Many of our outstanding freedom fighters took the spark and stimulation from the Bhagavad Gita– a universally accepted book of wisdom. Innumerable of them took the noose smilingly holding the Gita in their hands. In 1905, the Swadeshi Movement started in Bengal, where 50,000 people, each holding the Gita in their hands, took to the streets vowing to boycott the British goods and force the British out of India.
Following are the personal accounts of the life stories of various freedom fighters who were motivated by the Gita:
The Gita inspires to be a fighter
Shri Aurobindo Ghosh (1872-1950)
He was one of the earliest and the greatest revolutionaries in the Indian freedom struggle He was a learned, visionary, and an enigmatic personality. According to him, India was subjected to colonisation in the absence of dauntless and steel nerved leaders who would take risks and fight for the Nation. He was of the firm belief that the only way to freedom was through the release of individuals from their lower nature and transcending them into blissful divinity. And, this, he said can be very well learnt from the Gita.
He reiterated the message of the Gita in the elevation of India and salvation of the humanity in his beautiful essay on the Gita and its secrets– “A certain class of minds shrink from aggressiveness as if it were a sin. It is an error, we repeat, to think that spirituality is a thing divorced from life… It is an error to think that the heights of religion are above the struggles of this world. The recurrent cry of Shri Krishna to Arjuna insists on the struggle; “Fight and overthrow thy opponents!”, “Remember Me and fight!”, “Give up all thy works to Me with a heart full of spirituality, and free from craving, free from selfish claims, fight! Let the fever of thy soul pass from thee.”
The Gita inspires to be a visionary
Bankim Chandra Chatterji (1838-1894)
Though Bankim Chandra was not a freedom fighter, nevertheless, he infused the patriotic sentiments and spirit through his writings, especially in his native region of Bengal. The insightful perception in his writings ignited nationalistic, religious, and artistic disposition in the minds of people. He was the one who gave the clarion slogan “Vande Mataram”, which was taken from the song and poem written by him from the famous novel “Anandmath”. The Anandmath story showcases fascinating characters and purposeful dialogues of the guerrilla fight of the warrior Sanyasis against the Muslim Rule. The Indians took this story as a resemblance to their situation. They considered it to be a bugle to take to the arms and drive the British out of the country. “Vande Mataram” became the motto of the Indian Independence.
Well, the one whose writings sparked the flame of freedom struggle himself drew inspiration from the Gita! He was so much influenced by the sacred text that he was drawn into writing a commentary on the life of Lord Krishna, based on historical and literary research. However, only three quarters could be completed when he died.
The Gita– a spiritual dictionary!
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
The mere mention of the name of Mahatma Gandhi invokes the image of a great patriot, who revolutionised the Indian freedom struggle through the matchless weapons of non-violence and Satyagraha.
Verily, for this great personality as well, the source of grit and stout-heartedness was the Gita. He writes, “I find a solace in the Bhagavad Gita that I miss even in the Sermon on the Mount. When disappointment stares me in the face and all alone I see not one ray of light, I go back to the Bhagavad Gita. I find a verse here and a verse there, and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies… my life has been full of external tragedies; and if they have left no visible or indelible scar on me, I owe it all to the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita.”
The Gita inspires to be Karma-yogi!
Lokmanya Tilak (1856-1920)
He was the very first person to forcefully ask for the complete independence from Britain in the Congress sessions. How he could keep his spirits up at the time of freedom struggle can be clearly seen from his views.
He explained: “The most practical teaching of the Gita, and one for which it is of abiding interest and value to the men of the world with whom life is a series of struggles, is not to give way to any morbid sentimentality when duty demands sternness and the boldness to face terrible things.” And, “It is my firm conviction that it is of utmost importance that every man, woman and child of India understands the message of the Gita.” He wrote a discourse on the Gita called “Gita Rahasya”, which even today is one of the best books written on the Gita. It is equally appreciated not only by the religious people but also by the political and social workers.
The Gita – a scholarly treasure house!
Annie Besant, C. Rajagopalachari, K.M. Munshi, and Sri Prakasha were not only the luminaries of the Indian freedom struggle but are also respected and hold prominence as Gita scholars. Acharya Vinobha Bhave was very closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, especially in his ashram's activities along with giving scholarly support to his Gita commentary.
Post-independence, he started Bhudan Movement to solve the land distribution problem, which was largely a new application of the Gita.
The Gita– an eternal soul mate!
Damodarpant Chapekar (executed 1898)
There was a calamitous plague in the late 1880's, in the province of Maharashtra in India. Thousands of people were killed in this plague. The unhelpful British and their agricultural policies of enforcing the cotton production rather than the traditional food crops heightened the impact of the plague on the people. In such critical conditions faced by Indians, grand celebrations of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee were held in Pune, with pomp and grandeur. This resulted in a deep seated anger and resentment amongst the Indians against the Englishmen. It was at this time that the freedom struggle against the British was getting foothold in Maharashtra. Pertaining to this, an incident occurred. Infuriated with the callous attitude of the British, Damodarpant Chapekar shot dead the British Plague Commissioner, Mr. Rand and the British officer Mr. Ayerst on June 22, 1897, in Pune. Here is a remarkable thing to know about this freedom fighter, which shows what the Gita meant to him–
When he went to the gallows on April 18, 1898 after being betrayed by his friends, he was holding the Bhagavad Gita in his hands!
The similar devotedness to the Gita is reflected in the lives of the following great souls–
Madanlal Dhingra (1883-1909) had a colourful and a vibrant personality and was the one who shot dead Sir Cyrzon Wyllie, in London in 1909. Bhagat Singh acknowledged Dhingra as his predecessor. He was sent to the gallows in London on August 17, 1909 and died with the Gita in his hands.
Khudiram Bose (1889-1908) was a young, radical leader of Bengal. He had an in-depth knowledge of the Hindu culture and his heart ached to see that a country known as the Golden Bird in the ancient times was afflicted with the misery of such high magnitude. He targeted British officials and was hung at the age of 17. He had the words “Vande Mataram” on his lips and the Bhagavad Gita in his hands when he died.
Hemu Kalani (1923-1943), a freedom fighter from Sindh, was engaged in all aspects of the freedom struggle, from the boycott of British goods, to Gandhi's campaigns and revolutionary activities. He was arrested in a conspiracy to rob the British ammunitions and pass them to Indians. His last wish was to be born again as an Indian to finish the work of making India independent. Just see the heroic spirits of this great freedom fighter. While marching to the gallows, instead of being afraid, he quoted the verse from the Gita about the immortality of the soul. He also marched to the gallows with the Bhagavad Gita in his hands.
We must read Gita. Not only to read,but also to understand everything.
Very nice
May the day come when all understand the message of the Gita.