The Gita according to Gandhi 161

The Gita according to Gandhi -Mahadev Desai

VII. SOME CONTROVERSIES I fear I shall be charged with having tarried unnecessarily long over questions and controversies raised by Western critics, and with having ignored those which have raged here. In the nature of the case, I could, not ignore the former, for the readers of die book are likely to be familiar more with them than the latter. As regards these latter, it may be worthwhile noticing a few broad aspects here, Only so far as they have a bearing, on the teaching of the Gita. We need not go into the philosophical: controversies of an earlier age which have little practical value today, but it is necessary to refer to the points at issue between Shankaracharya and Lokamanya Tilak. The Lokamanya entirely accepts the philosophical position of the great Acharya, but finds fault with him for placing an excessive emphasis .on jnana and for having subtly but, in his opinion, unsuccessfully,, argued away the necessity for action on the part of the man who has attained jnana.