The philosopher Madhusudhan Ojha once defined himsa (violence) as a "constant attempt to limit". This thought underlies this book. What is the source of violence? Violence is an attempt to artificially limit the Self that by its very nature is abundant and multitudinous. It is a way of securing boundaries. If these boundaries dissolve, you will have done away with the primary source of violence. Violence will not be required as there are no boundaries to be maintained. Egoism does not mean selfishness; it means rather that we think of oneself as one thing rather than another. Overcoming the ego is not simple altruism in the conventional sense. It is an openness to all creation; violence is the very antithesis of that openness.
Gandhi articulates the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and Advaita with profundity. The book will not convince most of us, still prisoners of the ego, captivated by boundaries. But it’s a tremendous tribute to the epiphanic power of art, its potential to represent complex existential truths. Even those not yet redeemed by the divine touch will come away wishing for a way to overcome their selves.
