Prayer, Fasting and Mahatma Gandhi

[Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav]

 Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Senior Gandhian Scholar, Professor, Editor and Linguist

Gandhi International Study and Research Institute, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

Contact No. – 09404955338, 09415777229

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Prayer, Fasting and Mahatma Gandhi    

In spite of the Herculean efforts made by the Punjab Government to crush the spirit of the people, prayer and fasting and hartal are institutions as old as the hills and cannot be stopped. Two illuminating abstracts from the bulky volumes published by the Government and containing a record of sentences inflicted by Martial Law Commissions and Summary Courts show, although dimly, what has happened during the past few months to the people of the Punjab. The leading cases examined by me have shaken my faith in the justice of these sentences. The sentence of stripes is beyond recall as are the 18 death sentences. Who will answer for them if they are proved to have been unjustly pronounced? But sentences or no sentences, the spirit of the people is unbreakable. The Moslem Conference of Lucknow has proclaimed Friday the 17th instant as a day of fasting and prayer. The preliminaries will be presently arranged.  

The day is to be called the Khilafat Day. Mr. Andrews’ letter shows clearly what the Khilafat question is and how just is the case of the Mohammedans. He agrees with the suggestion I have ventured to make, viz., that if justice cannot be obtained for Turkey, Mr. Montagu and Lord Chelmsford must resign. But better than resignations, better than protests, are prayers of the just. I therefore welcome the Lucknow resolution. Prayer expresses the soul's longing and fasting sets the soul free for efficacious prayer. In my opinion, a national fast and national prayer should be accompanied by suspension of business. I therefore without hesitation advice suspension of business provided it is carried out with calmness and dignity and provided it is entirely voluntary. Those who are required for necessary work such as hospital, sanitation, off-loading of steamers, etc., should not be entitled to suspend work. And I suggest that to this day of fast there are no processions, no meetings. People should remain indoors and devote themselves entirely to prayer. It goes without saying that it is the bounden duty of the Hindus and other religious denominations to associate themselves with their Mohammedan brethren. It is the surest and simplest method of bringing about the Hindu-Mohammedan unity. It is the privilege of friendship to extend the hand of fellowship, and adversity is the crucible in which friendship is tested.  

Let millions of Hindus show to the Mohammedans that they are one with them in sorrow. I would respectfully urge the Government to make common cause with the people and encourage and regulate this peaceful exhibition of their feelings. Let the people not think that Government will put any obstacles directly or indirectly in their way. I would urge the modern generation not to regard fasting and prayer with scepticism or distrust. The greatest teachers of the world have derived extraordinary powers for the good of humanity and attained clarity of vision through fasting and prayer. Much of this discipline runs to waste because instead of being matter of the heart, it is often resorted to for stage effect. I would therefore warn the bodies of this movement against any such suicidal maneuvering. Let them have a living faith in what they urge or let them drop it. We are now beginning to attract millions of our countrymen. We shall deserve their curses if we consciously lead them astray. Whether Hindus or Mohammedans, we have all got the religious spirit in us. Let it not be undermined by our playing at religion.  

It is my conviction and my experience that, if fasting and prayer are done with a sincere heart and in a religious spirit, marvellous results could be obtained from them. There is nothing as purifying as a fast, but fasting without prayer is barren; it may result in a diseased person being restored to health or may only mean a healthy person suffering unnecessarily. A fast undertaken purely for ostentation or to inflict pain on others is an unmitigated sin. Hence, it is only a prayerful fast undertaken by way of penance to produce some effect on oneself which can be called a religious fast. Prayer does not mean begging God for worldly happiness or for the things which advance one's interests; it is the earnest cry of a soul in anguish. It cannot but influence the whole world and cannot but make itself heard in the divine court. When an individual or a nation suffers because of a great calamity, the true awareness of that suffering is prayer; in the presence of this purifying knowledge, physical functions like eating, etc., become less urgent. A mother suffers when her only son dies. She has no desire for eating. A nation is born when all feel the same sort of grief at the suffering of any one among them; such a nation deserves to be immortal. We are well aware that quite a large number of our brothers and sisters in India live in great suffering and so, truly speaking, we have occasion at every step for prayerful fasting.

But our national life has not attained to this degree of intensity and purity. Even so, occasions arise when we suffer acutely. Such an occasion has arisen for our Muslim brethren. Readers of Navajivan know what it is: if Turkey is partitioned, the Khilafat will disappear. If the Khilafat disappears, Islam will lose its vitality. This the Muslims can never tolerate. Supporting my view, the good Mr. Andrews said that, if the Muslims feel they have not received justice, then Mr. Montagu and His Excellency the Viceroy should resign. This remedy is essential, but external. A far, far more powerful remedy lies in the hands of our Muslim brethren themselves. It has been decided that on Friday, October 17, Muslims should observe a roza, that is, a fast of twenty-four hours; accordingly, beginning from the evening of the 16th, they should spend the whole of the 17th in prayers. This is a beautiful idea. The peace and the good that ensue from turning our thoughts to God in a time of sorrow are not to be had in any other way. The duty of Hindus at such a time is obvious. If they regard the Muslims as their brethren, they should fully share their suffering. This is the best and the easiest method of promoting unity between Hindus and Muslims. Sharing another's sorrow is the only real sign of brotherly regard. I hope, therefore, that every man and woman in India will spend October 17 in prayer and fasting. The Gita is universally accepted among Hindus. They should read it through from the beginning to the end, along with a rendering of its meaning. This way the whole day will be spent in a religious spirit, and that will be the prayer of the Hindus. I think we may, without fear, observe a hartal on that day. Those who are independent should stop their work. People in service, the labourers and those who serve in hospitals, etc., need not stop work.

If people remain within doors on the day and take out no processions, there will be no cause for fear. There can be no coercion in fasting and prayer; and this should also be true about stopping work. A hartal can be effective only if it is purely voluntary. Such a hartal alone can provide the true measure of the feelings of Hindus and Muslims. In order that the hartal may remain voluntary, those who are appointed volunteers may move about. It should be their duty to see that no one offers violence to, or exerts undue pressure on, those who open their shops or attend to their work. If the Government is wise, it will encourage the people in this step. It is the duty of His Excellency the Viceroy, if he would demonstrate to the Muslims his sympathy for them, to instruct the officers not to come in the way of the people observing a hartal. If His Excellency can go further, he could stop work on that day and thereby assuage the people a great deal. Whether the Government does this or not, the duty of the people is clear. Hindus and Muslims should unite to observe October 17 in the manner suggested above. 

Reference:   

1. Young India, 4-10-1919
2. Navajivan, 12-10-1919