fruits of one’s action which leadsto bondage. So, once this asakti is taken out, and then karma isturned into karmayoga which frees one from the bondageaccruing from action. And it is his emphasis on anasakti thatdifferentiates his concept of karmayoga from that of Tilak.Gandhi, while emphasising the primacy of karmayoga did nottotally reject the importance of the two other paths of bhaktiand jnan. In fact, he integrated all the three paths in such a waythat they did not appear mutually exclusive; rather he foundthem mutually supporting. On the basis of his deep study of theBhagavad Gita he found that the three ideal men of the Gita,viz., karmayogi, jnani and bhakta in a way, are one and thesame. As one has to realise knowledge regarding the unity ofall beings in one’s own being without which one could hardlywalk on the path of moksha. Similarly, faith in God wasabsolutely necessary for the relentless pursuit of moksha aswithout this faith one may not able to walk steadfastly on the