Mexican Arjuna - Francisco Madero

Francisco Madero, who was President of Mexico in the period 1911-13, was a spiritualist since his younger days seeking wisdom from many sources including Bhagwat Gita. He wrote articles with a pseudonym Arjuna. In his “Commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita, Madero wrote that the paradox of action-inaction was solved by the key word: duty. “‘Renouncing the fruit of our actions’ should be understood to mean that we should not perform any meritorious action in view of the reward we expect from it but because we consider it to be our duty”. He was inspired by Krishna’s advice, “Hear my words, O prince! in truth I tell you that whoever acts according to dharma [the proper order of the world, the duties of one’s station in life], without desire for the fruit of his action, renounces his action at the same time as he performs it”.

Madero presented himself as a heroic Arjuna in the struggle for democracy, being guided and given courage by the wisdom of Gita. Some of his readers such as Jose Vasconcelos (famous philosopher politician), referred to him as “ Arjuna of Mexico”.

What was Madero's Arjuna dilemma? He was a liberal and progressive fighting against injustice and dictatorship. But the conservatives on the other side who were supporting dictatorship and maintaining their wealth and position were from the same oligarchic families to which he belonged. After becoming President he had dilemmas between punishing and pardoning the conservative conspirators. His choice of pardoning of General Huerta was a fatal mistake. The General turned against him, overthrew him and got him killed.

Madero's commentary on Gita written in 1910 was published in the Mexican Spiritual magazine Helios in 1912, while he was serving as President. It was later reprinted in the Mexican philosopher Jose Vasconcelo’s book “Estudios Indostanicos”.

In a letter to his wife, Madero said that he had come to identify even more with Arjuna, his pseudonym, and went on: I have the feeling that my life is not in danger. But if something happens, I will go to my grave satisfied that I have done my duty. I send you my Bhagavad Gita. Guard it carefully along with the notes I drew from it. 

In 1911, Madero changed his pseudonynm to “Bhima” and wrote a Spiritualist Manual in which he discussed politics purely as a product of morality: “There can be no doubt that if all good men were to cast off their egoism and get involved in public affairs, the people would be governed wisely and the most worthy and virtuous men would be those occupying the highest posts”.

In 1913, President Madero was overthrown in a military coup in which the American ambassador Henry Lane Wilson had a crucial role. While being taken to jail, he was assassinated. An unconfirmed legend says that when he left the Presidential Palace, Madero was carrying his “Commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita.” 

Madero is known in Mexican history as “ the apostle of democracy” who put an end to the long dictatorship of President Porfirio Dias from 1877 to 1911.  When Madero stood in the 1910 elections against Diaz, he was arrested and put in jail. Madero escaped from the prison to US and lead a succcessful uprising against the fraudulent election of Diaz who was forced to resign in May 2011.  Madero won the October 2011 election and became the youngest president, at the age of 38. 

Madero was an unusual politician. Born in one of the five wealthiest families, he got education from US and France. He had studied courses in agriculture and in business management. He was a benign and enlightened landlord, businessman and philonthrophist. He was the first Mexican President to legalize labour unions and the right to strikes. He took to spiritualism and heard the voices including those of his dead brother. He was a vegetarian and teetotaler. He practised homeopathy.

This Mexican connection to Mahabharat is brought out in the book “ Mexico: Biography of power” written by the Mexican scholar Enrique Krauze.