Gandhi’s Rama vs Godse’s Rama

Godse and Gandhi

Was Mahatma Gandhi’s Rama the same deity as his killer Godse’s? Couldn’t be. The name of Rama that Gandhi whispered at the brink of death has evolved today into Godse’s vindictive war cry of Jai Sri Ram. If Rama represented Gandhi’s conscience with all its strength as well as vulnerability, Jai Sri Ram is nothing more than a toxic political slogan now.

Under the tutelage of Narendra Modi, Lord Rama is getting quite a lot of limelight and conspicuous luxury. The mythical birthplace of the deity has one of the most ostentatious temples in the world now, housing Ram Lalla (Infant Ram). Shiva, Ganesha, Hanuman, Surya, Annapurna, and Bhagwati all have their own shrines in the same complex so that Infant Rama will not be in khatre (danger).

Even if these other deities may go to sleep, Modiji’s guardianship is ever-vigilant. Just two months back, the prime minister ceremonially hoisted the Dharma Dwaj [flag of (self-)righteousness] atop the temple’s spire. We can expect Modiji to return to Ayodhya every now and then to make sure that Jawaharlal Nehru’s ghost doesn’t turn up there to throw the idol into the Sarayu.

Ram Path, Bhakti Path, Dharma Path, and Janmabhoomi Path - all royal pathways – have been constructed connecting various places around Ayodhya to the temple. The Ayodhya Dham railway station is a resplendent monument now, carrying more religious fervour than harried passengers. The Maharshi Valmiki International Airport can take Infant Rama on frequent foreign tours that his earthly custodian is particularly fond of. The first wax museum dedicated solely to Rama and his family is set up in Ayodhya.

Ayodhya towers now like a rehearsed myth, stone recalling scripture, streets making room for eternity, and pillars repeating devotion with architectural certainty. The Sarayu, that wept time and again witnessing manifold tragedies like Rama’s exile and Sita’s fire tests, now flows on older, quieter, watching her city dress itself in scintillating grandeur.

Godse would have loved this city’s macho splendour.

Gandhi would have been amused.

The Rama of the Ramayana was not Gandhi’s God. “My Rama,” he wrote in his journal Harijan, dated 28 April 1946, “is not the son of Dashratha, the King of Ayodhya. He is the eternal, the unborn, the one without a second.” Gandhi’s Rama didn’t need a concrete house. His Rama was the metaphysical god who could only live in people’s hearts. Gandhi’s Rama could never become a mere idol for perfunctory rituals, let alone a vindictive slogan.

Today Rama is not Gandhi’s god but his killer’s notion. Rama is a boundary-marker now. Ours vs theirs. Gandhi’s spirituality is now reduced to cultural assertion. God is a justification now, not the kind of restraint that Gandhi demanded.

Rama has been emptied of his essential goodness and projected as a cultural warrior whose demeanour displays hubris and grievance. Hubris and grievance make up a deadly cocktail.

Rama has nothing to do with spirituality today. Genuine spirituality accepts doubts, suffering, and ambiguity. Cultural hubris claims ownership over God, history and nation.

When God becomes a possession, violence becomes a form of worship.

Gandhi died with Rama’s name on his lips. Godse killed in Rama’s name.

Godse’s descendants rule the country today.

Illustration by GeminiAI

PS. Tomorrow, 30 Jan, is Gandhi’s death anniversary.