Nathuram Godse's Reading Of Bhagavad Gita

Yadav 1

Sheetal Yadav
Professor Gautam Chakravarty
Bhagavad Gita
09 April 2015

Nathuram Godse’s Reading of the Bhagavad Gita.
The historical accounts of the post-independence era tell us about the Gita being the most popular book among the freedom fighters. In 1909, a secret nationalist outfit pledged before goddess Kali to fight against the colonial powers, with a revolver in one hand and the Gita in the other. In 1908, Khudiram Bose, who was sentenced to death by hanging, carried the holy book to the gallows. Lala Lajpat Rai and Shri Aurobindo advocated the youth to read the Gita, believe in ‘nishkama karma,’ gather up arms and
risk

It is this natural tendency in human beings that failed the old superstitious beliefs of Gandhi’s politics like power of one’s soul, purity of the mind, prayers, fasts and inner voice for being unreasonable hence, not ideal. Gandhi’s statement: “one should stick to the place where he happens to be, when treated cruelly or killed. Let us die bravely, with the name of
God on our tongue and we shall originate a new Hindustan.” Godse believed that no enlightened person would object to ‘ahimsa’ but, it is a dream to imagine that mankind can scrupulously adhere to such lofty precepts. This distinction proves Gandhi to be poetic and universal (first a secularist, then a sectarian), while Godse’s approach is that of a realist (a sectarian first and later a secularist).
Yadav

The rationale for this dissimilarity in the theological grasp can be regarded to
Gandhi’s knowledge of the holy scriptures of other religions which acquainted him with the teachings of love and compassion for all sentient beings, the crucifixion of Christ as the greatest spectacle of sacrifice; which made him admire Christianity. Reading passages from the Quran in his prayer meetings reflected Gandhi’s deeply all-inclusive religious virtue that made the ‘practicing of humanity and equivalence’ possible among varied sects. On the other hand, Godse, who, perceived religion as a bar of distinction among people, demarcating fragments in the society with peace and harmony, too believed to have rendered a service to humanity by killing Gandhi.

Gandhi’s lifelong perseverance on ‘ahimsa’ and Godse’s act of murdering the
‘epitome of ‘ahimsa,’’ itself, concerns itself to the distinction in Gandhi’s humanity which extended boundlessly- inclusive of all religions and Godse’s idea of an exclusive humanity which narrowed itself to the Hindus considering the other communal groups