*2.1. Elements of the Letter to Schlesin*

In his answer, Gandhi agreed with Sonja Schlesin's argument that "karma and the cross" could go together and referred to his own reading of Jesus' words in Mt 5:22: "But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother *without a cause* shall be in danger of the judgment" (KJV). Gandhi rejected the redundant part "without a cause" because it weakened the power of the saying, demonstrating the lens through which he read the Sermon on the Mount. He found his position confirmed by others' translations.1

After providing this example, Gandhi reflected generally on the approach of scriptures. The concepts of reason, *ahim. sa¯*, and truth mentioned in the Schlesin letter have been widely described and analysed. Therefore, I highlight here only the elements important for Gandhi's use of scriptures.

#### 2.1.1. Reason

Though the use of the historically heavily loaded concept of "reason" asks for a clear definition, it did not work for Gandhi in this way. Asked once about his authority to use scriptures from various religions, he pointed to his breast, saying, "it lies here." Reason accompanied by morality and conscience is not an abstract concept above time and place. Its clarifying and correctional function can only be demonstrated in concrete situations where religions employ their scriptures to establish and sanction practices that have been used for social abuse. Consequently, he argued that the Vedas ought not to be employed to legitimise untouchability (Gandhi 1958–1994, vol. 19, p. 243), the Qur'an to legitimise stoning (Gandhi 1958–1994, vol. 26, p. 202), and the *Manusmriti* to legitimise the subordinate role of women in relation to their husbands (Gandhi 1958–1994, vol. 64, p. 85). In the first case, Gandhi used key concepts of the Vedas, such as purity, truth, innocence, chastity, and humility, as counterarguments. In the second case, he observed that the supposed crime and the Quranic stipulations did not match and, even more important, that the historical distance between the time of the Prophet and the present called for reconsideration: "reason and heart refuse to reconcile themselves to torture." When scriptures ask for general assent, they should be submitted "to the acid test of reason and universal justice" (Gandhi 1958– 1994, vol. 26, p. 202). In the third case, Gandhi argued that the *Smritis* also contain texts "which give woman her due place and regard her with deep veneration." He admitted that there were conflicting texts indeed and proposed, like a 20th-century Marcion, a cleansing of scriptures to expurgate "all the texts that have no moral value or are contrary to the fundamentals of religions and morality" (Gandhi 1958–1994, vol. 64, p. 85).

Nevertheless, even in combination with morality and conscience, reason was not Gandhi's ultimate criterion. He was aware of its limitations. Reason turned into rationalism "is a hideous monster when it claims for itself omnipotence" (Gandhi 1958–1994, vol. 31, p. 496). Therefore, directly after his statement that scripture cannot supersede reason, Gandhi delivered the following caveat: "There are things in faith where reason has no place, e.g., the existence of God" (Gandhi 1958–1994, vol. 64, p. 75). Faith as "the Rock of Ages" transcends reason. Temptation, e.g., is an area for which reason does not apply. Neither

is there an absolute morality above time and place. However, there is a relative morality for knowing what to do in the present situation (Gandhi 1958–1994, vol. 71, p. 46). The role of reason was important to Gandhi, who faced so much unreason in society, politics, scriptures, rituals, traditions, and doctrines. One criterion could be that reason prevails when scriptures, rituals, and traditions harm people. In these cases, they should be ignored or contested. In other cases, where there is no harm, they may be tolerated. In his insightful overview about the practice of Gandhi's use of reason and the interaction between faith and intuition, Nauriya concluded rightly that practice in time and context was the real issue for Gandhi (Nauriya 2020, pp. 98–103).
