Gandhi, the Gita, and the Transfiguration of Warfare

Abstract

The article explores Mahatma Gandhi's profound and seemingly paradoxical engagement with the Bhagavad Gita, a text steeped in the context of war. While the Gita's literal narrative urges Arjuna to embrace his duty as a warrior, Gandhi interpreted it allegorically, finding within its verses a guide to nonviolent resistance (satyagraha). This article examines Gandhi's unique hermeneutic, influenced by Theosophical readings and his deep connection to the Sermon on the Mount, which allowed him to transform the Gita's battlefield into an internal struggle against vice. The article further traces the historical parallels in allegorical interpretations of violent religious texts within Christianity, noting figures like Origen and Erasmus who spiritualized warfare. Finally, it considers the evolution of nonviolence as a strategic force, moving from individual acts of conscience to organized mass movements that, while often employing military metaphors, have developed their own distinct theories and practices, demonstrating a "transfiguration of warfare" from the physical to the moral and political realms.