Mahatma Gandhiji on God and religion

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It is quite fitting to pay homage to the Father of our nation on his birthday

on 2nd October.His views on religion and God are quoted in this post.

 

 

Mahatma Gandhiji on God and religion

 

MK Gandhi (1869 - 1948), India's " Father of the Nation, " who spearheaded the

country's Freedom Movement for Independence from British Rule is known for his

famous words of wisdom on God, life and religion. Here are some of the most

noteworthy ones…

 

Religion - a Matter of the Heart: " True religion is not a narrow dogma. It is

not external observance. It is faith in God and living in the presence of God.

It means faith in a future life, in truth and Ahimsa…. Religion is a matter of

the heart. No physical inconvenience can warrant abandonment of one's own

religion. "

 

Belief in Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma): " I call myself a Sanatani Hindu, because I

believe in the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, and all that goes by the name

of Hindu scripture, and therefore in avataras and rebirth; I believe in the

varnashrama dharma in a sense, in my opinion strictly Vedic but not in its

presently popular crude sense; I believe in the protection of cow … I do not

disbelieve in murti puja. " (Young India: June 10, 1921)

 

The Teachings of the Gita: " Hinduism as I know it entirely satisfies my soul,

fills my whole being … When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in

the face, and when I see not one ray of light on the horizon, I turn to the

Bhagavad Gita, and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile

in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. My life has been full of tragedies and if

they have not left any visible and indelible effect on me, I owe it to the

teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. " (Young India: June 8, 1925)

 

Seeking God: " I worship God as Truth only. I have not yet found Him, but I am

seeking after Him. I am prepared to sacrifice the things dearest to me in

pursuit of this quest. Even if the sacrifice demanded my very life, I hope I may

be prepared to give it.

 

The Future of Religions: No religion which is narrow and which cannot satisfy

the test of reason, will survive the coming reconstruction of society in which

the values will have changed and character, not possession of wealth, title or

birth will be the test of merit.

 

Faith in God: " Everyone has faith in God though everyone does not know it. For

everyone has faith in himself and that multiplied to the nth degree is God. The

sum total of all that lives is God. We may not be God, but we are of God, even

as a little drop of water is of the ocean. "

 

God is Strength: " Who am I? I have no strength save what God gives me. I have no

authority over my countrymen save the pure moral. If He holds me to be a pure

instrument for the spread of non-violence in place of the awful violence now

ruling the earth, He will give me the strength and show me the way. My greatest

weapon is mute prayer. The cause of peace is therefore, in God's good hands. "

 

Christ - a Great Teacher: " I regard Jesus as a great teacher of humanity, but I

do not regard him as the only begotten son of God. That epithet in its material

interpretation is quite unacceptable. Metaphorically we are all sons of God, but

for each of us there may be different sons of God in a special sense. Thus for

me Chaitanya may be the only begotten son of God … God cannot be the exclusive

Father and I cannot ascribe exclusive divinity to Jesus. " (Harijan: June 3,

1937)

 

No Conversion, Please: " I believe that there is no such thing as conversion from

one faith to another in the accepted sense of the word. It is a highly personal

matter for the individual and his God. I may not have any design upon my

neighbour as to his faith, which I must honour even as I honour my own. Having

reverently studied the scriptures of the world I could no more think of asking a

Christian or a Musalman, or a Parsi or a Jew to change his faith than I would

think of changing my own. " (Harijan: September 9, 1935)

 

All Religions are True: " I came to the conclusion long ago … that all religions

were true and also that all had some error in them, and whilst I hold by my own,

I should hold others as dear as Hinduism. So we can only pray, if we are Hindus,

not that a Christian should become a Hindu … But our innermost prayer should be

a Hindu should be a better Hindu, a Muslim a better Muslim, a Christian a better

Christian. " (Young India: January 19, 1928)