Gandhi's Pilgrimage of Faith: From Darkness to Light

Introduction: The Mystique and the Myth of the Mahatma

The Mystique and the Myth of the Mahatma “Out of my ashes a thousand Gandhis will rise,” forebode Mahatma Gandhi in Harijan (January 16, 1937). His words could not have proved more prophetic, although Gandhi never claimed to be a prophet or a saint. Out of one Gandhi who freed India from the foreign British bondage rose an American Gandhi (Martin Luther King Jr.), who fought and died for the civil rights of his fellow African Americans; a South African Gandhi (Nelson Mandela), who suffered in jail for more than two decades for resisting apartheid, and many more Gandhis, who silently carry on Gandhi’s message of peace and nonviolence in their own countries. Like an Indian Banyan tree spreading its branches in all directions, Gandhi’s message and his methods have spread far and wide, changing lives and changing even the political map of the globe. Millions around the world revere Mahatma Gandhi, yet only a few know the man Mohandas Gandhi and the internal journey of his soul. What manner of man was he at the core? Which power nourished his soul and held together his complex and paradoxical personality? What was the secret of his universal appeal and influence? Although the market today is flooded with books on Gandhi, none seems to focus on the soul and substance of the man, namely, his evergrowing , expanding and deepening faith in God as Truth and his own internal self-developmental journey to Truth. The charismatic Mahatma seems to have overshadowed the man, who remained a mystery to most people—not only to strangers but even to his intimate friends. One of his disciples wondered, who was the “real Gandhi?” Introduction 1 Like the Taj Mahal, the multifaceted Mahatma looked different in different lights and at different times. In addition to being a mystery, the Mahatma was controversial. One who transformed the lives of so many people of dissimilar temperaments, backgrounds, and talents also exasperated the British; he shocked both orthodox Hindus and Muslims by his unorthodox religiosity, and made the Maharajas squirm in their seats by his outspoken truths upon his return to India from South Africa. Yet controversy only added to Gandhi’s charisma. Not even his staunchest enemies could resist the spell of this man who did not fear death and was not attracted to pleasures of the flesh or things material—wealth, power, position, prestige, or honors. They could not but respect this man, who, though adamant on principles, harbored no ill-will or hatred toward anyone, but only love and forgiveness for all. Friends and foes alike admired Mahatma Gandhi’s superior spiritual stature; yet, they knew not this ordinary yet extraordinary man of flesh and blood. The Mahatma was worshipped, but the man and what he stood for was forgotten; the real Gandhi lay concealed behind a veil of mystery and the cobwebs of myths began to grow around him. Regarding the “myth-making” of the Mahatma, Jawaharlal Nehru1 wrote in his foreword to D. G. Tendulkar’s biography of Gandhi (1951, vol. 1): “Even during his life innumerable stories and legends had grown around him,” and he saw that “this legend will grow and take many shapes, sometimes with little truth in it.” Nehru, with his extraordinary ability to see through the myths surrounding Gandhi, observed: Certain rare qualities which raise a man above the common herd and appear to make him as made of different clay. The long story of humanity … is a story of the advance and growth of man and the spirit of man. (ibid.) Referring to Gandhi’s “rare qualities,” even Albert Einstein, Gandhi’s great contemporary, wondered: “if generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth!” At the same time, one of the rare qualities of Gandhi was that he never claimed greatness or infallibility, but considered himself to be only “a simple individual liable to err like any other human being.” Gandhi was humble enough to admit his “Himalayan blunders” as well as courageous enough to 2 Gandhi’s Pilgrimage of Faith retrace his steps. He knew courage was costly; he also knew he was making himself vulnerable to enemies, embarrassing friends, and inviting criticism of “being inconsistent.” Yet, unruffled, he rebuffed in Harijan (April 23, 1933): “I am not at all concerned with appearing to be consistent, my...