Unveiling Gandhi’s Nonviolent Interpretation of the Gītā
摘要
The interpretations of the Hindu religious text Bhagavad Gītā have been the subject of heated debate among scholars, political activists and religious leaders for various reasons. Nevertheless, M. K. Gandhi’s elucidations invite significant consideration and thorough evaluation because he has defended the Gītā as a text of nonviolence. Excavating Gandhi’s philosophical arguments is riveting because it is worth considering how the text of war can preach the virtue of nonviolence as its principal theme. In our conceptual analysis, firstly, how Gandhi defends the Gītā as the text of nonviolence is discussed by recapitulating his main arguments. He contends that the Gītā should be read as a parable because the war in the text represents the inner conflicts of human beings. To justify the claim, Gandhi proposes concepts such as guṇas, niskāmakarma, sthitaprajña and anāsakti, arguing that the Gītā does not valorise violence; instead, it not only shows the futility of war but also endorses nonviolence. However, the article critically analyses Gandhi’s perspective by showing how he erroneously justifies violence by saying it is a parable. The study further suggests that his findings are unsatisfactory by critically examining his interpretation of concepts such as guṇas, niskāmakarma, sthitaprajña and anāsakti. On these grounds, the article concludes that Gandhi’s interpretation of the Gītā as the text of nonviolence is theoretically inadequate.