2

CHAPTER IV

SATYA AND AHIMSA : MEDIA OF ACTION

AND DEVELOPMENT

"hly fa i th in t ru th and non-violence is e v e r

growing, and a s I am ever trying to follow them

in my l i fe I too am growing every nonent . I

see new implications about them. I see them in

a nerver l ight every day and read in them a newer

meaning. "

M . K . GANDHI

Harijan, 1-5-1937.

There a r e moments in eve ry man 's life, when certain forces seem

to d r i v e him to change h i s l i f e s ty le . Th i s i s true in the case of

Gandhi. Mohinder Singh por t r ays Gandhi a s a l i t he f igure, smart ly

d ressed . a l ive ly conversationalist beaming with cheer and good will

followed by a man with nerves of s tee l and packing a moral punch,

emerging a s t h e unchallenged leader of the vast country. ' This figure

poses a question a s to what t h e different forces were and the media

that made him act and how they changed h i s idiom of l i fe . The

different forces h e r e means t h e influencing fac tors that strengthen t h e

horizontal and ver t ica l dimensions of development by providing d i rec t .

contrived and symbolic experiences.

Art icle i --

HORIZONTAL DIMENSION OF DEVELOPMENT : DIFFERENT INFLUENCES -

The horiz,ontal dimension of the development of Gandhi was

enriched by various influences of h i s immediate environment. Among

these some of the significant ones a r e se lec ted . They may be grouped

into two categories - ea r ly influences and the influence of Western

wr i t e r s .

1 . E a r l y influences

In th i s section the profound influence on the personality of

Gandhi, of h i s Mother Put l iba i , Rambha the servant maid and the p lays

'Shravana P i t r i b h a k t i ' and'Hari shchandra ' a r e discussed.

Putl ibai , who was deeply religious and morally upright left an

indel ib le imprint on the impressionable mind of young Gandhi. This

had a shaping influence over h i s religious perspect ives such a s h i s

fa i th in God, respect for vows, belief in the efficacy of fas t and

devotion to high ideals . H i s mother ' s heroic devotion had evoked in

him a tremendous admiration for h e r . In h i s Autobiography, he wrote:

The outstanding impression my mother has lef t on my memory is that of saint l iness. She was deeply rel igious. She would not think of taking her meals without h e r da i ly p rayers . Going to Haveli - the Vaishnava temple - was one of h e r da i ly du t i e s . As f a r a s my memory can go back, I do not remember h e r having ever missed the ~haturmas.2 I l lness was no excuse for relaxing them3

Though she could not always sa t i s fy h i s cur ios i ty , h e r deep love and

endless aus ter i t ies left a permanent impression upon him. "These

qual i t ies proved an undying source of inspirat ion for one whose l i fe

was to be one long struggle for self-mastery, and whose bat t les were

A to be waged and won in the hea r t s of men."-

Gandhi imbibed from h i s mother the image of woman a s the

embodiment of "love and s a ~ r i f i c e . " ~ At the age of s i x t y two he

recal led 'whatever pur i ty you see in m e , is derived from my mother..

, 6 not from my father. N . K . Bose observes :

This mother-cult of Gandhi ' s boyhood d a y s remained throughout h i s l i f e a ve ry strong element in h i s philosophy, and h e t r i ed to enlis t men and women in p r iva te a s well a s in public l i f e to h i s cult of pur i ty , love and self-suffering. This mission of

civi l izat ion, which was Gandhi ' s greatest contribution to modern l i f e , was thus , in the l a s t ana lys i s , an external projection on the l a rge r canvas of the wor ld ' s life of the saint l iness which was embodied in that noble woman who shone l i k e a pole s t a r over h e r s o n ' s grea t l i f e .7

Another person who had a great influence on Gandhi j i ' s l i f e was

h i s old servant-maid Rambha. Gandhi d id not set much s to re by the

cerernonios ,nd r i tua ls of rel igion. He wri tes in h i s Autobiography. "I

d id not l ike i t s g l i t t e r and pomp. Also I heard rumours of immorality

pract ised there and lost a l l in teres t in it."' He received from the old

servant , Rambha. certain inspi ra t ions of religion.

The young Gandhi was in perpetual dread of ghosts , the ives and

serpents . He was af ra id to s l eep alone without a l ight during n ights .

For breaking t h i s strange hold of fear on him Rambha suggested the

frequent recitation of Ramanama .' Gandhi had more fa i th in h e r than

in h e r remedy, but h e tested out the suggestion and found out that

i t worked! He wri tes : " . . . . t h e good seed sown in childhood was not

sown in vain. I think i t is due to the seed sown by tha t good woman

Rambha that today Ramanama is an infa l l ib le remedy for me. 0, 10 so

religion came into h i s l i f e a s i f through t h e backdoor.

A s Gandhi advanced in yea r s , t h i s prac t ice of the reci tat ion

of Ramanama became s o habitual that he recommended i t a s a safeguard

to t h e satyagrahi who took t h e vow of Brahmacharya. If the taking

of the name has become a h a b i t , according to Gandhi, i t s recitation

through the hear t becomes a s natural a s the hear t beat . Rama and

Truth became synonymous interchangeable terms in Gandhi ' s mind . 12

115

Years l a t e r h e looked back and acknowledged th i s debt to "that good

woman Rambha . ,, 13

To repeat Ramanama whenever he fe l t miserable became with him

a kind of second nature . l4 Gandhi claimed : "The Word is in my hea r t ,

i f not actually on my l i p s , a l l the twenty-four hours. It has been my

saviour and I am ever s tayed on i t . "I5 It may be recal led that when

he was beaten bruta l ly on a South African s t r ee t h e fe l l down

unconscious with the name of Ram on h i s l i p s . The fact that 'Ram.

He Ram'' were the l a s t words tha t s l ipped out of h i s l i p s a t the f a t a l

moment when the assass in ' s bullet pierced h i s ches t , c lear ly shows

that Rambha's advice had sunk deep into h i s being.

Apart from the d i rec t experiences he had with persons, the p lays .

'Shravana P i t r i b h a k t i ' and 'Harishchandra ' formed a contrived

experience with a great impact on h i s l i f e . The p lay 'Shravana

P i t r i b h a k t i ' po r t r ays the boundless love of Shravana for h i s blind

parents . The p ic ture of Shravana carrying h i s parents by means of

s l ings f i t ted to h i s shoulders , on a pilgrimage, was indel ib ly printed

on Mohan's mind. Thereafter Shravana became h i s model and obedience

to parents became h i s motto . 16

The play 'Harishchandra ' also influenced him to lead a truthful

and sincere l i f e . I t is a s t o r y of a King of r a r e goodness called

Harishchandra. The gods wanting to test h im, sent a Brahmin to him.

The Brahmin asked f o r alms and would not be sat isf ied until the King

gave him a l l he had including h i s kingdom. Harishohandra, true to h i s .

dharma,. parted with a l l h i s possessions, became a s l ave and was put

in charge of the cremation grounds. H i s wife lef t him a f t e r taking t h e i r

son with h e r . After a whi le , when the son died the wife brought the

corpse to Harishchandra fo r cremation. But, h e insis ted on t h e

customary fee which the woman was unable to pay. The gods pleased

a t t he t ruthfulness of Harishchandra and intervened to r e s to re the

kingdom to him

Gandhi l i t e r a l l y bel ieved in the s t o r y of Harishchandra and

consitlered him a s a living r e a l i t y . The v e r y thought of Harishchandra

made him weep unashamedly. The impact of the play was s o grea t tha t h e

began to identify himself mentally with Harishchandra and developed

a total devotion to t ru th . About t h i s experience he wr i tes :

This p lay - Harishchandra - captured my heart . I could never be t i red of seeing i t . But how often should I be permit td to go? I t haunted me and I must have acted Harishchandra to myself times without number. . . . To follow t ru th and to go through a l l the ordeals Harishchandra went through was the one idea l i t inspi red in me .I7

There was a deep urge in h i s young mind to emulate Harishchandra and

Shravana. He decided to follow t ru th and love unmindful of the

consequences. Thus was born h i s passion fo r t ru th and love .

2 . Influence of Western th inke r s

Among the Western th inke r s , who had a deep and last ing influence

upon Gandhi 's personali ty were Tolstoy, Ruskin and Thoreau.

2 . 1 - Influence of Tolstoy

Gandhi ' s association with Tolstoyan philosophy was sp read o17er

a long period. A s a member of the Vegetarian Society in London, he

was fami l ia r with To l s toy ' s name, but i t was h i s book, 'The Kingdom

of God I s Within You' that impressed him most. When h e had read tha t

book, he fel t he had learnt more from i t than from o t h e r books which

h i s f r iends had given h im. 18

The central idea of t h e book. Gandhi

pe rce ived , was t h e core of t h e Chr is t ian gospel which was pass ive

res i s tance of e v i l . This seemed to come s o close to the Ja in doct r ine

of ahimsa and Gandhi embraced i t with open a rms .

Gandhi became a passionate r eade r of t h e o ther works of Tolstoy

likc: 'Gospels in B r i e f ' . 'What to Do' , 'The F i r s t S t e p ' . 'How Shal l

We Escape' and 'S lavery of our Times ' . He found a basic i d e a , common

to a l l the works, tha t a t rue Chr is t ian is one who eschews violence,

avoids conflicts with h i s neighbour, gains freedom fo r himself and

he lps to l i b e r a t e the world. PyarelaL is of t h e view tha t Gandh i ' s

reading of To l s toy ' s wri t ings had given "a defini te social colouring

19 to h i s rel igious thought ." Gandhi entered into personal correspondence

with Tolstoy and t h e two became life-long f r i ends .

The idea of sa tyagraha was sown in Gandhi 's mind when he

grasped the Tolstoyan phi losophy that an o p p r e s s o r ' s e f for t s will be

in vain if the oppressed refuses to submit to the tyranny. Tolstoy had

no opportunity to t rans la te t h i s idea into prac t ice , but i t was tested

by Mahatma Gandhi, f i r s t in South Africa and then on a grand sca l e

in India. Gandhi was the f i r s t man i n h i s t o r y who unified thought and

act ion, idea l and prac t ice , means and ends into a continuous process

of transformation.

Gandhi was an eminent and fai thful follower of Tols toy , f o r i t

was he who put into p rac t i ce t h e m a s t e r ' s idea of non-violence and

universa l love. H i s t r i bu te to Tolstoy was issued during t h e centenary

celebrat ion of t h i s great Russian. He sa id :

Tolstoy was t h e grea tes t apos t l e of non- violence tha t t h e present age h a s produced. No one in t h e West, before him o r s ince. has written and spoken a s h e . . . . t r u e ahimsa should mean complete freedom from i l l -wi l l and anger and over-flowing love for a l l . For inculcating t h i s t rue and h igher type of ahimsa amongst us . To l s toy ' s l i f e with i t s ocean-like love should s e r v e a s a beacon l ight and never-failing source of i n sp i r a t io r~ .20

2 . 2 Influence of Ruskin

Another grea t wr i t e r who had a p a r t in shaping Gandh i ' s thinking

was John Ruskin (1819-1900). Ruskin ' s 'Unto T h i s L a s t t L L was the s ingle

book that sha t t e red and recas t the whole p r i o r i t i e s of Gandhian l i f e .

I t made a revolut ionary impact on h i s mind during a t ra in journey over-

n ight . He came upon t h i s book by chance ; i t was given to him by

h i s vegetarian f r i e n d , Henry Polak. Gandhi was s o fascinated by t h e

book that he completed t h e reading in a s ingle s i t t ing . He desc r ibed

' t h e spe l l a s rnagical.lZ2 He f i rmly dec ided to organise h i s l i f e in

accordance with t h e i d e a s s e t fo r th in t h e book. I t became p rac t i ca l ly

a blue print fo r what he wished to do . 23 That was why i t he ld s o

much power ove r him and led him towards an ent i re ly new o r d e r of

l i f e .

The book 'Unto T h i s Last ' was t ranslated into Gujarati under

t h e heading Sarvodaya which l i t e r a l l y means 'Welfare of a l l . , 24

Explaining h i s indebtedness to Huskin. Gandhi wr i tes : The teachings

of 'Unto Th i s Las t ' I understood to be :

1. That the good of t h e individual is contained in t h e good of a l l .

2 . That a l a w y e r ' s work has the same value

a s t h e b a r b e r ' s , in a s much a s a l l have t h e same r igh t of earning t h e i r l ivel ihood from t h e i r work.

3 . That a l i f e of labour , i . e . . t h e l i f e of t h e t i l l e r of the so i l and t h e handicraftsman is t h e l i f e worth l iv ing . The f i r s t of these I knew. The second I had dimly rea l ized . The t h i r d had never occurred to me. . . . I a rose with the dawn, ready to reduce these p r inc ip l e s to prac t ice .25

Thus a f t e r reading the book Gandhi took a firm decision to change

h i s s t y l e of l i f e i n accordance with the idea l s presented by Ruskin

Gandhi ' s ultimate goal was t h e welfare of t h e individual based on t h e

individual worth of e v e r y man. To achieve t h i s goal he postulated a

2 6 technique of d i r e c t action with the uniqueness of provision of means

to achieve the end . Gandhi wrote :

If mankind was to progress and to r ea l i s e the ideal of equal i ty and brotherhood i t must adopt and act on t h e pr inc ip le of 'Unto T h i s Last' a book wri t ten with blood and tears .27

The epitome of h i s phi losophy is a continuous synthes is of thought and

conduct, target and deed and of harmony attained between words ,

bel iefs and works. Gandhi h a s proved that man can become an integrated

personal i ty by constant s t r iv ing with pure peace in the d e p t h of h i s

being.

Gandhi, however, d i d not accept a l l the ideas of Ruskin. In

Ruskin ' s scheme of things, the ord inary toiling masses had no place

and he never considered them a s ends . But Gandhi recognized the power

of t h e common man and placed before him the means f o r i t . What

appealed to Gandhi most in Ruskin ' s works was the se t of economic

p r inc ip l e s tha t supported h i s own concept of an Ashram organization

where each one received according to h i s needs. The Phoenix

settlement founded in 1904, was an experiment to t ranslate the economic

pr inc ip les of Ruskin into ac t ive living real i ty? ' Gandhi l ived with the

co-workers of h i s p ress a s the members of h i s family in a farm where

everyone laboured, drawing the same living wages and attending to the

p r e s s work in s p a r e time F9 He used to say l a t e r that the Phoenix

settlement transformed him overnight from a c i ty lawyer living in luxury

in Durban into a poor rus t ic farmer living away from the c i t y .30 Thus

i t marked the f i r s t dec is ive s t e p in h i s progress towards the doctr ine

of voluntary action of non-possession to achieve the required end.

Thus the teaching of Ruskin touched the depth of Gandhi ' s hear t

and made a revolutionary impact on h i s mind. H i s greatness l i e s in

the fact that he accepted Ruskin ' s ideas , expanded them and made them

applicable on a universal bas i s . To a c r i t i c who asked him i f he was

not obsessed by h i s pa r t i a l i ty to India, he repl ied that h i s techniques

were not of local importance, but of universal relevance. Thus he

created a new e thos , a new way of l i f e .

2 . 3 . Influence of Thoreau

Another great Western thinker who had influenced Gandhi was

Henry David Thoreau whose. 'Civi l Disobedience' was one blahatma's

call to anothel. Mahatma. Though Gandhi had never v i s i t ed America.

the 19th century transcendentalist - Thoreau - exercised a powerful

influence on the making of h i s thought. Thoreau himself was a man who

prac t i sed what h e preached. He was a great wr i t e r , philosopher. poet

and above a l l , a pract ical man who taught nothing which he d id not

p rac t i se himself. Gandhi shows his indebtedness to Thoreau in these

words : "You have given me a teacher in Thoreau, who furnished me

through h i s e s says on the 'Duty of Civil Disobedience' scientif ic

confirmation of what I was doing in South Africa . ,, 31

Gandhi read Thoreau during a crucial s tage of h i s l i f e when h e

was fighting in South Africa. He wrote tha t T h o r e a u ' s e s s a y s contained

" t h e essence of h i s pol i t ica l phi losophy not only a s I n d i a ' s s t ruggle

re la ted to t h e Br i t i sk but a s to h i s own views of the relat ion of

c i t izens to government , " 32 Gandhi owed h i s concept of 'Civ i l

Disobedience' to Thoreau.

The p h r a s e 'Civ i l Disobedience' became a watch-word of t h e

Indian National Movement under Gandhi ' s l eade r sh ip .33 Thoreau ' s e s s a y s

on t h e 'Duty of Civi l Disobedience' and life of p r inc ip l e impressed

34 him s o grea t ly tha t he termed t h e i r emphasis a s ' Inner Voice '

Following t h e footsteps of Thoreau. Gandhi defied t h e laws and

adopted 'Civ i l Disobedience' towards unjust au thor i ty . Gandhi. l i k e

Thoreau, passionately bel ieved f i r s t in t h e individual and tha t is why

more importance was given to t h e indiv idual .

Thoreau ' s r evo l t was one man's a f f a i r while Gandhik ~vas a mass

movement. Both believed in t h e change of hea r t of the opponent. Gandhi

shared t h e t r i a l s and t r ibula t ions of the common man, gave a unique

and incomparable lead to t h e masses in sp i r ed by a common purpose.

Both Gandhi and Thoreau were bas ica l ly s e e k e r s of t ru th who had

l ived according to t h e i r convictions . 35

Though Gandhi was v e r y much influenced by the Western wr i t e r s .

he re-shaped t h e i r ideas within himself , evolving an idiom of h i s own. ,

He d i d not b l indly imitate t h e Westerners, instead h e t r i e d to take what .

was good in t h e i r teachings and adapted them to Indian conditions.

VERTICAL DIMENSION OF DEVELOPMENT : SOME SOURCES OF INFLUENCE - -

The goal of l i f e of Gandhi can be expressed in a single word,

self-realization, which is a quest for t ru th of being, of living and

of the law of l i f e . This ve r t i ca l dimensions of development in Gandhi

was enriched by different influences.

1 . Influence of Jesus Christ

Gandhi considers Jesus a s a great l eader of humanity. "He belongs

not solely to Chr is t iani ty , but to the en t i r e world, to a l l races and

people ."3r) He had chanced to read the Bible during h i s s t a y in London.

I t is well-known how deeply indebted Gandhi was to Jesus and how 37

he always considered the 'Sermon on the Mount' to be h i s greatest

single inspiratior.. He sa id . . . . ."Today supposing I was depr ived of

the Gita and forgot a l l i t s contents but had a copy of t h e Sermon (On

the Mount) I should d e r i v e the same joy from i t a s I do from the

3 8 Gita ." It became one of t h e great sources of inspirat ion throughout

39 h i s l i f e . The precept "Love thy neighbour a s thyself" had an

overwhelming influence on Gandhi 's l i fe . To turn the le f t cheek a f t e r

40 41 being struck on the r ight and even then to love h i s enemy was an

i d e a l , Gandhi had total empathy with.

The 'Sermon on the Mount' had a significant ro le in the

transformation of Gandhi ' s personali ty. For Gandhi, i t contained a l l

tha t can be sa id about c h a r i t y . human-kindness and human f r a i l t y . On

seeing a painting of the Crucified Christ in Rome, he remarked :

'What would not I have given to be a b l e to bow my head before t h e l iving image a t t he Vatican of Chr is t Crucif ied? I t was with a wrench that I could tear myself away from the scene of l iving tragedy. I saw the re a t once that nations l i k e indiv iduals could only be made through the agony of the Cross and in no o ther way. Joy comes not out of infliction of pain on o the r s but out of pain voluntari ly borne by oneself .42

Gandhi, l i k e Chr i s t , preached the brotherhood of a l l men.

J e s u s ' s compassion f o r the poor and the d ispossessed is ref lected in

Gandhi ' s love for the har i jans and the outcastes . Burton Pine observes

a Christ- l ike qual i ty in Gandhi. He drew a para l le l between the l i f e

and teachings of Chr is t and of Gandhi. He s a y s : "Gandhi for cer ta in .

have d i r ec t ly adopted some of the teachings of Chr i s t , for both the i r

basic teachings a r e just admirable , humanitarian morality . " 4 3 The

wr i t e r fur ther points out that both Chr is t and Gandhi exemplified t h e i r

teachings in the i r own l ives .

2. Influence of Buddha

Gandhi was of the same sp i r i tua l l ineage a s Buddha. Ahimsa was

the bedrock on which the pr inc ip les of Buddhism were buil t and in

t h i s Gandhi was the sp i r i tua l successor of Buddha. To Gandhi, however.

ahimsa has a wider meaning; i t takes him into higher realms. Gandhi

sa id :

Non-violence is not a c lo is te red v i r tue to be prac t i sed by the individual for peace and final sa lva t ion , but i t is a rule of conduct f o r human society i f i t i s to l i v e consistently with human digni ty and make progress towards the attainment of peace fo r which i t h a s been yearning fo r ages past.44

This was not Buddha ' s teaching exac t ly , but came close to i t .

In Buddha's teachings t r u t h was one of the f i v e precepts to

achieve salvation. For Gandhi Truth was the foremost precept and the

45 only r ea l i ty subsist ing in h i s being. He considered Truth a s God.

Suffering is the f i r s t of Buddha ' s four noble t ru ths , and Gandhi, too,

found in suffering a pos i t ive value. For him, i t was a means of self-

purification.

The mind and the body of both Buddha and Gandhi were subjected

to seve re discipl ine imposed by themselves and both were guided

by the inner l i gh t . Both, in t h e i r own ways , became the l ight of

ord inary mortals.

3 . Influence of Vivekananda

Vivekananda and Gandhi were fundamentally close in the i r s p i r i t

and outlook. Both were rooted in the ancient culture of India and both

looked forward to a glorious resurgence of the i r mother land.

Vivekananda's ideas regarding education a s a means fo r t h e development

of personali ty showed great insight and Gandhi was ve ry much

influenced by i t .

To Vivekananda a proper system of education was the only remedy

for a l l social e v i l s . He considered formation of charac ter a s the essence

of education. He sa id :

Education is not t h e amount of information that is put into your brain and runs r io t t h e r e , undigested a l l your l i f e . We must have life-building , man-mak' g , character- ii? making, assimilation of ideas . .

To him the end nf a l l education i s concentration of mind. He

passionately bel ieved that the pur i ty of one 's personal l i f e is the rock

on which social education can be buil t . Like Vivekananda, Gandhi a l so

considered cha rac te r a s the core of education.

4 . - Impact of I so Upanishad

Gandhi was deeply influenced by the opening v e r s e of Iso

47 upanishad - " Iso vasyam idom sarvam. . . . kaya savid haram ." 48 He

believed that t h i s ve r se contained the essence of a l l Upanishads and

indeed of a l l rel igions. I t teaches that God dwel ls in a l l things, great

and small , in the universe. All things in t h i s world belong to God

and therefore the re is nothing he re that anyone can claim a s h i s own.

That i s why i t is sa id "renounce and enjoy":

Gandhi found in t h i s v e r s e a c l e a r bas is fo r equa l i ty ,

brotherhood, love , se rv ice , unselfishness and dedication. He claimed

that he re was the bas is for Sarvodaya philosophy of t rus t eesh ip ,

according to which r i c h men should look upon themselveg a s t rus tees

holding the i r wealth for the benefit of the poor. 49

5 . Influence of the Bhagavad Gita

The teachings of t h e Gita had the most profound influence in

the transformation of Gandhi 's l i f e s t y l e . He called the Gita h i s

"Spiritual reference book". He f i r s t read the Gita when he was

studying in England . 50 Gandhi expressed h i s appreciat ion of the Gita

in the following words : "Hinduism a s I know i t en t i re ly s a t i s f i e my

soul with my whole being and I find a so lace in the Bhagavad Gita 5 1

and Upanishads that I miss even in t h e 'Sermon on the Mount'."

According to Gandhi. Gita i s not a h is tor ica l work, but a phi losophical

and ethical work. Self-realization forrns the central teaching of the

Gita and renunciation is poss ib le only through the ofservance of non-

violence. Non-violence o r ahimsa is transcended and included in

Anasiikti o r des i r e l e s s action found in Gita. He says : He who would

be anasakta ( d e s i r e l e s s ) h a s necessari ly to prac t i se non-violence in

o r d e r to attain the s t a t e of des i re lessness . Ahimsa is, therefore , a

5 2 necessary p re requ i s i t e included in anasakt i . He aff irms that h e

5 3 der ived h i s belief in non-violence from the Gita . He observes fu r the r

that Gita so lves the great dilemma eve ry intelligent. morally conscious

person faces in l i f e .

Gita pro jec ts a predominantly ac t iv i s t phi losophy while preserving

at the same time the essence of renunciation. "Renunciation is no longer

a renunciation of action but a renunciation in action . "54 One cell

at tain perfection by '.vorshipping t l i m through 0 i l~ ' sown duty. 55 The

famous teaching of karma yoga is x t i o n alone is me's concern and never

5 6 i t s f r u i t s . The d is in teres ted perfomance of one ' s duty - 'Nishkamakarma' is the guiding pr inc ip le of the Gita.

Gandhi was a moral and sp i r i tua l genius and a Karma Yogi who

combined both thought and action into one single process . He believed

that a l i f e of ceaseless ac t iv i ty dedicated to the serv ice of o n e ' s

fellow men becomes a medium for an ideal l i f e . The Gita made him

rea l ize that o n e ' s duty whether pleasant o r unpleasant has to be

performed. hlan h a s to r i s e above h i s duty and work a s a f r ee being.

Gandhi said :

Today the Gita is not only my Bible or my Quran, i t is more than that - i t is my mother. I lost my ea r th ly mother who gave me b i r th long ago: but th is eternal mother has completely f i l led h e r place by my s i d e ever since. She has never changed. s h e has never failed me. When I am in diff iculty o r d i s t r e s s . I seek refuge in he r bosom . 57

Thus to Gandhi Gita had become the 'Upanishad of a l l Upanishads' and

the supreme guide.

Gandhi's personali ty, a s seen above, was pa r t ly shaped by

persons who were close to him a s well a s great men whom h e had admired.

Certain religious c lass ics and a few great wr i ters have guided h i s

thinking constantly. Gandhi was more than the sum total of the influences

that made thei r impact on him. One should not see Gandhi from the

pe r iphery , but judge him from the centre and that centre was Truth.

Article iii

TRUTH AND NON-VIOLENCE : GANDHI'S MEDIA OF ACTION -

The Sanskrit equivalent of Truth is ' S a t y a ' , der ived from 'Sat'

which means 'be ing ' or that which ex i s t s ' e t e r n a l l y ' . Nothing rea l ly

5 8 e x i s t s except Truth . The concept of Truth has two dimensions -

Absolute and re la t ive . For the theist Absolute Truth is God. The whole

universe is the manifestation of th i s Absolute Truth. The way to th i s

Absolute Truth is through re la t ive t ru th a s conceived by the individual.

In the Gandhian view Absolute Truth i s impersonal, all-pervading

r e a l i t y . 59

The effort to discover th is Absolute Truth at every living

moment i s through re la t ive t ru th . "Truth i s that which you believe

to be true at t h i s moment, and that is your God. If a man worships

t h i s re la t ive t r u t h , he is su re to attain the Absolute T r u t h , i . e . , God

,, 60 in course of t i m e . Gandhi said : "As long a s I have not rea l i sed

t h i s Absolute Truth , s o long must I hold by the r e l a t ive t ru th a s I

have conceived i t . That r e l a t ive t ru th must meanwhile be my beacon,

my shield and buckler - ,, 61 , Adherence to re la t ive t ru th leads to

Absolute Truth only when actions a r e se l f l e s s and emerged from love.

Everybody experiences t ru th in d i f ferent ways. VJe l ive in a

world of re la t ive t ru th where the subjec t iv i ty limits t ru th s o tha t

" . . . .what may be t ru th for one may be untruth for another." 62 The same

t ru th is perceived differently by persons due to the imperfections and

limitations of individual man. To know t h e complete t ru th . the

individual w i l l have to orient himself to t h e se l f less search for t r u t h ,

whereby he will be consistent in thought, word and actions.

Gandhi provided a theoret ical foundation for the task of

self-transformation in the dist inct ion he drew between Absolute and

re la t ive t ru ths . He sha rp ly distinguished between Absolute and re la t ive

t ru ths , to emphasise the individual nature of the quest for t ruth which

is a quest for self-real izat ion, The idea of individual moral integri ty

requi res each person to adhere to h i s view of t ru th until persuaded

by a more complete version of t ru th . Thus the goal of the truth s s e k e r

is to reassess h i s part icular perspective of t ru th manifested in da i ly

l i f e .

Gandhi formulated the d i f ferent dimensions of t ru th and related

them to h i s l i f e in such a way that he can be a model even fo r the

common man in transforming himself .

1 . DimenSi~S of Truth

Truth is l i k e a vas t t r ee yielding more f r u i t s , t he more you

63 nurture i t . The r i c h e r and grea ter t ru th h a s different dimensions.

a ) Truth is t h e primeval energy pervading the universe .

b ) Truth is the only way of l i f e in harmony with the cosmic

process.

C ) Truth is a tool of sp i r i tua l insight into the working of the

universe. There is poss ib i l i t y of conflict in the choice

of tools.

d ) If the conflict is not resolved a t t he th i rd level by the r ight

choice, t r u t h manifests i tself a s a technique fo r resolving

64 conflicts .

Conflicts signify tension. Tension a t the f i r s t level is estrangement from

the Supreme Soul. At the second level i t is disharmony with the cosmic

process. At the t h i r d level , ideological differences and a t the fourth

level violent hos t i l i t i e s . 6 5

1 . 1 . Truth as the cosmic principle

Truth a s the cosmic p r inc ip le has been with mankind from time

irnmernorial. I t is the primeval energy to l i fe . Gandhi viewed Truth

a s eternal .

I do dimly perce ive that whils t everything around me is e v e r changing, e v e r dying , the re is underlying a l l that change a l iving power that is changeless , tha t holds a l l together. that c rea te s , d i s so lves and r e - c r e a t e ~ . 66

Gandhi, with a deeply religious background, moved a s t e p forward and

identif ied th i s power which governs the universe a s God. He asse r t s

"God I s . " 6 7 For him God is Truth . "If i t is possible for the human

tongue to give the fullest descr ip t ion . I have come to the conclusion

that f o r myself God is Truth . ,, 68

Gandhi had not only known and thought of God but had

experienced God's omnipresence. In defining h i s God-experience Gandhi

equated God with Absolute Truth . "Many deny God, none can deny

t ru th . ,, 69 By t h i s simple definition of God a s Absolute Truth Gandhi

l i f ted the concept of God from the theological t rappings and ra ised

i t to a level of rational concept. "We can desc r ibe God a s millionS0f

things, but I have for myself adopted t h e formula - Truth is ~ o d " ? '

which "gives me the greatest sat isfact ion ." 71 Thus "Truth provides

a common platform to both the the is t and the a t h e i s t . " 72 Gandhi

believed action to be an integral par t of th i s r ea l i ty .

Indian philosophy identif ied th ree charac ter is t ics of the Reality

- Sat [Tr'uth). Chit (Consciousness) and Ananda ( B l i s s ) . Where the re

is t ru th there is consciousness tha t leads to b l i s s . k n c e God is Sat-

Cl~lt-Ananda. t h e ultimate Reality who combines in himself Truth ,

7 3 Consciousness and B l i s s .

Gandhi 's declarat ion tha t Truth is God was a resul t of h i s

experience and inner real izat ion. H i s ' inner voice ' had shown him the

path . "For me the voice of God, of conscience, of Truth , o r the 'Inner

,, 74 Voice' o r the 'S t i l l Small Voice' mean one and the same thing . Gandhi described in h i s own words h i s experience of the 'Voice of

Tru th ' which re l a t e s to h i s 2 1 clays fas t for the removal of

untouchability.

I saw no form. I have never t r i e d , for I have always believed God to be without Torm. But what I d id hear was l i k e a voice from afar and yet quite near . It was a s unmistakable a s soine human voice defini tely speaking to me, and i r r e s i s t i b l e . I was not dreaming a t t h e time I heard the Voice. The hearing of the Voice was preceded by a t e r r i f k struggle within m e . Suddenly t h e Voice came upon me. I l is tened, made certain tha t i t was the Voice, and the struggle ceased. I was calm. The determination was made accordingly the da te and the hour of the fas t were f ixed. Joy came over me. This was between 11 and 12 midnight .75

Thus Gandhi was able to make the transcendental touch experent ia l .

1 . 2 . Truth i n tune wi th t h e cosmic p rocess

All things in the cosmos, including the sun, t h e moon and the

s t a r s , obey certain laws. "Without the restraining influence of these

laws the world will not go on for a single- moment ."76. To be in

harmony with the cosmic process , o n e ' s su re guide for l i f e and action

is Truth. 77 If one has to l i v e purposefully one has to follow t ru th .

th% law .of l i fe . There a r e two aspects of t ru th , one to know the law

of l i f e and the o the r to know de ta i l s about day-to-day l i f e . Hence

i r r e spec t ive of belief in God pursuit of t ru th a t eve ry living moment

has to he the aim of one ' s l i f e

To l i v e in the cosmos one has , perforce, to ac t . Blind actions

lead to conflict and tension. If t ru th is made the bass of action, then

one is in tune with the cosmic process . Actions based on t ru th lead

one unswervingly towards realization of the universal force . The model

assumed of the universe is one of hosp i t a t~ i l i ty and love . 78 Destruction

and subsequent evi l resul t when actions a r e away from t ru th and the

assumed model of universe is unhospitable and unloving. Untruth and

consequent evi l action force one to be eternal ly at war with t h e universe

while action based on t ru th makes one to be in harmony with the

universe. Gandhi's l i f e was an eloquent expression of t h i s harmony.

He believed that nature ac ts a s a unit, a to ta l i ty with man a s i t s par t .

If Inan has to be in harmony with nature, he should experience unity

with h i s fellov~ men. This accord is visual ised through good action

towards humanity in the pursuit of service . Hence a l l h i s endeavours

a r e directed towards the eternal sea rch within, by the total submission

of h i s mind towards what is t rue and good, beautiful and sublime.

"This supreme s t a t e of total surrender i s diff icul t to desc r ibe , but not

beyond the bounds of human experience. w 7 9 For Gandhi t h i s submission

of mind was possible on account of h i s total identification with the

poor and downtrodden.

The process of identification stimulated Gandhi to open out h i s

heart a s he entered the arena of oppression by the whites i n South

Africa. I t is t h i s identification which led him to organise Satyagraha

in Champaran on behalf of the poor peasants and another one in Khaira

for a revision of revenue assessment mainly concerned with t h e toiling

masses?O'rhis a l l embracing love inspi red him to undertake long journeys

on foot f o r raising funds for the welfare of Harijans. I t was because

he wanted to identify himself with tho poor tha t he took to the loin

cloth and became a 'half-naked f a k i r ' .

The nature of eve ry action based on t ru th . Gandhi bel ieved.

determines the nature of the reaction evoked by i t and provides an

inner balance and peace in harmony with the cosmic process.

1.3. Truth as a tool of spiritual insight

In the material is t ic world of today, moral and sp i r i tua l values

a r e a t a discount. The human psyche has lost i t s way in t h e maze of

material is t ic pursuits . To discover our ident i ty and purpose we have

to rediscover our sp i r i tua l values. The Gandhian way of doing t h i s was

to accept ' l ove ' a s the golden ru le for living out t h e Truth .

No event occurring in the universe is outside the purview of

t ru th . Every one ' s action has an impact on a l l o the r s and every one ' s

freedom is limited by the equal freedom of o the r s . Similarly everyone

is free to a r r i v e at h i s own t r u t h , by the tools nature has entrusted

with him. Gandhi declared tha t love should be the sole and

unexceptionable guide in assert ing one ' s own t ru th through actions.

"Where love i s , t he re God is a l so . This love should be t h e norm

for o t h e r ' s t ru th . Therefore, the re should be no compulsion on our

part in making o thers accept what we regard a s t ru th . 82

It was Gandhi ' s strong cmvict ion that the whole universe is

one unity in which each par t ic le in terac ts .In the whole and t h e whole

interacts on each pa r t i c l e eve ry moment on account of universal

interpenetration and interdependence. Gandhi sa id : "I subsc r ibe to the

belief o r the philosophy that a l l l i f e in i t s essence is one, and that

the humans a r e working c o n s c i o u s l ~ ~ o r unconsciously towards the

realization of tha t identity . " This wondrous. beautiful, magnificent

v~or ld is not merely a fantasy but an order l iness of some law which

regulates everything from the speck of dust underfoot to the s tar ry

heavens and galaxies with the blissful energy of God. I t is this,

sp i r i tua l insight that was a real source of power on which h e re l i ed .

"I bel ieve", h e s a i d , " in the absolute oneness of God and therefore

also of humanity. What though we have many bodies? We have

but one soul. The r a y s of the sun a r e many through refraction. But

they have the same source . t84 This power helped him to identify "with

even the crawling things upon e a r t h . because vte claim descent from the

same God, and that being so, a l l l i fe in what ever form i t appears

must be essentially one . ,, 85

It i s , perhaps , in India alone that a politician of great eminence

car) a lso be a person of a high spi r i tua l o rde r . This was true of

Gandhi, who drew courage and inspirat ion for political action from the

source of sp i r i tua l i ty . H e observed, "most man of religion who I have

met a r e politicians in disguise. But I who c a r r y the mask of a

politician am, in rea l i ty . . a man of religion." 86

1 . 4 . Truth a s a technique fo r resolving conflicts

In l i f e , conflicts a r i se inspi te of man's best attempts to avoid

thern. For resolving conflict-situations truth is the only su re technique.

This technique refined and propounded by Gandhi is known a s

'Satyagraha' . He defined i t as ."the vindication of t ru th , not by infliction

, , O f of suffering on the opporlent, but on one's own s e l f .

Satyagraha is essential ly the use of soul-force which presupposes

self-discipl ine, self-control and self-purification. I t draws a f ine l ine

between the deed and the doer. 88

The emphasis is shif ted from the

doer to the deed so that the sa tyagrahi and h i s opponent may address

themselves to the solution of the problem ra the r than seek the

destruction of each o the r . Thus the operation of the soul-force converts

the wrong-doer and makes him ashamed. Hence evil conflicts a re

converted into good relat ions. 89

Satyagraha pur i f ies the sa tyagrahi and the on-lookers. Even

the i l l i t e ra te and the paor acquire a sense of justice. I t g ives them

self-confidence and teaches them se l f - re l iance . I t he lps to improve

both the tyrant and h i s victim . 91 Even the on-lookers get purif ied

by witnessing a t rue sa tyagrahi . Thus i t is a process of

conflict-resolution by mutual understanding and by educating public

opinion through reason, discussion and self-suffering . 92 Satyagraha

cleanses the whole atmosphere and l eads to a voluntary change of hea r t .

I t provides a mirror for the sa tyagrahi , for the opponent and for theon-

lookers to see themselves a s they rea l ly a r e , harmonising the cause,

the means and the ends.

For Gandhi Satyagraha was a nev.v way of l i f e . I t s novelty

consists in the synthes is of t ru th and non-viulence formulating a new

concept of attaining t ru th through non-violence. This p r inc ip le can

be applied to eve ry walk of human l i f e for fighting ev i l and injustice

and establishing t ru th and justice. Hence Satyagraha can be a way

of l i f e emphasising non-violent action against evi l and injust ice.

Final ly. " I t is an identification in s p i r i t with a l l l i f e through love

to s e r v e and sacr i f ice for the good and welfare of a l l . * I g 3 Gandhi

pract ised i t in h i s da i ly l i f e . He wri tes . "I see that Satyagraha is

assured of divine he lp , and tha t in testing a sa tyagrahi , the creator

imposes on him a t eve ry s t ep only a s much burden a s he can bear. 194

To r i d e in th i s new path successful ly, one has to prac t i se non-violence.

2 . Gandhi 's vision of non-violence

The greatest fo rce a t the disposal of mankind is non-violence. '

"It is mightier than the mightiest uv;.apon of destruction devised by

the ingenuity of man."g5 The influence of such a force of non-violence

on Gandhi's l ife was so great that i t is called one of the twin

principles on which rested the entire frame-work of h i s l i fe and

activit ies, the other being truth. Gandhi said: "Non-violence is the

f i rs t ar t ic le of my faith. I t is also the las t ar t ic le of my creed. ,, 96

The Sanskrit equivalent of non-violence is 'Ahimsa', derived from

the Sanskrit word 'Himsa' with the negative prefix a . Etymologically

'himsa' comes from 'hims' which means to injure, harm, s l ay , dis turb,

break etc. 97 Ahimsa has negative and positive connotations. In i t s

negative form ahimsa is non-injury to any living being by deed or

thought. I t is both gross and subtle; in i t s gross form i t means not

to injure directly while in i t s subtle form i t means not to injure

98 indirectly. I t is abstinence from lust , anger or greed. In shor t , in

the negative sense, "ahimsa means avoiding injury to anything on earth, ,

in thought, word or deed." 99

In i t s positive connotation ahimsa means 1) love for a l l living

100 beings 2) sacrifice for others 3 ) an active force of love and l ife.

Gandhi said :

I accept the interpretation of ahimsa that i t is not merely a negative state of harmlessness, but a positive s ta te of love, of doing good even to the evil-doer . "It is no non-violence i f we merely love those that love us. I t is non-violence only when we love those that hate us. I know how difficult i t is to follow this grand law of love. But are not a l l great and good things difficult to do? Love of the hater is the most difficult of a l l . But by the grace of God even the most difficult thing becomes easy to accomplish i f we want to do it.101

But i t does not mean helping the evil-doer to continue the wrong

or tolerating i t by acquiescence. On the contrary love, the

a c t i v e s t a t e of ahimsa, requires to res i s t the wrong-doer b y

dissociating yourself from him even though i t may offend him or injure

him physically. 103 " lo2 So ahimsa in the positive sense means pure love.

universal love lo4 or the largest love, lo5 love even for t h ~ ev i l

doer. The least ahimsa demands is non-injury and the most i t demands

is conversion of enmity with love and compassion.

Ahimsa enjoins upon man the duty to eradicate evi l and violence

and the obligation to serve the community. I t prescribes and formulates

harmonious relationships between man and al l other living beings.

Hence ahimsa i s universal law, effective under a l l circurnstances.

Ahimsa in both i t s negative and positive aspects is the very

essence of Gandhi's approach to life. :-le realised that to maintain

harmony in our daily l ife and social l ife i t should be practised.

Ahimsa airns a t conversion and not destruction of the opponent. The

violent brute force of the opponent withers away for want of

nourishment in the face of calmness of the practioner of ahhsa . The

opponent becomes weary of violence and slorvly h i s goodness is

awakened. He responds and repents. True freedom is thus obtained

for a l l by the change of the oppressor into a man of reason. Thus

a peaceful democratic change is brought about and social order is

maintained. In order to maintain social order violence should be halted

at the mental and verbal levels . Since thoughts are the root of verbal

and physical violence, ahimsa should be practised in thought, word

and deed. 10 6

The highest form of ahimsa is ahimsa of the brave. A man

who practises i t must learn the a r t of dying rather t:mn

the a r t of killing. lo7 He desists from violence never surrendering

because i t is wrong. ;1e t r i es to convert and not coerce his

adversary . 109 For him i t is a creed,'' a mighty force?'' He adopts

ahimsa a s a way and a law of l i f e . "He who has not overcome a l l

fear cannot pract ice ahimsa to perfection,. ""' Gandhi remarked: "The

pract ice of ahimsa ca l l s Forth the greatest courage.u113 A person who

is courageous is capable of forgiving. According to Gandhi " the weak

can never forgive. Forgiveness is the a t t r ibute of the strong'. Thus

forgiGeness and courage a r e the hallmarks of ahimsa of the brave .

3 . Gandhi's practice of ahimsa of the brave

Gandhi was a votary of the ahimsa of the brave. He real ised

from his own experience that violence begets violence. I t is a vicious

c i rc le of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth: 1'115 To break.

th i s c i rc le ahimsa of the brave is the only effect ive weapon.

Gandhi believed that ahimsa of the brave has the unique

capabi l i ty to force the violent to eschew violence. This realization

found i t s application in the way he handled the c r i s i s of the

exploitation of the poor peasants at Champaran ( B i h a r ) . Th i s offered

him an opportunity to tes t the efficacy of the weapon of satyagraha

through non-violent means for the f i r s t time in India. In h i s

Autobiography he descr ibes the situation: "The C hamparan tenant was

bund by law to plant three out of every twenty pa r t s of h i s land with

indigo f o r h i s landlord. This system was known as the ' t inka th ia '

system. a s three kathas out of twenty (which make one ac re ) had to

be planted with indigo:" Gandhi wanted to abolish the tinkathia

system once and for a l l at the cost of even h i s l i f e .

The local government and the planters t r ied to use the 'law of

the l and ' against him and threatened him with a r r e s t and imprisonment

unless he left the place. But Gandhiji disregarded the court order

served on him. H i s aim was to enlighten and convert the oppressors

through h i s courage and commitment. He feared neither the Brit ish

governmeht nor the land lords.

Gandhi had displayed th i s fearlessness of a l l ear thly powers

from the ear ly years of h i s public l i f e . This is evident from h is

relentless struggle against Brit ish rule. He was not over-awed by

grandeur or royalty. During the second Round Table Conference in

Lor~don. Gandhi was invited to the Buckingham palace for a royal

reception. When he was introduced to King George V the King told him,

You were a friend of the British in Africa. 1 do not understand how you have now turned against me and the Brit ish Governmerit. I warn you, i f you create disturbance in India and do not co-operate with my Government, I have my army there to blow up a l l agitators and conspirators. 117

Gandhi politely responded : "My children in India treat Bri t ish bombs

and bullets as mere crackers. !, 118

in a situation of conflict the practice of ahimsa of the brave

demands a sense of self-sacrifice. Gandhi made th i s clear when the

non-co-operation movement launched throughout India was brought to

a grinding halt as isolated instances of violence were reported. A nation

on the march was halted in i t s tracks. Gandhi took th i s unprecedented

step despi te total opposition from almost all leaders of the movement.

He said : "My non-co-operation has i t s roots not in hatred but in

10ve."' '~ He was soundly cri t icised but he was f i r m in his resolve that

violence should not have any place in the agitation for independence.

Gandhi was not satisfied with the mere practice of ahimsa. He

wanted d l h ~ of the brave to become an integral par t of one ' s

personali ty. He said :

A man who v i ~ n t s to lead a religious l i f e on t h i s earth and a man who wants to rea l ize himself on th is e a r t h in th i s incarnation must remain non-violent in eve-y shape and form and in eve ry one of h i s actions . I 2 0

The prac t i se of ahimsa r e s t s f i rmly on t h e belief that what holds

good in respect of oneself equally app l i e s to the whole universe. What

is possible for one is possible for everybody. Ahimsa is not meant

merely for the saints and holy men: i t is meant for the common man.

4 . Satya and Ahimsa : Tenets of action

For Gandhi Satya and Ahimsa a r e inseparable. He s a i d : "Truth

is my God. When I look for ahimsa. Truth s a y s , find i t out through

, ,3 21 me; when I look for Truth , ahimsa says find i t out through m e .

They a r e two s i d e s of cine and the same coin or l ike two s i d e s of a

smooth unstamped metallic d i s c .Iz2 lle a lso considers them to be h is

123 124 two lungs . They a r e even synonymous .

Non-violence is rooted in t ru th . Therefore, where Truth prevai ls

violence rooted in untruth can have no place. Gandhi shows by h is

example that t ruth cannot be expressed except by non-violence and

hence every devotee of t ru th is also a devotee of non-violence. He

firmly remarked : "My marriage to non-violence is such an absolute

thing that I would r a t h e r commit suicide than be deflected from my

posi tiom " He believed that "a perfect vision of t ru th can only follow

a complete realisation of ahimsa 1f126 Truth is the highest law and

ahimsa i s the highest d u t y . 1 2 7

Truth is the ultimate end. I t ex i s t s beyond and unconditioned

by space and time. Ahimsa is the means to achieve the ultimate end

- Truth. For Gandhi. "ahimsa is the means and Truth is t h e end. l J2 ie

s t a t e s . "mean? a r e af te r . a l l everyth ing . As the means so the enJ. ,9129

Though the means and ends a r e d i s t inc t , they form a continuum. There

is no wall of separat ion between means and end?3%he means contain the

end a s the seed contains a t ree . "The means may be likened to a seed .

the end to a t r ee , and the re is just t he same inviolable comexion

between the means and t h e end a s the re is between the seed and the

t r ee ,, 133

For Gandhi, ahimsa is not one among the possible means. I t is

the only means to at tain t ru th .

Ahimsa being the means, we a r e natural ly more concerned with i t in our everyday l i f e . I t is ahimsa, therefore , that our masses have to be educated in . Education in t ru th follows from i t a s a natural end:132

Gandhi brought down the concepts of t ru th and non-violence to

the level of pract ical conduct and the re la t ionship between individual

human beings. If t he re la t ionship i s to be mutually beneficial, i t should

be based on mutual t rus t and reliability. I t evokes the belief that

the o ther is truthful , speaks t h e t r u t h , keeps to t ru th and ac ts t ru th .

so f a r a s they two a r e concerned 133

This will lead to the conviction

that the o ther will not harm or de-trcy him thus a r r iv ing a t s a t y a

and ahimsa, t ru th and non-violence. If anything happens cont rary to

th i s plan these s imple ru les of re ls t ionship would cease to function.

This app l i e s not cnly to two persons but a l so to a family, to soc ie ty ,

to a nation, and to international re la t ions .

Gandhi s teadfas t ly held the principle that " t ru th and ahimsa

should be the basis for a l l successful ac t iv i ty . Ahimsa requi res

t ru th in order to succeed but t ru th stands alone. It ex i s t s independent

of a l l requirements. Fai th is the bas is for human t ransact ions , for even

thieves have a code of honour among themselves.

Gandhi had a deep fa i th in the essential goodness of man. Hence

he chose ahimsa a s a basic dimension f o r a l l actions. He passionately

believed that "ahimsa is the law of our spec ies , a s violence is the

law of brutes . 1,135 For him ahimsa was a collect ive social law. I t is

an expression of conscious and inner ceaseless effort to r ea l i se the

end. So non-violence is conceived a s a gospel of action. Gandhi

proclaimed : "There is nothing on e a r t h that I would not give up for

the sake of the country excepting of course two things and two only,

namely, t ru th and non-violence, which formed the basic tenets of

Gandhi 's action. Thus the basic dimension of Gandhi ' s action is satya

and ahimsa - 'Truth in Action'.

A p e r s o n ' s l i f e spel led out through "Truth in action" is geared

for higher development in a l l facult ies of l i f e . H e is ab le to attain

the closest communion between h i s actual self and ideal self and

ultimately with the universal se l f . This integrated oneness comes b y

incessant loving action dedicated to t ru th and pursued through ahimsa

that becomes a medium for transformation of personali ty. Th i s was the

personal experience of Gandhi.

In th i s chapter an attempt has been made to analyse the different

forces tha t influenced and guided a ! contii~oously and transformed

him from a diff ident ordinary young man into a determined. a l t ru is t ic

and magnetic personali ty. The effect ive medium of h i s transformation

was action based on the twin pr inc ip les of t ru th and ahimsa.

Several great personali t ies had deep1 y influenced Gandhi. Many

books too, of a rel igious and socio-political nature had influenced him.

The total change in Gandhi cannot, however, be ent i re ly explained by

these influences.

The change was the outcome large ly of h i s mode of actions

fashioned with a dynamic. inner power. The ac t ive , l iv ing , 'soul-force'

that led to the transformation was Truth. B y h i s absolute commitment

to Truth a s the bas is of h i s act ions, h e was ab le to r e l a t e himself

meaningfully to the Truth of e a r t h l y l i f e and to ultimate Tru th . Gandhi

t r ied to embody in h i s l i f e th i s t r u t h in i t s four different dimensions

- t ru th a s the cosmic principle. t r u t h in tune with the cosmic process.

t ru th a s a tool of sp i r i tua l ins ight , and t ru th a s a technique for

resolving human confl icts .

The Absolute Truth for Gandhi is God, and he had t h e conviction

that the attainment of ultimate Truth was through r e l a t i v e t ru ths

actualised in actions. To be in harmony with the r e l a t ive t r u t h of

everyday l i f e , Gandhi fashioned from h i s experiments a unique pa th

- t h e pa th of non-violence.

The actions in Gandhi 's l i f e were based on ahimsa of the b rave

which does not coerce the l i f e that i t touches but t r i e s to transform

i t . Gandhi believed that e v e r y action should emerge from the twin

pr inc ip les of t ru th and ahimsa of which t ru th is the end and ahimsa

the means. He was a ' s t e r n l o v e r ' of ahimsa of the brave and wanted

eve ry one to follow the same. H i s l i f e has shown to the world that

satya and ahbsa , the basic tenet of action is capable of ?layin:

the role of a medium in profoundly transforming a personality.

An attempt is made in the next chapter to show that development

of personality i s an evolutionary process; th i s is done by analysing

the transformation of Gandhi's personali ty. highlighting i t s pedagogy

and methodology. I t a lso deals with the role played by the transformed

personality a s a catalyst in the transformation of o thers .

REFERENCES

1. :\IOHINDER SINGH, "Truth in Autobio:ra?hy: G ~ n d h i ' s Ex>er inents with Truth" , Gandhi Marg, Vol.1, No.9, Decornber, 1979, pp. 740- 741.

'Chaturnas ' l i t e ra l ly means ' a period of four rnonths.' Here i t refers to the Vow of fasting and s::nifnsting durin:: the four rlonths of the rains - Autobiogrpahy, p. 4.

Ibid . D.R. ilANDA, Op. Cit., ?. 19.

Ibid.

The ijiarics of h'lahadev Desai, Vol.1, Flarch 31, 1932 in D .R . "ANDA, Op. Cit. , p. 20.

I L :<UC$AF! !3OSE, M y Days with Gandhi. Indian Associated Publishin: Co., Calcutta. 1953, p . 206.

Autobiography. p . 27.

Harijan, Decenber 5 , 1936, p . 339.

Autobiography. p . 27.

Harijan, Feb. 17, 1946, p. 12.

DHAUANI BHATTACHARYA. Gandhi The Writer, National 3omk Trust. New Dzlhi. 1569. p . 9.

Ibid.

Harijan, August 17 . 1934, p . 213.

Ibid.

B.R. NANDA. Op. Cit.. P. 20.

Autobiography, p . 6.

B.R. NANDA. Op. Cit., p . 67

PYARELAL. Mahatma Gandhi.: The Discovery of Satyagraha an the Threshold, Sevak Prakashan , J o n b a y , Vol .I1 , 1980, p . 171.

BHABANI BATTACHARYA, Op. Cit., p. 72.

"Unto This Last" is a collection of R u s k i i ~ ~ s humanistic e s says on poli t ical economy publ ished in 1862. The title of the book is taken from the New Testanent pa rab le of workmen in the Vineyard. The labourer who was recrui tcd " las t" was a lso given vages equal to tha t of the o thers who were recru i ted e a r l i e r in the day - ST. ?IATT!E11. The Holy Bible. 1C.C.B.C. Bible Commission ( t r a n s . ) , Pastoral Orientation Centre. Kochi. 2nd Revised Edn., 1982, C H . 20/1-16.

Autobiography, p . 248.

VINCENT SHEEAN. Op. Cit., p. 58.

Autobiography. p . 250.

Ibid.

Young India. May 12. 1920. p . 3.

BHABANI BHATTACHARYA. Op. C i t . , p . 35.

C f . Autobiography. p . 250.

Ibid . Mahatma. Vol. 6. p . 177

G . ,:AMACHANDKAN 6 T.E. MAHADEVAN ( e d s . ) , Quest for Gandhi, Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi. 1970, p. 173.

RAMA JHA, "Gandhi 's Encounter with Western thought". Gandhi Mare. Vo1.5. No.4. Ju ly 1983, p . 218.

Harijan. July 8. 1933. P. 4

8. NATESAN, "Gandhi and Thoreau", Gandhi M a r s , Vo1.2, No. 2- 3 . 1958. p . 218.

36. The Modern October 1941, p . 406 in M.K. GANDHI, M y Religion. Navajivan, Ahmedabad, 1985. 2. 25.

37. ST. MATI-IEU, The Holy Bible. CH. 5/2-10.

30. Young India, Dec. 22. 1927, p . 426.

39. ST. LUKE. T h e Holy Bible, CI-I. 10/27.

40. ST. MATHEUJ. Op. Ci t . , 5/39.

ST. LUKE, Op. Cit . . 6/35.

R .K. PP,ASHU, T h i s was Bapu, Navajivan, Ahmedabad, 1954, p . 29.

BURTON PINES, "h4y Interzs t in G,?::cihi1', A Q u a r t 3 of American O?inion, Gandhi Marg. V o l . 5. 1361, p. 244.

Gandhij i 's Correspondence with the Government (1942-44). Navajivan Publishin; Mouse. Ahmedabad, Second Edition, 1945. p . 170.

Young India, December 31, 1931, p . 427.

T .S . AVINASHILINGAM , "Vivekananda and Gandhi some aspects". Gandhi Marg. Vo1.6, 1962, p. 351.

T.S. DEVADOSS, "Bhagavad Gi ta ' s Influence on !.lahatma Gandhi", Gandhi Marg, Vol. 10, No.'?, October 1988, p.414.

I b id .

T .S, DEVADOSS , Sarvodaya and the Problem of Poli t ical SovereiLPtY. University of ?.ladras, bladras, 1974, p.255.

Autobiography, p .57.

Young India. August G . 1925. p.274.

Harijan, September 1. 1940, p.266; C f . a l so hlAHADEV DESAI, The G i t a according to Gandhi, Navajivan, Ahmedabad. 1951, p.129.

Mahatma. Vol.4. p.138

1 . HRIYANA, Outlines of Indian Phi losophy. Georze Allen 6 Unnin Ltd. , London, 1958, 7.121.

The 'Bhagavad Gita. 3-19.

Ib id . , 18-6; 3-9; 2-48

Harijan, August 24, 1934. p.222.

Young India, December 31, 1931. p . 4 7 ; From Yeravda MandQ. ~ p . 1 - 4 .

Ibid. . Decenber 4 . 1924.

The Diary of Mahadev Desai, I.Iavojivzn Publishing House, Ahnedabad. Vol.1, 1953, pp.249-250.

Autobiography, p . XI

Young India, December 31, 1931 , 2 .427 and also t.1.::. Gandhi, Al l m e n are brothers, >Javcljivan, Ahnedabad, 1960, 7 .93.

HAR1DAS.T. hlUZUMDAR , Mahatma Gandhi. Charles. Seribner ' s Sons, New York, 1952, p .35 .

I bid,

Ibid . Young India, October 1 0 , 1928 , pp. 340-41.

R . R . DII'JAKAR, "Gandhi .: 'Fro11 God is Truth to Truth is God", Gandhi Marg. 7 .619 ; Young India. January 21. 1.926. pp .30-31 . Young India, December 3 1 , 1931. 11.427.

R.R. . QIWAXAR. "Gandhi. 'Frorn Go3 is Truth t 2 T r u t : ~ is God. ,Op.Cit., p. 623.

Young India. Decenber 31 , 1931, p.427 7; R.::. PZABHU and U.R .RAO. The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, p.10.

Young India, Decmber 3 1 , 1931, p .427.

BASANT 1:UMAR L A L , Op. C i t , p . 96 .

M.1:. GANDHI, In Search of t he Supreme, Vo1.2, Ahmedabad. 1961 , p .10 .

Harijan. July 8 , 1933. p . 4 .

Ib id . , July 8 . 1933, p . 4 .

Young India, January 23 , 1930 , pp.25-26.

Cf .HARIDAS. T . ?.1UZUE.lDAR, Op. C i t . , p . 3 6 .

I b id . , p .39.

From Yeravda Mandir , p .68.

RAJSNDRA PZASAD. " India ' s Debt to Gandhi", iil S. RADHAKRISHNAN ( zd . ) , Mahatma Gandhi, p .197.

M. 1:. GANDI-II , Satyagraha in South Africa, Nivajivnn, Ahncdabad , Revised 2nd Edn., 1950. 3 .360 .

HAXIDAS. T . I.IUZUhlDAR, Op. C i t . , p .39 .

83. Young I n d i a , December 4 . 1924, p.398: C f . Mahatma, Vo1.4, p.237.

84. Young I n d i a , S u ~ r e i n e 25, 1924. p .313; C .F'.ANDREWS. Mahatma Gandhi's Ideas. G e o r ~ e Allen 6 Unrzrin L td . , London, 3 rd Impression. 1949. p.306.

86, P.C. GHDSI-I, Op. C i t . , p.5.

87. Speeches 6 Wri t ings of Mahatma Gandhi , p. 501.

38. RAM RATTAN. Gandh i ' s Concept of P o l i t i c a l Obl igat ion, The Minerva Association. Calcut ta . 1972. pp.115-116.

89. THOFvlAS MERTON , "The Meaning of Sa tyagrcha" , Gandhi Marg. Vol . X , No.2, pp.110-112.

90. T h e Col lec ted Works of Mahatma Gandhi. Vol.9, Page la ; Vo1.7, p . 401.

91. Cf. I b i d . Vol. 1 0 , p . 129

92. Hari jan. March 194G. p. 64.

93. i: . R . DIIIAICAR , Inauzural Address : "Sntya:rahi and Social Chnn:el' i n T .M.P. EIAHADEVAN ( e d . ) , Mahatma Gandhi and his r e l evance to the wor ld of thought , Univers i ty of Madras , 1969, 2. 9 .

9 . T h e c o l l e c t e d Works of M a h a t m a Gandhi. Vol. I X . p . 240.

9i . R . K . PRABHU 6 U.R. RAO, T h e Mind of the Mahatma Gandhi. Oxford Univers i ty P r e s s , London, 1945, p . 49.

9G. Young India. March 23. 1922, p. 166.

97. A.A. RlAcDONELL, A P r a c t i c a l S a n s k r i t Dict ionary. Oxford r e p r . 1958, 7 . 378.

98. MANOJ JAIN, "Ahinsa: I t s def in i t ion and its Pu rpose" . Gandhi Marg, Sep tember 1986, Vol.8. No.6, p. 380.

99. Har i jan , Ssp tember 7 , 1935, p . 234.

100. MANOJ JAIN, Op. C i t . . p. 3 8 0 .

101. PiIXMAL ::UMAR BOSE . ( e d . ) . Selec t ions From Gandhi , Navaj ivan, Ahmedabad. 1948. p . 18.

102. Young Ind i a . August 25, 1920, p . 2 .

104. Har i jan . J u l y 6 , 1940. 2 . 186.

Speeches and Writings of Mahatma Gandhi, p . 346.

MANOJ JAIN, Op. C i t . . p . 383.

NIRMAL KUMAR BOSE. ( e d . ) , Op. Cit . , p . 1 6 .

Harijan. July 20. 1937. p .48 .

Ibid . ,Auzust 31, 1947, p.302.

Ib id . ,July 27, 1947 , 2.251.

Ibid . , Fobruary 1 , 1942, p .18.

Ibid.. September 1 , 1940, p .208 ; C f also Speeches and Writings of Mahatma Gandhi, p .346.

NIRMAL i:UhlAR BOSE. ( e d . ) , Op. Cit, p .151.

Young India. April 2. 1931, p .59.

:IAN03 J,!IIJ. Op. Cit, p .383.

Autobiography. p. 337.

K . G . SAIYIDAIN. "Gandhi's Lovable Personality", Gandhi P~farg, Vo.14. No.2-4, 1970 , 9 .199 .

I bid.

Ibid p p . 196-197.

The Hindu, Rlarch 1 6 , 1925 in Love of Neighbout- in Mahatma Gandhi, JOSEPH TI-IEKKINEDATII. pp. 107-108.

Young India. June 4. 1925, p. 1 9 3 .

From Yeravda Mandir, p . 8 .

Young India. Oct. 21 , 1926, ;?. 364.

Ibid.. February 20. 1930. p. 61.

NIEMAL I<UMAR BOSE , ( ed . ) , Op. C i t . , p p . 142-43.

Autobiography. p . 420.

Harijan, !.$arch 2 8 , 1936, . 49.

From Yeravda Mandir. p p . 8-9.

Young India. July 1 7 , 1924 , p . 236.

Ibid.

131. Hind Swaraj, pp. 51-52.

132. Har i j an . June 23. 1946. p . 199.

133. R.R. DIWAKAR. "Gandhi and Our Times". Gand i Marg, Vo1.4. No.6, S e p t e m b e r 1982, p. 649.

134. 3 . 8 . KRIPALANI. The G a n d h i a n Way. Vora 6 Co.. Bombay. 1945, p . 151.

135 . N .A. PALKI-IIVALA, "Re levance of G a n d h i T o d a y " , G a n d h i Marg, Vo.6, No.1, A p r i l 1984 , p . 11.

136. Mahatma. Vol.11, p. 312.