Gandhi's Politics
Gandhian politics is imbued with the spirit of Gandhian religion. Naturally Gandhi's religious beliefs hold the key to the understanding of Gandhian political thought. It has become a maxim that Gandhi spiritualist politics; one may say it is Gandhi's first and foremost contribution to political thought. In the ancient times it the Greeks who looked upon human life as a compact whole and they searched for a perfect way of life. Their thoughts and ideas of politics and political life were an outcome of and related to this search. It was for this reason that the General body of Greek thought does not make any conscious effort to distinguish between ethics and politics. It was the same as Mahatma Gandhi. He was not interested in politics for the sake of politics itself but politics was thrust upon him in his search for a way of life that may emancipate man from his woe and suffering.
"If I seem to take part in politics" explained Gandhi, "it is only because politics today encircle us like the coils of a snake form which one cannot get out, no matter how one tries." -Asked in one of his speeches.
Similarly, he wrote in his autobiography, "those who say that religion has nothing to do with politics do not know that religion means." Besides Mahatma Gandhi was firmly convinced that activities that draw no sustenance from the spiritual nature of man, but drive all their energy and motive power from the non spiritual side of man's composition, are found after running their allotted course, to end in disaster and ruin.
"Matter cannot sustain itself ever so long. It can only sustain itself by the power of the spirit, and no civilization boasting only of its material triumphs and glories can stand the test of time."
The above statement stats the reason why Mahatma Gandhi could declare that politics bereft of religion are a death trap because they kill the soul. The fact that Gandhi introduced religion into politics constitutes his fundamental contribution to political thought. This is all about the spiritual basis of Gandhi's politics.
On Sarvodaya
The unity of life or what Dr. Radhakrishnan prefers to call the essential identity of spiritual parenthood led Gandhi to propound Sarvodaya philosophy which remains one of the greatest contributions he made to political thought. In a very literal sense Sarvodaya embraces the uplift of all. Since,God lives in every body, the realization of God can be possible not by the uplift of a few or many souls but of all souls. Like Bentham, the high priest of utilitarianism, Gandhi does not say that forty nine lives can be scarified for the happiness of forty-one.
He was not a Marxist to advocate the dictatorship of one class(proletariat) at the expense of others. He cared for one and all. He wrote in 1926,"A votary of Ahimsa cannot subscribe to the utilitarian formula. He will strive for the greatest good of all and die in the attempt to realize the ideal." Gandhi recognized the claim of every individual soul to live and prosper . T. H. Green's conception of common good which includes the good of all the members of society marks some approach to the Sarvodaya ideal.That's all!
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