Mahatma Gandhi - The Yogi & the Commissar

Little is written about it, but in 1935 Mahatma Gandhi was initiated into the practice of Kriya Yoga, by none other than Paramhansa Yogananda, spiritual master and the author of the book "Autobiography of a Yogi".

Paramhansa Yogananda was once asked if he knew if Gandhi had kept up the practice of Kriya Yoga and he is known to have replied "Gandhi was a man of his word. He was a great man and a man of truth. Yes, he kept up his practice." (from Conversations with Yogananda). While the rest of Yoga has been widely publicised and taught to people the world over there is still some secrecy surrounding the practice of Kriya Yoga. Firstly you need to be initiated by a master, and secondly the practice needs preparation which involves both physical and mental cleansing. The practice of Kriya Yoga is known to accelerate spiritual development and create a profound state of tranquility and communion with God. I can see that some of the popular spiritual masters of the day have adopted a technique or two from Kriya Yoga in their overall meditation courses, but the actual practice thankfully is a still a closely guarded secret.

Gandhi's spiritual practice combined with fasting, eating habits, celibacy and selfless devotion to the country must have been made him a Yogi of great stature. But perhaps his spiritual achievement was overshadowed by his role in the political freedom of India. Arthur Koestler journalist and thinker par excellence wrote the book " The Yogi and the Commissar" in 1945 where he explored a continuum of philosophies for achieving 'heaven on earth'. He saw the Yogi and the Commissar as two ends of a spectrum - the Yogi at the spiritual and metaphysical end and the Commissar at the materialistic and scientific end. While the Commissar was a term more associated with the Communist system of governance I use the term loosely to depict how well Gandhi handled his political career.

He was a Yogi when he wanted to be one. And he was a Commissar at other times. He seemed to move from one state to the other with great fluidity. And perhaps this was his greatest strength. He was a Yogi until the very end. Blessed are those who can think of God in their very last moments, We know that Gandhi's last words were " He Ram". Hindu philosophy tells us that our next birth is determined by our consciousness at the time of death. ( yam yam vapi smaran bhavan...Bhagwad Gita 8.6). Therefore the belief that thinking of God in our last moments might deliver Moksha.

Again, Gandhi was the Commissar until the very end. Mahatma Gandhi was holding prayer meetings when he was shot in the compound of Birla House, a large mansion in New Delhi. He had promised Patel that day that he would speak to Lord Mountbatten, about including both Nehru and Patel in the Cabinet. He was also busy drafting the Constitution for the Congress.

Gandhi was both the perfect balance of the Yogi and the Commissar, two seeming opposites.

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