The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi : Compiled & Edited by R.K. Prabhu & U. R. Rao

Forewords

FOREWORD TO THE REVISED EDITION It gives me pleasure that a new, revised and enlarged edition of The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, edited by Shri Prabhu and Shri Rao is being published by the Navajivan Trust. The first two editions of the book were very popular and its translations had appeared in several languages. In the new edition, Gandhiji’s thoughts in the last few years of his life have been incorporated. Thus the book has been brought uptodatc. “Who, indeed, can claim to know the mind of the Great?” is a famous saying of the Poet Bhavabhuti. Gandhiji was a great man; nevertheless, he had laid bare his mind in its fullness before the world. For his part, he had permitted no secrecy. Even so, I must confess, the last ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 1, Chapter 1 : Of Myself: Neither Saint Nor S...

I. OF MYSELF 01. NEITHER SAINT, NOR SINNER I THINK that the word ‘saint’ should be ruled out of present life. It is too sacred a word to be lightly applied to anybody, much less to one like myself who claims only to be a humble searcher after Truth, knows his limitations, makes mistakes, never hesitates to admit them when he makes them, and frankly confesses that he, like a scientist, is making experiments about some ‘of the eternal verities’ of life, but cannot even claim to be a scientist because he can show no tangible proof of scientific accuracy in his methods or such tangible results of his experiments as modern science demands. (YI, 12-5-1920, p2) To clothe me with sainthood is too early even if it i... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 1, Chapter 2 : Of Myself: My Mahatmaship

02. MY MAHATMASHIP No Mahatma I DO not feel like being one [a Mahatma]. But I do know that I am among the humblest of God’s creatures. ( YI, 27-10-1921, p.342) Often the title has deeply pained me; and there is not a moment I can recall when it may be said to have tickled me. (A, p. xiv) My Mahatma ship is worthless. It is due to my outward activities, due to my politics which is the least part of me and is, therefore, evanescent. What is of abiding worth is my insistence on truth, nonviolence and brahmacharya which is the real part of me. That part of me, however small, is not to be despised. It is my all. I prize even the failures and disillusionment’s which are but steps towards success. (YI, 25-12-1926, pp78-79) The... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 1, Chapter 3 : Of Myself: I Know the Path

03. I KNOW THE PATH I know the path. It is straight and narrow. It is like the edge of a sword. I rejoice to walk on it. I weep when I slip. God’s word is: ‘He who strives never perishes.’ I have implicit faith in that promise. Though, therefore, from my weakness I fail a thousand times, I will not lose faith, but hope that I shall see the Light when the flesh has been brought under perfect subjection, as some day it must. (YI, 17-6-1926, p215) My soul refuses to be satisfied so long as it is a helpless witness of a single wrong or a single misery. But it is not possible for me, a weak, frail, miserable being, to mend every wrong or to hold myself free of blame for all the wrong I see. The spirit in me pulls one way, ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 1, Chapter 4 : Of Myself: My Mission

04. MY MISSION I AM not a visionary. I claim to be a practical idealist. The religion of nonviolence is not meant merely for the rishis and saints. It is meant for the common people as well. Nonviolence is the law of our species as violence is the law of the brute. The spirit lies dormant in the brute and he knows no law but that of physical might. The dignity of man requires obedience to a higher law-to the strength of the spirit. (YI, 11-8-1920, p3) There are more instances than one in my public life when, with the ability to retaliate, I have refrained from doing so and advised friends to do likewise. My life is dedicated to the spread of that doctrine. I read it in the teachings of all the greatest teachers of the world-Zoroaster, M... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 1, Chapter 5 : Of Myself: The Inner Voice

05. THE INNER VOICE There come to us moments in life when about some things we need no proof from without. A little voice within us tells us, ‘You are on the right track, move neither to your left nor right, but keep to the straight and narrow way. (L, 25-12-1916) There are moments in your life when you must act, even though you cannot carry your best friends with you. The ‘still small voice’ within you must always be the final arbiter when there is a conflict of duty. (YI, 4-8-1920, p3) Having made a ceaseless effort to attain self-purification, I have developed some little capacity to hear correctly and clearly the ‘still small voice within’. (EF, p34) I shall lose my usefulness the moment I stifle the ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 1, Chapter 6 : Of Myself: My Fasts

06. MY FASTS MY RELIGION teaches me that, whenever there is distress which one cannot remove, one must fast and pray. (YI, 25-9-1924, p. 319) They [fasts] are a part of my being. I can as well do without my eyes, for instance, as I can without fasts. What the eyes are for the outer world, fasts are for the inner. (YI, 3-12-1925, p. 422) Higher Dictate I am not responsible for these fasts. I do not undertake them for my amusement. I would not torture the flesh for the love of fame. Though I bear joyfully the pangs of hunger and many other discomforts of fasting, let no one imagine that I do not suffer. These fasts are bearable only because they are imposed upon me by a higher Power and the capacity to bear the pain also comes from th... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 1, Chapter 7 : Of Myself: My Inconsistencies

07. MY INCONSISTENCIES I DECLINE to be slave to precedents or practice I cannot understand or defend on a moral basis. (YI, 21-7-1921, p228) I must admit my many inconsistencies. But since I am called ‘Mahatma’, I might well endorse Emerson’s saying that ‘Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.’ There is, I fancy, a method in my inconsistencies. In my opinion, there is a consistency running through my seeming inconsistencies, as in Nature there is unity running through seeming diversity. (YI, 13-2-1930, p52) Friends who know me have certified that I am as much a moderate as I am an extremist and as much a conservative as I am a radical. Hence, perhaps, my good fortune to have friends among th... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 1, Chapter 8 : Of Myself: My Writings

08. MY WRITINGS MY HESITANCY in speech, which was once an annoyance, is now a pleasure. Its greatest benefit has been that it has taught me the economy of words. I have naturally formed the habit of restraining my thoughts. And I can now give myself the certificate that a thoughtless word hardly ever escapes my tongue or pen. I do not recollect ever having had to regret anything in my speech or writing. I have thus been spared many a mishap and waste of time. (A, p45) In the very first month of Indian Opinion, I realized that the sole aim of journalism should be service. The newspaper press is a great power, but just as an unchained torrent of water submerges whole country sides and devastates crops, even so an uncontrolled pen serves b... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 2, Chapter 10 : Truth: The Gospel of Truth

II. TRUTH 09. THE GOSPEL OF TRUTH WHAT…is Truth? A difficult question; but I have solved it for myself by saying that it is what the voice within tells you. How then, you ask, [do] different people think of different and contrary truths? Well, seeing that the human mind works through innumerable media and that the evolution of the human mind is not the same for all, it follows that what may be truth for one may be untruth for another, and hence those who have made these experiments have come to the conclusion that there are certain conditions to be observed in making those experiments… It is because we have at the present moment everybody claiming the right of conscience without going through any discipline whatsoever, ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 2, Chapter 11 : Truth: Truth Is God

10. TRUTH IS GOD God Is THERE IS an indefinable mysterious Power that pervades everything. I feel it, though I do not see it. It is this unseen Power which makes itself felt and yet defies all proof, because it is so unlike all that I perceive through my senses. It transcends the senses. But it is possible to reason out the existence of God to a limited extent. I do dimly perceive that whilst everything around me is ever changing, ever-dying, there is underlying all that change a Living Power that is changeless, that holds all together, that creates, dissolves, and recreates. That informing Power or Spirit is God. And since nothing else I see merely through the senses can or will persist, He alone is. And is this Power benevolent or... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 2, Chapter 11 : Truth: Inwardness of Art

11. TRUTH AND BEAUTY Inwardness of Art THERE ARE two aspects of things — the outward and the inward….The outward has no meaning except in so far as it helps the inward. All true Art is thus an expression of the soul. The outward forms have value only in so far as they are the expression of the inner spirit of man. (YI, 13-11-1924, p.377) I know that many call themselves artists, and are recognized as such, and yet in their works there is absolutely no trace of the soul’s upward urge and unrest. (ibid) All true Art must help the soul to realize its inner self. In my own case, I find that I can do entirely without external forms in my soul’s realization. I can claim, therefore, that there is truly efficient Ar... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 3, Chapter 12 : Fearlessness: The Gospel of Fe...

III. FEARLESSNESS 12. THE GOSPEL OF FEARLESSNESS FEARLESSNESS IS the first requisite of spirituality. Cowards can never be moral. (YI, 13-10-1921, p. 323) Where there is fear there is no religion. (YI, 2-9-1926, p. 308) Every reader of the Gita is aware that fearlessness heads the list of the Divine Attributes enumerated in the 16th Chapter. Whether this is merely due to the exigencies of meter, or whether the pride of place has been deliberately yielded to fearlessness is more than I can say. In my opinion, however, fearlessness richly deserves the first rank assigned to it there, perhaps, by accident. Fearlessness is a sine qua non for the growth of the other noble qualities. How can one seek truth or cherish Love without fearles... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 4, Chapter 13 : Faith: The Gospel of Faith

IV. FAITH 13. THE GOSPEL OF FAITH IT IS faith that steers us through stormy seas, faith that moves mountains and faith that jumps across the ocean. That faith is nothing but a living, wide-awake consciousness of God within. He who has achieved that faith wants nothing. Bodily diseased, he is spiritually healthy; physically poor, he rolls in spiritual riches. (YI, 24-9-1925, p. 331) Without faith this world would come to naught in a moment. True faith is appropriation of the reasoned experience of people whom we believe to have lived a life purified by prayer and penance. Belief, therefore, in prophets or incarnations who have lived in remote ages is not an idle superstition but a satisfaction of an inmost spiritual want. (YI, 14-4-19... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 4, Chapter 14 : Faith: The Meaning of God

14. THE MEANING OF GOD Law-giver and Law GOD MAY be called by any other name so long as it connotes the living Law of Life-in other words, the Law and the Law-giver rolled into one. (H, 14-4-1946, p80) God Himself is both the Law and the Law-giver. The question of anyone creating Him, therefore, does not arise, least of all by an insignificant creature such as man. Man can build a dam, but he cannot create a river. He can manufacture a chair, but it is beyond him to make the wood. He can, however, picture God in his mind in many ways. But how can man who is unable to create even a river or wood create God? That God has created man is, therefore, the pure truth. The contrary is an illusion. However, anyone may, if he likes, say that G... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 4, Chapter 15 : Faith: Ranamana

15. RAMANAMA My Savior THOUGH MY reason and heart long ago realized the highest attribute and name of God as Truth, I recognize Truth by the name of Rama. In the darkest hour of my trial, that one name has saved me and is still saving me. It may be the association of childhood, it may be the fascination that Tulsidas has wrought on me. But the potent fact is there, and as I write these lines, my memory revives the scenes of my childhood, when I used daily to visit the Ramji Mandir adjacent to my ancestral home. My Rama then resided there. He saved me from many fears and sins. It was no superstition for me. The custodian of the idol may have been a bad man. I know nothing against him. Misdeeds might have gone on in the temple. Again I... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 4, Chapter 16 : Faith: Prayer The Food of My S...

16. PRAYER THE FOOD OF MY SOUL I CLAIM to be a man of faith and prayer, and even if I were cut to pieces, I trust God would give me the strength not to deny Him and to assert that He is. (YI, 8-12-1927, p413) No act of mine is done without prayer. Man is a fallible being. He can never be sure of his steps. What he may regard as answer to prayer may be an echo of his pride. For infallible guidance man has to have a perfectly innocent heart incapable of evil. I can lay no such claim. Mine is a struggling, striving, erring, imperfect soul. (YI, 25-9-1924, p313) Even if I am killed, I will not give up repeating the names of Rama and Rahim, which mean to me the same God. With these names on my lips, I will die cheerfully. (H, 20-4-1947, p11... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 4, Chapter 17 : Faith: All-embracing

17. MY HINDUISM IS NOT EXCLUSIVE All-embracing FOR ME Hinduism is all-sufficing. Every variety of belief finds protection under its ample folk. (SW, p329) I can no more describe my feelings for Hinduism than for my own wife. She moves me as no other woman in the world can. Not that she has no faults; I dare say she has many more than I see myself. But the feeling of an indescribable bond is there. Even so I feel for and about Hinduism with all its faults and limitations. (YI, 6-10-1921, p318) ...Hinduism is not an exclusive religion. In it there is room for the worship of all the prophets in the world. It is not a missionary religion in the ordinary sense of the term. It has no doubt absorbed many tribes in its fold, but this absorp... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 4, Chapter 18 : Faith: Religion and Politics

18. RELIGION AND POLITICS Life an Integral Whole I CLAIM that human mind or human society is not divided into watertight compartments called social, political and religious. All act and react upon one another. (YI, 2-3-1922, p. 131) Human life being an undivided whole, no line can ever be drawn between its different compartments, not between ethics and politics. A trader who earns his wealth by deception only succeeds in deceiving himself when he thinks that his sins can be washed away by spending some amount of his ill-gotten gains on the so-called religious purposes. One’s everyday life is never capable of being separated from one’s spiritual being. Both act and react upon one another. (H, 30-3-1947, p. 85) The politic... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 4, Chapter 19 : Faith: Temples and Idolatry

19. TEMPLES AND IDOLATRY Character of Idolatry I DO NOT disbelieve in idol worship. An idol does not excite any feeling of veneration in me. But I think that idol worship is part of human nature. We hanker after symbolism. Why should one be more composed in a church than elsewhere? Images are an aid to worship. No Hindu considers an image to be God. I do not consider idol worship a sin. (YI, 6-10-1921, p318) I am both an idolater and an iconoclast in what I conceive to be the true sense of the terms. I value the spirit behind idol worship. It plays a most important part in the uplift of the human race... I am an iconoclast in the sense that I break down the subtle form of idolatry in the shape of fanaticism that refuses to see any vi... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 4, Chapter 20 : Faith: The Curse of Untouchabi...

20. THE CURSE OF UNTOUCHABILITY I DO NOT want to be reborn. But if I have to be reborn, I should be born an untouchable, so that I may share their sorrows, sufferings, and the affronts leveled at them, in order that I may endeavor to free myself and them from that miserable condition. I, therefore, prayed that, if I should be born again, I should do so not as a Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya or Shudra, but as an Atishudra. (YI, 4-5-1921, p144) I was wedded to the work for the extinction of ‘untouchability’ long before I was wedded to my wife. There were two occasions in our joint life when there was choice between working for the untouchables and remaining with my wife and I would have preferred the first. But thanks to my good... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 5, Chapter 21 : Nonviolence: The Gospel of Non...

V. NONVIOLENCE 21. THE GOSPEL OF NONVIOLENCE The Law of Our Species I am not a visionary. I claim to be a practical idealist. The religion of nonviolence is not meant merely for the rishis and saints. It is meant for the common people as well. Nonviolence is the law of our species as violence is the law of the brute. The spirit lies dormant in the brute and he knows no law but that of physical might. The dignity of man requires obedience to a higher law-to the strength of the spirit.... The rishis who discovered the law of nonviolence in the midst of violence were greater geniuses than Newton. They were themselves known the use of arms, they realized their uselessness, and taught a weary world that its salvation lay not through vi... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 5, Chapter 22 : Nonviolence: The Power of Non-...

22. THE POWER OF NONVIOLENCE NONVIOLENCE IN its dynamic condition means conscious suffering. It does not mean meek submission to the will of the evil-doer, but it means the pitting of one’s whole soul against the will of the tyrant. Working under this law of our being, it is possible for a single individual to defy the whole might of an unjust empire to save his honor, his religion, his soul and lay the foundation for that empire’s fall or its regeneration. (YI, 1-8-1920, p3) Active Force The nonviolence of my conception is a more active and more real fighting against wickedness than retaliation whose very nature is to increase wickedness. I contemplate a mental and, therefore, a moral opposition to immoralities. I seek e... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 5, Chapter 23 : Nonviolence: Training for Non-...

23. TRAINING FOR NONVIOLENCE “HOW ARE we to train individuals or communities in this difficult art?” There is no royal road, except through living the creed in your life which must be a living sermon. Of course, the expression in one’s own life presupposes great study, tremendous perseverance, and thorough cleansing of one’s self of all the impurities. If for mastering of the physical sciences you have to devote a whole life-time, how many life-times may be needed for mastering the greatest spiritual force that mankind has known? But why worry even if it means several life-times? For, if this is the only permanent thing in life, if this is the only thing that counts, then whatever effort you bestow on mastering i... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 5, Chapter 24 : Nonviolence: Application of No...

24. APPLICATION OF NONVIOLENCE IF ONE does not practice nonviolence in one’s personal relations with others, and hopes to use it in bigger affairs, one is vastly mistaken. Nonviolence like charity must begin at home. But if it is necessary for the individual to be trained in nonviolence, it is even more necessary for the nation to be trained likewise. One cannot be nonviolent in one’s own circle and violent outside it. Or else, one is not truly nonviolent even in one’s own circle; often the nonviolence is only in appearance. It is only when you meet with resistance, as for instance, when a thief or a murderer appears, that your nonviolence is put on its trail. You either try or should try to oppose the thief with his o... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 5, Chapter 25 : Nonviolence: The Non-Violent S...

25. THE NONVIOLENT SOCIETY I HOLD that nonviolence is not merely a personal virtue. It is also a social virtue to be cultivated like the other virtues. Surely society is largely regulated by the expression of nonviolence in its mutual dealings. What I ask for is an extension of it on a larger, national and international scale. (H, 7-1-1939, p417) All society is held together by nonviolence, even as the earth is held in her position by gravitation. But when the law of gravitation was discovered, the discovery yielded results of which our ancestors had no knowledge. Even so, when society is deliberately constructed in accordance with the law of nonviolence, its structure will be different in material particulars from what it is today. But... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 5, Chapter 26 : Nonviolence: The Non-Violent S...

26. THE NONVIOLENT STATE MANY HAVE shaken their heads as they have said, “But you can’t teach nonviolence to the masses. It is only possible for individuals and that too in rare cases.” That is, in my opinion, a gross self-deception. If mankind was not habitually nonviolent, it would have been self-destroyed ages ago. But in the duel between forces of violence and nonviolence, the latter have always come out victorious in the end. The truth is that we have not had patience enough to wait and apply ourselves whole-heartedly to the spread of nonviolence among the people as a means for political ends. (YI, 2-1-1930, p4) Political Power To me political power is not an end but one of the means of enabling people to bett... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 5, Chapter 27 : Nonviolence: Violence and Terr...

27. VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM MY EXPERIENCE teaches me that truth can never be propagated by doing violence. Those who believe in the justice of their cause have need to possess boundless patience and those alone are fit to offer civil disobedience who are above committing criminal disobedience or doing violence. (YI, 28-4-1920, p. 8) Popular Violence If I can have nothing to do with the organized violence of the Government, I can have less to do with the unorganized violence of the people. I would prefer to be crushed between the two. (YI, 24-11-1921, p. 382) For me popular violence is as much an obstruction in our path as the Government violence. Indeed, I can combat the Government violence more successfully than the popular. For one... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 5, Chapter 28 : Nonviolence: Between Cowardice...

28. BETWEEN COWARDICE AND VIOLENCE I WOULD risk violence a thousand times rather than risk the emasculation of a whole race. (YI, 4-8-1920, p5) Violence the Choice I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence....I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honor than that she should, in a cowardly manner, become or remain a helpless witness to her own dishonor. But I believe that nonviolence is infinitely superior to violence, forgiveness is more manly than punishment. Forgiveness adorns a soldier...But abstinence is forgiveness only when there is the power to punish; it is meaningless when it pretends to proceed from a helpless creature.... But I do not ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 5, Chapter 29 : Nonviolence: Resistance to Agg...

29. RESISTANCE TO AGGRESSION I MUST live. I would not be a vassal to any nation or body. I must have absolute independence or perish. To seek to win in a clash of arms would be pure bravado. Not so if, in defying the might of one who would deprive me of my independence, I refuse to obey his will and perish unarmed in the attempt. In so doing, though I lose the body, I save my soul, i.e., my honor. (H, 15-10-1938, p290) Duty of Resistance The true democrat is he who with purely nonviolent means defends his liberty and therefore, his country’s and ultimately, that of the whole of mankind...But the duty of resistance accrues only to those who believe in nonviolence as a creed-not to those who will calculate and will examine the me... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 5, Chapter 30 : Nonviolence: The Choice Before...

30. THE CHOICE BEFORE INDIA I AM not pleading for India to practice nonviolence because it is weak. I want her to practice nonviolence being conscious of her strength and power. No training in arms is required for realization of her strength. We seem to need it because we seem to think that we are a lump of flesh. (YI, 11-8-1920, p3) India has to make her choice. She may try, if she wishes, the way of war and sink lower than she has....If India can possibly gain her freedom by war, her state will be no better and will be, probably, much worse than that of France or England.... The Way of Peace But the way of peace is open to her. Her freedom is assured if she has patience. That way will be found to be the shortest even though it may... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 5, Chapter 31 : Nonviolence: India and the Non...

31. INDIA AND THE NONVIOLENT WAY WHILE I admit my impotency regarding the spread of the ahimsa of the brave and the strong, as distinguished from that of the weak, the admission is not meant to imply that I do not know how she inestimable virtue is to be cultivated....It is truer (if it is a fact) to say that India is not ready for the lesson of the ahimsa of the strong than that no program has been devised for the teaching. It will be perfectly just to say that the program....for the ahimsa of the strong is not as attractive as that devised for the nonviolence of the weak has proved to be. (H, 29-6-1947, pp209-10) Mere Passive Resistance Passive resistance, unlike nonviolence, has no power to change men’s hearts....What is to ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 5, Chapter 32 : Nonviolence: India and the Vio...

32. INDIA AND THE VIOLENT WAY IF INDIA takes up the doctrine of the sword, she may gain momentary victory. Then India will cease to be the pride of my heart. I am wedded to India because I owe my all to her. I believe absolutely that she has a mission for the world. She is not to copy Europe blindly. India’s acceptance of the doctrine of the sword will be the hour of my trial. I hope I shall not be found wanting. My religion has no geographical limits. If I have a living faith in it, it will transcend my love for India herself. My life is dedicated to service of India through the religion of nonviolence.... (YI, 11-8-1920, p4) If India makes violence her creed, and I have survived, I would not care to live in India. She will ceas... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 6, Chapter 33 : Satyagraha: The Gospel of Saty...

VI. SATYAGRAHA 33. THE GOSPEL OF SATYAGRAHA Passive Resistance PASSIVE RESISTANCE is an all-sided sword; it can be used anyhow; it blesses him who uses it and him against whom it is used. Without drawing a drop of blood it produces far-reaching results. It never rusts and cannot be stolen. (Hs, p. 82) I am quite sure that the stoniest heart will be melted by passive resistance...This is a sovereign and most effective remedy...It is a weapon of the purest type. It is not the weapon of the weak. It needs far greater courage to be a passive resister than a physical resister. It is the courage of a Jesus, a Daniel, a Crammer, a Latimer and a Ridley who could go calmly to suffering and death, and the courage of a Tolstoy who dared to d... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 6, Chapter 34 : Satyagraha: Victory of Satyagr...

34. POWER OF SATYAGRAHA Victory of Satyagraha ………..A CLEAR victory of Satyagraha is impossible so long as there is ill-will. But those who believe themselves to be weak are incapable of loving. Let, then, our first act every morning be to make the following resolve for the day: ‘I shall not fear any one on earth. I shall fear God only; I shall not bear ill-will towards any one. I shall not submit to injustice from any one. I shall conquer untruth by truth and in resisting untruth I shall put up with all suffering. (SL NO. 14, 4-5-1919) There is no time-limit for a Satyagrahi nor is there a limit to his capacity for suffering. Hence there is no such thing as defeat in Satyagraha. (YI, 19-2-1925, p. 61) It i... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 6, Chapter 35 : Satyagraha: Non-Co-Operation

35. NON-COOPERATION NON-CO-OPERATIONS is an attempt to awaken the masses to a sense of their dignity and power. This can only be by enabling them to realize that they need not fear brute force if they would but know the soul within. (YI, 1-12-1920, p. 3) Non-cooperation is a protest against an unwitting and unwilling participation in evil....Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as cooperation with good. (YI, 1-6-1921, p. 172) Non-cooperation is not a passive state, it is an intensively active state, more active than physical resistance or violence. Passive resistance is a misnomer. Non-cooperation in the sense used by me must be nonviolent and therefore, neither punitive nor based on malice, ill-will or hatred. (YI, 25-8-1920, p... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 6, Chapter 36 : Satyagraha: Fasting and Satyag...

36. FASTING AND SATYAGRAHA Weapon of Satyagraha FASTING is a potent weapon in the Satyagraha armory. It cannot be taken by everyone. Mere physical capacity to take it is no qualification for it. It is of no use without a living faith in God. It should never be a mechanical effort or a mere limitation. It must come from the depth of one’s soul. It is, therefore, always rare. (H, 18-3-1939, p. 56) There can be no room for selfishness, anger, lack of faith or impatience in a pure fast....Infinite patience, firm resolve, single-mindedness of purpose, perfect calm, and no anger must of necessity be there. But since it is impossible for a person to develop all these qualities all at once, no one who has not devoted himself to followi... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 7, Chapter 37 : Non-Possession: The Gospel of ...

VII. NON-POSSESSION 37. THE GOSPEL OF NON-POSSESSION Key to Service WHEN I found myself drawn into the political coil, I asked myself what was necessary for me in order to remain absolute untouched by immorality, by untruth, by what is known as political gain... it was a difficult struggle in the beginning and it was wrestle with my wife and-as I can vividly recall-with my children also. But be that as it may, I came definitely to the conclusion that, if I had to serve the people in whose midst my life was cast and of whose difficulties I was a witness from day to day, I must discard all wealth, all possession.... I cannot tell you with truth that, when this belief came to me, I discarded everything immediately. I must confess to ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 7, Chapter 38 : Non-Possession: Avoidance of S...

38. POVERTY AND RICHES Avoidance of Strife I cannot picture to myself a time when no man shall be richer than another. But I do picture to myself a time when the rich will spurn to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor and the poor will cease to envy the rich. Even in a most perfect world, we shall fail to avoid inequalities, but we can and must avoid strife and bitterness. (YI, 7-10-1926, p. 348) I have heard many of our countrymen say that we will gain American wealth, but avoid its methods. I venture to suggest that such an attempt, if it were made, is foredoomed to failure. We cannot be ‘wise, temperate and furious’ in a moment. (SW, pp. 353–4) Every palace that one sees in India is a demonstration, not ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 7, Chapter 39 : Non-Possession: Daridranarayan

39. DARIDRANARAYAN God of the Poor DARIDRANARAYAN IS one of the millions of names by which humanity knows God who is unnamable and unfathomable by human understanding, and it means God of the poor, God appearing in the hearts of the poor. (YI, 4-4-1929, p. 110) For the poor the economic is the spiritual. You cannot make any other appeal to those starving millions. It will fall flat on them. But you take food to them and they will regard you as their God. They are incapable of any other thought. (YI, 5-5-1927, p. 142) With this very hand I have collected soiled pies from them, and tied tightly in their rags. Talk to them of modern progress. Insult them by taking the name of God before them in vain. They will call you and me friends i... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 8, Chapter 40 : Labor: The Gospel of Bread Lab...

VIII. LABOR 40. THE GOSPEL OF BREAD LABOR Divine Law GOD CREATED man to work for his food, and said that those who ate without work were thieves. (YI, 13-10-1921, p. 325) The great Nature has intended us to earn our bread in the sweat of our brow. Every one, therefore, who idles away a single minute becomes to that extent a burden upon his neighbors, and to do so is to commit a breach of the very first lesson of ahimsa. Ahimsa is nothing if not a well-balance, exquisite consideration for one’s neighbor, and an idle man is wanting in that elementary consideration. (YI, 11-4-1929, p. 144–15) The law, that to live man must work, first came home to me upon reading Tolstoy’s writing on bread labor. But, even before t... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 8, Chapter 41 : Labor: Labor and Capital

41. LABOR AND CAPITAL Harmony of Relations I HAVE always said that my ideal is that capital and labor should supplement and help each other. They should be a great family living in unity and harmony, capital not only looking to the material welfare of the laborers, but their moral welfare also-capitalists being trustees for the welfare of the laboring classes under them. (YI, 20-8-1925, p. 285) I do not fight shy of capital. I fight capitalism. The West teaches one to avoid concentration of capital, to avoid a racial war in another and deadlier form. Capital and labor need not be antagonistic to each other. (YI, 7-10-1926, p. 348) Conversion of Capitalist …….If I would recognize the fundamental equality, as I must, ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 8, Chapter 42 : Labor: Strikes: Legitimate and...

42. STRIKES : LEGITIMATE AND ILLEGITIMATE Arbitration First I KNOW that strikes are an inherent right of the working men for the purpose of securing justice, but they must be considered a crime immediately the capitalists accept the principle of arbitration. (YI, 5-5-1920, p. 6) Strikes and Politics Strikes are the order of the day. They are a symptom of the existing unrest. All kinds of vague ideas are floating in the air. A vague hope inspires all, and great will be the disappointment if that vague hope does not take definite shape. The labor world in the India, as elsewhere, is at the mercy of those who set up as advisers and guides. The latter are not always scrupulous, and not always wise even when they are scrupulous. The la... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 8, Chapter 43 : Labor: Tiller of the Soil

43. TILLER OF THE SOIL Recognition of the Ryot IF INDIAN society is to make real progress along peaceful lines, there must be a definite recognition on the part of the moneyed class that the ryot possesses the same soul that they do, and that their wealth gives them no superiority over the poor. They must regard themselves, even as the Japanese nobles did, as trustees holding their wealth for the good of their wards, the ryots. Then they would take no more than a reasonable amount as commission for their labors. At present, there is no proportion between the wholly unnecessary pomp and extravagance of the moneyed class and the squalid surroundings and the grinding pauperism of the ryots in whose midst the former are living.... If on... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 8, Chapter 44 : Labor: Choice Before Labor

44. CHOICE BEFORE LABOR TWO PATHS are open before India today, either to introduce the Western principle of “Might is Right” or to uphold the Eastern principle that truth alone conquers, that truth knows no mishap, that the strong and he weak have alike a right to secure justice. The choice is to begin with the laboring class. Should the laborers obtain an increment in their wages by violence, even if that be possible? They cannot resort to anything like violence howsoever legitimate may be their claims. To use violence for securing rights may seem an easy path, but it proves to be thorny in the long run. Those who live by the sword die also by the sword. The swimmer often dies by drowning. Look at Europe. On one seems to b... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 9, Chapter 45 : Sarvodaya: The Gospel of Sarvo...

IX. SARVODAYA 45. THE GOSPEL OF SARVODAYA Unity of Man I DO not believe...that an individual may gain spiritually and those who surround him suffer. I believe in advaita, I believe in the essential unity of man and, for that matter, of all that life’s. Therefore, I believe that if one man gains spiritually, the whole world gains with him and, if one man falls, the whole world falls to that extent. (YI, 4-12-1924, p. 398) I do not believe that the spiritual law works on a field of its own. On the contrary, it expresses itself only through the ordinary activities of life. It thus affects the economic, the social and the political fields. (YI, 3-9-1925, p. 304) If we would serve Him or become one with Him, our activity must be... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 9, Chapter 46 : Sarvodaya: The Philosophy of Y...

46. THE PHILOSOPHY OF YAJNA Meaning of Yajna YAJNA MEANS an act directed to the welfare of others, done without desiring any return for it, whether of a temporal or spiritual nature. ‘Act’ here must be taken in its widest sense, and includes thought and word, as well as deed. ‘Others” embraces not only humanity, but all life.... Again, a primary sacrifice must be an act which conduces the most to the welfare of the greatest number in the widest area, and which can be performed by the largest number of men and women with the least trouble. It will not, therefore, be a yajna, much less a mahayajna, to wish or to do ill to anyone else, even in the order to serve a so-called higher interest. And the Gita teaches a... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 9, Chapter 47 : Sarvodaya: This Satanic Civili...

47. THIS SATANIC CIVILIZATION IT IS my firm belief that Europe today represents not the spirit of God or Christianity but the spirit of Satan. And Satan’s successes are the greatest when he appears with the name of God on his lips. Europe is today only nominally Christian. In reality, it is worshiping Mammon. (YI, 8-9-1920, pp. 2–3) I am not aiming at destroying railways or hospitals, though I would certainly welcome their natural destruction. Neither railways nor hospitals are a test of a high and pure civilization. At best they are a necessary evil. Neither adds one inch to the moral stature of a nation. Nor am I aiming at a permanent destruction of law courts, much as I regard it as a ‘consummation devoutly to be w... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 9, Chapter 48 : Sarvodaya: Man V. Machine

48. MAN V. MACHINE I would not weep over the disappearance of machinery or consider it a calamity. But I have no design upon machinery as such. (YI, 19-1-1921, p. 21) Reinstatement of Man The supreme consideration is man. The machine should not tend to make atrophied the limbs of man. (YI, 13-11-1924, p. 378) I have the conviction within me that, when all these achievements of the machine age will have disappeared, these our handicrafts will remain; when all exploitation will have ceased, service and honest labor will remain. It is because this faith sustains me that I am going on with my work…. Indomitable faith in their work sustained men like Stephenson and Columbus. Faith in my work sustains me. (H, 30-11-1935, p. 329) F... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 9, Chapter 49 : Sarvodaya: The Curse of Indust...

49. THE CURSE OF INDUSTRIALIZATION It is good to have faith in human nature. I live because I have that faith. But that faith does not blind me to the fact of history that, whilst in the ultimate all is well, individuals and groups called nations have before now perished. Rome, Greece, Babylon, Egypt and many others are a standing testimony in proof of the fact that nations have perished before now because of their misdeeds. What may be hoped for is that Europe, on account of her fine and scientific intellect, will realize the obvious and retrace her steps and, from the demoralizing industrialism, she will find a way out. It will not necessarily be a return to the old absolute simplicity. But it will have to be a reorganization in which... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 9, Chapter 50 : Sarvodaya: Socialism

50. SOCIALISM Socialism Real socialism has been handed down to us by our ancestors who taught: ‘All land belongs to Gopal, where then is the boundary line? Man is the maker of that line and he can therefore unmake it.’ Gopal literally means shepherd; it also means God. In modern language it means the State, i.e., the People. That the land today does not belong to the people is too true. But the fault is not in the teaching. It is in us who have not lived up to it. I have no doubt that we can make as good an approach to it as is possible for any nation, not excluding Russia, and that without violence. (H, 2-1-1937, p. 375) No man should have more land than he needs for dignified sustenance. Who can dispute the fact that t... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 9, Chapter 51 : Sarvodaya: A Socialist Pattern...

51. A SOCIALIST PATTERN OF SOCIETY Socialist Order If I can convert the country to my point of view, the social order of the future will be based predominantly on the Charkha and all it implies. It will include everything that promotes the well-being of the villagers. It will not exclude the industries…so long as they do not smother the villages and village life. I do visualize electricity, ship-building, iron works, machine making and the like existing side by side with village handicrafts. But the order of dependence will be reversed. Hitherto the industrialization has been so planned as to destroy the villages and village crafts. In the State of the future, it will sub serve the villages and their crafts. Nonviolent Basis ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 9, Chapter 52 : Sarvodaya: The Communist Creed

52. THE COMMUNIST CREED Basic Issue I do not believe in short violent cuts to success…. However much I may sympathize with and admire worthy motives, I am an uncompromising opponent of violent methods even to serve the noblest of causes. There is, therefore, really no meeting-ground between the school of violence and myself. But my creed of nonviolence not only does not preclude me but compels me even to associate with anarchists and all those who believe in violence. But that association is always with the sole object of weaning them from what appears to me to be their error. For experience convinces me that permanent good can never be the outcome of untruth and violence. Even if my belief is a fond delusion, it will be admit... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 10, Chapter 53 : Trusteeship: The Gospel of Tru...

X. TRUSTEESHIP 53. THE GOSPEL OF TRUSTEESHIP Leveling Up, Down Economic equality is the master key to nonviolent independence. Working for economic equality means abolishing the eternal conflict between capital and labor. It means the leveling down of the few rich in whose hands is concentrated the bulk of the nation’s wealth on the one hand, and the leveling up of the semi-starved naked millions on the other. A nonviolent system of government is clearly an impossibility, so long as the wide gulf between the rich and the hungry millions persists. The contrast between the palaces of New Delhi and the miserable hovels of the poor, laboring class nearby cannot last one day in a free India in which the poor will enjoy the same p... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 10, Chapter 54 : Trusteeship: Non-Violent Econo...

54. NONVIOLENT ECONOMY Economic, Ethics I must confess that I do not draw a sharp or any distinction between economics and ethics. Economics that hurt the moral well-being of an individual or a nation are immoral and, therefore, sinful. Thus the economics that permit one country to prey upon another are immoral. It is sinful to buy and use articles made by sweated labor. (YI, 13-10-1921, p. 325) The economics that disregard moral and sentimental considerations are like wax works that, being life-like, still lack the life of the living flesh. At every crucial moment thus new-fangled economic laws have broken down in practice. And nations or individuals who accept them as guiding maxims must perish. (YI, 27-10-1921, p. 344) That econo... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 10, Chapter 55 : Trusteeship: Economic Equality

55. ECONOMIC EQUALITY Inequalities in intelligence and even opportunity will last till the end of time. A man living on the banks of a river has any day more opportunity of growing crops than one living in an arid desert. But if inequalities stare us in the face, the essential equality too is not to be missed. (YI, 26-3-1931, p. 49) My Idea of Society My idea of society is that while we are born equal, meaning that we have a right to equal opportunities, all have not the same capacity. It is, in the nature of things, impossible. For instance, all cannot have the same height, or color or degree of intelligence, etc.; therefore, in the nature of things, some will have ability to earn more and others less. People with talents will have... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 11, Chapter 56 : Brahmacharya: The Gospel of Br...

XI. BRAHMACHARYA 56. THE GOSPEL OF BRAHMACHARYA Self-restraint Human society is a ceaseless growth, an unfoldment in terms of spirituality. If so, it must be based on ever-increasing restraint upon the demands of the flesh. Thus, marriage must be considered to be a sacrament imposing discipline upon the partners, restricting them to the physical union only among themselves and for the purpose only of procreation when both the partners desire and the prepared for it. (YI, 16-9-1926, p. 324) What chiefly distinguishes man from the beast is that man from his age of discretion begins to practice a life of continual self-restraint. God has enabled man to distinguish between his sister, his, mother, his daughter and his wife. (WGC, p. 8... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 11, Chapter 57 : Brahmacharya: The Marriage Dea...

57. THE MARRIAGE DEAL THE ideal that marriage aims at is that of spiritual union through the physical. The human love that it incarnates is intended to serve as a stepping–stone to divine or universal love. (YI, 21-5-1931, p. 115) Absolute renunciation, absolute brahmacharya, is the ideal state. If you dare not think of it, marry by all means, but even then live a life of self-control. (H, 7-9-1935, p. 234) The idea of absolute brahmacharya or of married brahmacharya is for those who aspire to spiritual or higher life; it is the sine qua non of such life. (H, 5-6-1937, p. 134) Marriage is a natural thing in life, and to consider it derogatory in any sense is wholly wrong….. The idea is to look upon marriage as a sacrament... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 11, Chapter 58 : Brahmacharya: Children

58. CHILDREN IF I am to identify myself with the grief of the least in India, aye, if I have the power, the least in the world, let me identify myself with the sins of the little ones who are under my care. And so doing in all humility, I hope someday to see God-Truth-face to face. (YI, 3-12-1925, p. 422) Character Children inherit the qualities of their parents, no less than their physical features. Environment does play an important part, part, but the original capital on which a child starts life is inherited from its ancestors. I have always seen children successfully surmounting the effect of evil inheritance. That is due to purity being an inherent attribute of the soul. (A, p. 230) Children wrapped up in cotton wool are not a... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 11, Chapter 59 : Brahmacharya: Birth Control

59. BIRTH CONTROL Function of Generation I think it is the height of ignorance to believe that the sexual act is an independent function, necessary like sleeping or eating. The world depends for its existence on the act of generation, and as the world is the playground of God and a reflection of His glory, the act of generation should be controlled for the growth of the world. He who realizes this will control his lust at any cost, equip himself with the knowledge necessary for the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of his progeny, and give the benefit of that knowledge to posterity. (A, p. 148) The union is meant not for pleasure, but for bringing forth progeny and union is a crime when the desire for progeny is absent. (YI, ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 11, Chapter 60 : Brahmacharya: Woman's Status a...

60. WOMAN’S STATUS AND ROLE IN SOCIETY OF ALL the evils for which man has made himself responsible, none is so degrading, so shocking or so brutal as his abuse of the better half of humanity to me, the female sex, not the weaker sex. It is the nobler of the two, for it is even today the embodiment of sacrifice, silent suffering, humility, faith and knowledge. (YI, 15-9-1921, p. 292) Woman must cease to consider herself the object of man’s lust. The remedy is more in her hands than man’s. She must refuse to adorn herself for men, including her husband, if she will be an equal partner with man. I cannot imagine Sita even wasting a single moment on pleasing Rama by physical charms. (YI, 21-7-1921, p. 229) If I was born a... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 11, Chapter 61 : Brahmacharya: Sex Education

61. SEX EDUCATION WHAT PLACE has... instruction in sexual science in our educational system, or has it any place there at all? Sexual science is of two kinds-that which is used for controlling or overcoming the sexual passion, and that which is used to stimulate and feed it. Instruction in the former is as necessary a part of child’s education as the latter is harmful and dangerous and fit therefore only to be shunned. All great religions have rightly regarded kama as the arch-enemy of man, anger or hatred coming only in the second place. According to the Gita, the latter is an offspring of the former. The Gita, of course, uses the word kama in its wider sense of desire. But the same holds good of the narrow sense in which it is us... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 11, Chapter 62 : Brahmacharya: Crimes Against W...

62. CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN Women’s Honor I HAVE always held that it is physically impossible to violate a woman against her will. The outrage takes place only when she gives way to fear or does not realize her moral strength. If she cannot meet the assailant’s physical might, her purity will give her the strength to die before he succeeds in violating her. Take the case of Sita. Physically she was a weakling before Ravana, but her purity was more than a match even for his giant might. He tried to win her with all kinds of allurements, but could not carnally touch her without her own physical strength or upon a weapon she possesses, she is sure to be discomfited whenever her strength is exhausted. (H, 1-9-1940, p. 266) It i... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 11, Chapter 63 : Brahmacharya: The Ashram Vows

63. THE ASHRAM VOWS This is the maxim of life which I have accepted, namely, that no work done by any man, no matter how great he is, will really prosper unless he has religious backing. But what is religion?…. I for one would answer; not the religion which you will get after reading all the scriptures of the world; it is not really a grasp by the brain, but it is a heart grasp. It is a thing which is not alien to us but it is a thing which has to be evolved out of us. It is always within us; with some consciously so; with the other quite unconsciously. But it is [always] there; and whether we wake up this religious instinct in us through outside assistance or by inward growth, no matter how it is done, it has got to be done if we... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 64 : Freedom: The Gospel of Freedom

XII. FREEDOM & DEMOCRACY 64. THE GOSPEL OF FREEDOM THERE IS no such thing as slow freedom. Freedom is like a birth. Till we are fully free, we are slaves. All birth takes place in a moment. (YI, 9-3-1922, p. 148) Gilded Slavery Golden fetter are no less galling to a self-respecting man than iron ones. The sting lies in the fetters, not in the metal. (YI, 6-6-1929, p. 188) To my mind golden shackles are far worse than iron ones, for one easily feels the irksome and galling nature of the latter, and is prone to forget the former. If, therefore, India must be in chains, I would they were of iron rather than of gold or other precious metals. (YI, 16-1-1930, p. 17) Right to Freedom Freedom is not worth having if it does not co... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 65 : Freedom: What Swaraj Means to ...

65. WHAT SWARAJ MEANS TO ME Swaraj for me means freedom for the meanest of our countrymen... I am not interested in freeing India merely from the English yoke. I am bent upon freeing India from any yoke whatsoever. I have no desire to exchange ‘king log for king stork. (YI, 12-6-1924, p. 195) By Swaraj I mean the government of India by the consent of the people as ascertained by the largest number of the adult population, male or female, native-born or domiciled, who have contributed by manual labor to the service of the State and who have taken the trouble of having their names registered as voters. Real Swaraj will come, not by the acquisition of authority by a few, but by the acquisition of the capacity by all to resist author... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 66 : Freedom: I Am Not Anti-British

66. I AM NOT ANTI-BRITISH MY FAITH in human nature is irrepressible and, even under the circumstances of a most adverse character I have found Englishmen amenable to reason and persuasion, and as they always wish to appear to be just even when they are in reality unjust, it is easier to shame them then others into doing the right thing. (YI, 7-1-1920, p. 2) My personal religion… enables me to serve my countrymen without hurting Englishmen or, for that matter, anybody else. What I am not prepared to do to my blood-brother I would not do to an Englishmen. I would not injure him to gain a kingdom. But I would withdraw cooperation from him if it became necessary, as I had withdrawn from my own brother (now deceased) when it became ne... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 67 : Freedom: Ramrajya

67. RAMRAJYA BY RAMARAJYA I do not mean Hindu Raj. I mean by Ramarajya Divine Raj, the Kingdom of God. For me Rama and Rahim are one and the same deity. I acknowledge no other God but the one God of truth and righteousness. Whether Rama of my imagination ever lived or not on this earth, the ancient ideal of Ramarajya is undoubtedly one of true democracy in which the meanest citizen could be sure of swift justice without an elaborate and costly procedure. Even the dog is described by the poet to have received justice under Ramarajya. (YI, 19-9-1929, p. 305) Ramarajya of my dream ensures equal rights alike of prince and pauper. (ABP, 2-8-1934) Definition of Independence By political independence I do not mean an imitation to the Brit... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 68 : Freedom: Kashmir

68. KASHMIR Problem and Solution WHAT IS the situation? It is stated that a rebel army composed of Afridis and the like, ably officered, was advancing towards Srinagar, burning and looting villages along the route, destroying even the electric power house, thus leaving Srinagar in darkness. It is difficult to believe that this entry could take place without some kind of encouragement from the Pakistan Government. I have not enough data to come to a judgment as to the merits of the case. Nor is it necessary for my purpose. All I know is that it was right for the Union Government to rush troops, even a handful, to Srinagar. That must save the situation to the extent of giving confidence to the Kashmiries….. The result is in the ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 69 : Freedom: Foreign Settlements i...

69. FOREIGN SETTLEMENTS IN INDIA (a) GOA Time for Change THE LITTLE Portuguese Settlement which merely exists on the sufferance of the British Government can ill afford to ape its bad manners. In free India, Goa cannot be allowed to exist as a separate entity in opposition to the laws of the free State. Without a shot being fired, the people of Goa will be able to claim and receive the rights of citizenship of the free State. The present Portuguese Government will no longer be able to rely upon the protection of British arms to isolate and keep under subjection the inhabitants of Goa against their will. I would venture to advise the Portuguese Government of Goa to recognize the signs of the times and come to honorable terms with th... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 70 : Freedom: India and Pakistan

70. INDIA AND PAKISTAN Partition Un-Islamic I AM firmly convinced that the Pakistan demand as put forth by the Muslim League is un-Islamic and I have not hesitated to call it sinful. Islam stands for the unity and brotherhood of mankind, not for disrupting the oneness of the human family. Therefore, those who want to divide India into possibly warring groups are enemies alike of India and Islam. (H, 6-10-1946, p. 339) Two-Nations’ Theory Untrue There may be arguable grounds for maintaining that Muslims in India are a separate nation. But I have never heard it said that there are as many nations as there are religions on earth. (H, 11-11-1939, p. 336) The ‘two-nations’ theory is an untruth. The vast majority of M... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 71 : Freedom: India's Mission

71. INDIA’S MISSION Resort to Soul Force I feel that India’s mission is different from that of the others. India if fitted of the religious supremacy of the world. There is no parallel in the world for the process of purification that this country has voluntarily undergone. India is less in need of steel weapons, it has fought with divine weapons; it can still do so. Other nations have been votaries of brute force. The terrible war going on in Europe furnishes a forcible illustration of the truth. India can win all by soul force. History supplies numerous instances to prove that brute force is as nothing before soul force. Poets have sung about it and seers have described their experiences. (SW, p. 405) That Indians are ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 72 : Freedom: Essence of Democracy

72. ESSENCE OF DEMOCRACY The spirit of democracy is not a mechanical thing to be adjusted by abolition of forms. It requires change of the heart….. [It] requires the inculcation of the spirit of brotherhood.... (YI, 8-12-1920, p. 3) Democracy must in essence … mean the art and science of mobilizing the entire physical, economic and spiritual resources of all the various sections of the people in the service of the common good of all. (H, 27-5-1939, p. 143) Discipline The highest form of freedom carries with it the greatest measure of discipline and humility. Freedom that comes from discipline and humility cannot be denied; unbridled license is a sign of vulgarity injurious alike to self and one’s neighbors. (YI, ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 73 : Freedom: The Indian National C...

73. THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS Decay of Congress THE CONGRESS will die a natural and deserved death if and when it substitutes reason and when it substitutes reason and moral influence by GOONDAISM. (H, 18-6-1938, p.149) All that is wanted is the will to clear the Congress of Augean stables. But if the heads of Congress committees are indifferent or supine, the corruption cannot be dealt with.” If the salt loses its savor, wherewith shall it be salted?” (H, 22-10-1938, p. 299) Rome’s decline began long before it fell. The Congress, which has been nursed for over fifty years by the best brains of the country, will not fall at all, if the corruption is handled in time. (H, 28-1-1939, p. 444) Congress and Nonviolen... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 74 : Freedom: Popular Ministries

74. POPULAR MINISTRIES Creation of Ministries It would be decidedly wrong to create minister ships for the sake of conciliating interests. If I was a Prime Minister and I was pestered with such claims, I should tell my electors to choose another leader. These offices have to be held lightly, not tightly. They are or should be crowns of thorns, never of renown. Offices have to be taken in order to see if they enable us to quicken the pace at which we are moving towards our goal. It would be tragic if self-seekers or misguided zealots were allowed to impede the progress by imposing themselves on Prime Ministers. If it was necessary to have assurance from those who have ultimately to clothe ministers with authority, it is doubly necessar... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 75 : Freedom: India of My Dreams

75. INDIA OF MY DREAMS INDIA, BY finding true independence and self-expression through Hindu-Muslim unity and through nonviolent means, i.e., unadulterated self-sacrifice, can point a way out of the prevailing darkness. (YI, 6-10-1920, p. 4) If VOX POPULI is to be VOX DEVI, it must be the voice of honesty, bravery, gentleness, humility and complete self-sacrifice. (YI, 19-11-1925, p. 400) I believe that nothing remains static. Human nature either goes up or goes down. Let us hope in India, it is going up. Otherwise, there is nothing but deluge for India and, probably, for the whole world….. Will a free India present to the world a lesson of peace, or of hatred and violence, of which the world is already sick unto death? (H, 8-6-... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 76 : Freedom: Back to the Village

76. BACK TO THE VILLAGE Real India I HAVE believe and repeated times without number that India is to be found not in its few cities but in its 7,00,000 villages. We town-dwellers have believed that India is to be found in its towns and the villages were created to minister to our needs. We have hardly ever paused to inquire if those poor folk get sufficient to eat and clothe themselves with and whether they have a roof to shelter themselves from sun and rain. (H, 4-4-1936, p. 63) Hitherto the villagers gave died in their thousand so that we might live. Now we might have to die so that they may live. The difference will be fundamental. The former have died unknowingly and involuntarily. Their enforced sacrifice has degraded us. If now... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 77 : Freedom: All-Round Village Ser...

77. ALL-ROUND VILLAGE SERVICE THE REAL India lies in the 7,00,000 villages. If Indian civilization is to make its full contribution to the building up of a stable world order, it is this vast mass of humanity that has….to be made to live again. (H, 27-4-1947, p. 122) We have to tackle the triple malady which holds our villages fast in its grip: (I) want of corporate sanitation; (ii) deficient diet; (iii) inertia ... They [villagers] are not interested in their own welfare. They don’t appreciate modern sanitary methods. They don’t want to exert themselves beyond scratching their farms or doing such labor as they are used to. These difficulties are real and serious. But they must not baffle us… We must have an u... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 78 : Freedom: Panchayat Raj

78. PANCHAYAT RAJ Village Republics INDIA HAS had experience of..... village republics, as they were called by Mayne. I fancy that they were unconsciously governed by nonviolence..... An effort has now to be made to revive them under a deliberate nonviolent plan. (H, 4-8-1940, p. 240) The best, quickest and most efficient way is to build up from the bottom..... Every village has to become a self-sufficient republic. This does not require brave resolutions. It requires brave, corporate, intelligent work..... (H, 18-1-1922, p. 4) Independence must begin at the bottom. Thus, every village will be a republic or Panchayat having full powers. It follows, therefore, that every village has to be self-sustained and capable of managing its af... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 79 : Freedom: Education

79. EDUCATION THE ANCIENT aphorism, ‘Education is that which liberates’ is a true today as it was before. Education here does not mean mere spiritual knowledge, nor does liberation signify only spiritual liberation after death. Knowledge includes all training that is useful for the service of mankind and liberation means freedom from all manner of servitude even in the present life. Servitude is of two kinds: slavery to domination from outside and to one’s own artificial needs. The knowledge acquired in the pursuit of this ideal alone constitutes true study. (H, 10-3-1946, p. 38) Knowledge of Living Today pure water, good earth, fresh air is unknown to us. We do not know the inestimable value of ether and the sun. I... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 80 : Freedom: Linguistic Provinces

80. LINGUISTIC PROVINCES I WAS principally instrumental in securing from the Congress the recognition of the redistribution of the provinces for Congress purposes, on a linguistic basis. I have always agitated for the acceptance by the government of such redistribution. (H, 29-3-1942, p. 97) I believe that the linguistic basis is the correct basis for demarcating provinces. I should not mind two provinces speaking the same language, if they are not contiguous. If Kerala and Karnataka were speaking the same language, I would treat them as two distinct provinces. (H, 19-4-1942, p.118) Provincial Universities I do believe that there should be such universities if…. Rich provincial languages and the people who speak them are to a... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 81 : Freedom: Cow Protection

81. COW PROTECTION Place of the Cow THE COW is a poem of pity. One reads pity in the gentle animal. She is the mother to millions of Indian mankind. Protection of the cow means protection of the whole dumb creation of God. The ancient seer, whoever he was, began with the cow. The appeal of the lower order of creation is all the more forcible because it is speechless. (YI, 6-10-1921, p. 36) …The cow is the purest type of sub-human life. She pleads before us on behalf of the whole of the sub-human species for justice to it at the hands of man, the first among all that lives. She seems to speak to us through her eyes: ‘you are not appointed over us to kill us and eat our flesh or otherwise ill-treat us, but to be our friend... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 82 : Freedom: Co-operative Cattle F...

82. COOPERATIVE CATTLE FARMING IT IS quite impossible for an individual farmer to look after the welfare of his cattle in his own home in a proper and scientific manner. Among other causes, lack of collective effort has been a principal cause of the deterioration of the cow and hence of cattle in general. The world today is moving towards the ideal of collective or cooperative effort in every department of life. Much in this line has been and is being accomplished. It has come into our country also, but in such a distorted form that our poor have not been able to reap its benefits. PARI PASSU with the increase in our population, land holdings of the average farmer are daily decreasing. Moreover, what the individual possesses is often fra... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 83 : Freedom: Nature Cure

83. NATURE CURE I BELIEVE that man has little need to drug himself. 999 cases out of a thousand can be brought round by means of a well-regulated diet, water and earth treatment and similar household remedies. (A, p. 199) I hold that where the rules of personal, domestic and public sanitation are strictly observed and due care is taken in the matter of diet and exercise, there should be no occasion for illness or disease. Where there is absolute purity, inner and outer, illness becomes impossible. If the village people could but understand this, they would not need doctors, HAKIMS OR VAIDYAS……. (H, 26-5-1946, p. 153) Better Life Nature cure implies an ideal mode of life and that in its turn presupposes ideal living con... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 84 : Freedom: Corporate Sanitation

84. CORPORATE SANITATION Civil Conscience CORPORATE CLEANLINESS can only be ensured if there is a corporate conscience and a corporate insistence on cleanliness in public places. Untouchability has a great deal to answer for the insanitation of our streets and our latrines, whether private or public. In its inception, untouchability was a rule of sanitation, and still is in all parts of the world outside India. That is to say, an unclean person or thing is untouchable, but immediately his or its uncleanliness is shed, he or it is no linger untouchable. Therefore, a person who is to attend to scavenging, whether it is a paid BHANGI or an unpaid mother, they are unclean until they have washed themselves clean of their unclean work. (H,... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 12, Chapter 85 : Freedom: Communal Harmony

85. COMMUNAL HARMONY IF NOT during my life-time, if know that after my death both Hindus and Mussalmans will bear witness that I had never ceased to yearn after communal peace. (YI, 11-5-1921, p. 148) My longing is to be able to cement the two [Hindus and Muslims] with my blood, if necessary. (YI, 25-9-1924, p. 314) I have the same love for the Mussalman as for the Hindu. My heart feels for the Mussalman as much as for the Hindu. If I could tear it open, you would discover there are no compartments in it, one reserved for the Hindu, another for the Mussalman and so on. (YI, 13-8-1921, p. 215) Meaning of Unity [Hindu-Muslim unity] has been my passion from early youth. I count some of the noblest of Muslims as my friends. I have a de... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 13, Chapter 86 : Swadeshi: The Gospel of the Ch...

XIII. SWADESHI 86. THE GOSPEL OF THE CHARKHA Unto The Poor I THINK of the poor of India every time that I draw a thread on the wheel. The poor of India today have lost faith in God, more so than the middle classes or the rich. For a person suffering from the pangs of hunger, and desiring nothing but to fill his belly is his God. To him any one who gives him his bread is his Master. Through him he may even see God. To give alms to such persons, who are sound in all their limbs, is to debase oneself and them. What they need is some kind of occupation, and the occupation that will give employment to millions can only be hand-spinning. …. I have described my spinning as a penance or sacrament. And, since I believe that where th... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 13, Chapter 87 : Swadeshi: Meaning of Swadeshi

87. MEANING OF SWADESHI Spirit of Swadeshi SWADESHI is that spirit in us which restricts us to the use and service of our immediate surroundings to the exclusion of the more remote. Thus, as for religion, in order to satisfy the requirements of the definition, I must restrict myself to my ancestral religion. That is, the use of my immediate religious surrounding. If I find it defective, I should serve it by purging it of its defects. In the domain of politics, I should make use of the indigenous institutions and sere them by curing them of their proved defects. In that of economics I should use only things that are produced by my immediate neighbors and serve those industries by making them efficient and complete where they might be ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 14, Chapter 88 : Brotherhood: The Gospel of Lov...

XIV. BROTHERHOOD 88. THE GOSPEL OF LOVE Cohesive Power THE FORCE of love is the same as the force of the soul or truth. We have evidence of its working at every step. The universe would disappear without the existence of that force…. Thousands, indeed tens of thousands, depend for their existence on a very active working of this force. Little quarrels of millions of families in their daily lives disappear before the exercise of this force. Hundreds of nations live in peace. History does not and cannot take note of this fact. History is really a record of every interruption of the even working of the force of love or of the soul. Two brothers quarrel; one of them repents and reawakens the love that was lying dormant in him; t... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 14, Chapter 89 : Brotherhood: All Life is One

89. ALL LIFE IS ONE Kinship with All MY ETHICS not only permit me to claim but require me to own kinship with not merely the ape but the horse and the sheep, the lion and the leopard, the snake and the scorpion. Not so need these kinsfolk regard themselves. The hard ethics which rule my life, and I hold ought to rule that of every man and woman, imposes this unilateral obligation upon us. And it is so imposed because man alone is made in the image of God. That some of us do not recognize that status of ours makes no difference, except that then we do not get the benefit of the status, even as a lion brought up in the company of sheep may not know his own status and, therefore, does not receive its benefits; but it belongs to him neve... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 14, Chapter 90 : Brotherhood: No Culture Isolat...

90. NO CULTURE ISOLATION FOR ME I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any. I refuse to live in other people’s houses as an interloper, a beggar or a slave. (YI, 1-6-1921, p. 170) Nothing can be farther from my thought than that we should become exclusive or erect barriers. But I do respectfully contend that an appreciation of other cultures can fitly follow, never precede, an appreciation and assimilation of our own. It is my firm opinion that no culture has treasures so rich as ours has. We have not known it, we have been made even to deprecate its study and deprec... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 14, Chapter 91 : Brotherhood: Nationalism V. In...

91. NATIONALISM V. INTERNATIONALISM Indian Nationalism I WANT the freedom of my country so that other countries may learn something from my free country, so that the resources of my country may be utilized for the benefit of mankind. Just as the cult of patriotism teaches us today that the individual has to die for the family, the family has to die for the village, the village for the district, the district for the province, and the province for the country, even so country has to be free in order that it may die, if necessary, for the benefit of the world. My love, therefore, of nationalism or my idea of nationalism is that my country may become free, that if need be the whole of the country may die, so that the human race may live.... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 14, Chapter 92 : Brotherhood: Racialism

92. RACIALISM ONE MAN cannot do right in one department of life whilst he is occupied in doing wrong in any other department. Life is one indivisible whole. (YI, 27-1-1927, p. 31) My scheme of life, if it draws no distinction between different religionists in India, also draws none between different races. For me, “man is a man for a’ that”. (YI, 20-2-1920, p. 61) White Policy Unseen it [‘South Africa’s white man’s policy’] hold the seeds of a world war. (H, 24-3-1946, p. 52) Does real superiority [of the whites] require outside props in the shape of legislation and lynch law? (ibid) Is a civilization worth the name which requires for its existence the very doubtful prop of racial legislat... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 14, Chapter 93 : Brotherhood: War and Peace

93. WAR AND PEACE My Participation in War EVEN AFTER introspection during all these years, I feel that, in the circumstances in which I found myself, I was bound to adopt the course I did both during the Boer War and the Great European War and, for that matter, the so-called Zulu ‘rebellion’ of Natal in 1906. Life is governed by a multitude of forces. It would be smooth sailing if one could determine the course of one’s actions only be one general principle whose application at a given moment was too obvious to need even a moment’s reflection. But I cannot recall a single act which could be so easily determined. Being a confirmed war resister, I have never given myself training in the use of destructive weapo... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 14, Chapter 94 : Brotherhood: The Atom Bomb

94. THE ATOM BOMB There have been cataclysmic changes in the world. Do I still adhere to my faith in truth and nonviolence? Has not the atom bomb exploded that faith? Not only has it not done so, but it has clearly demonstrated to me that the twins constitute the mightiest force in the world. Before it the atom bomb is of no effect. The two opposing forces are wholly different in kind, the one moral and spiritual, the other physical and material. The one is infinitely superior to the other which by its very nature has an end. The force of the spirit is ever progressive and endless. Its full expression makes it unconquerable in the world. In saying this I know that I have said nothing new. I merely bear witness to the fact. What is more, ... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 14, Chapter 95 : Brotherhood: The Way to Peace

95. THE WAY TO PEACE (A) Disarmament I DO suggest that the doctrine [of nonviolence] holds good also as between States and States. I know that I am treading on delicate ground if I refer to the late War. But I fear I must, in order to make the position clear. It was a war of aggrandizement, as if have understood, on either part. It was a war for dividing the spoils of the exploitation of weaker races-otherwise euphemistically called the world commence... It would be found that, before general disarmament in Europe commences, as it must some day unless Europe is to commit suicide, some nation will have to dare to disarm herself and take large risks. The level of nonviolence in that nation, if that every happily comes to pass, will natu... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 14, Chapter 96 : Brotherhood: The World of Tomo...

96. THE WORLD OF TOMORROW PERHAPS NEVER before has there been so much speculation about the future as there is today. Will our world always be one of violence? Will there always be poverty, starvation, misery? Will we have a firmer and wide belief in religion, or will the world be godless? If there is to be a great change in society, how will that change be wrought? By war, or revolution? Or will it come peacefully? Different men give different answers to these questions, each man drawing the plan of tomorrow’s world as he hopes and wishes it to be. I answer not only out of belief but out of conviction. The world of tomorrow will be, must be, a society based on nonviolence. That is the first law; out of it all other blessings will... (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

Part 15 : Orbiter Dicta

XV. ORBITER DICTA SOURCES A An Autobiography or The Story of My Experiments with Truth: M.K. Gandhi : translated from Gujarati by Mahadev Desai :Navajivan Publishing House. Ahmedabad; vol. I, 1927; Vol. II, 1929; edition used: 1959 AA Asia and the Americas: Monthly Magazine published from New York. ABP Amrita Bazar Patrika: English daily published from Calcutta. AG Among the Great: Dilip Kumar Roy; introduction by S. Radhakrishnan; Nalanda Publication, Bombay, 1945; edition used; reprint: Jaico Publications, Bombay, 1950 AOA Ashram Observances in Action: Translated from Gujarati by V.G. Desai ; Navajivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad,1955. BC The Bombay Chroni (From: TheAnarchistLibrary.org.)

<< Last Entry in Anarchism Militant Anarchism and the Reality in Spain	Current Entry in Anarchism The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi	Next Entry in Anarchism >> The Terror in Russia
All Nearby Items in Anarchism Militant Anarchism and the Reality in Spain, by Federica Montseny Militant UE Strike at Fairbanks Scales Ends in Victory, by David Van Deusen Militarization and Civilization: Articles from “Green Anarchist”, by Anonymous Militia and Militarism, The, by Rosa Luxemburg Millennium, by Hakim Bey Millions of Dollars in Prizes!, by CrimethInc. Milton Friedman: Being wrong is no hindrance when you empower the rich, by Iain McKay "Soviet" Power, by Nestor Makhno "The State Always has a Conspiracy... Have You?", by Anonymous A Word, The, by Anonymous Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, The My Disillusionment in Russia, by Emma Goldman Prisons: Social Crime and Failure, A, by Emma Goldman Patriotism: Menace to Liberty, A, by Emma Goldman Minorities versus Majorities, by Emma Goldman Psychology of Political Violence, The, by Emma Goldman Russian Revolution and the Soviet Government, The, by Peter Kropotkin Words of a Rebel, by Peter Kropotkin War!, by Peter Kropotkin Wage System, The, by Peter Kropotkin Terror in Russia, The, by Peter Kropotkin

The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi : Compiled & Edited by R.K. Prabhu & U. R. Rao

By Gandhi

Entry 5359

Public

Chapters

Chronology

Comments

Navigation