Category: Mahatma Gandhi ji

All those who even now attack Mahatma Gandhi’s life and mission may sometimes forget something important. Whatever Gandhi stood for was not simply an ideology borrowed from Scripture or copied from the lives of other role models. He certainly learnt from Scripture, from other people and from the traditions around him. But his convictions increasingly…

There comes a time, after active engagement with others for a common cause, when our inner conviction may lead us to withdraw from that shared activity. Such withdrawal need not mean that we have abandoned either the cause or the people with whom we once worked so closely. On the contrary, there may be circumstances…

There is a peculiar kind of success which is actually a failure. We sometimes imagine that we have succeeded simply because we have done what we set out to do. But an action by itself is not necessarily an achievement. What matters is whether the purpose behind the action has been fulfilled. This thought came…

There is an interesting and moving incident attributed to the life of Mother Teresa. In order to raise funds for the poor and dying in her care, she would literally go from door to door, asking for help. On one occasion, when she extended her hand to a shopkeeper, the man spat into her palm…

The title, borrowed from Mahatma Gandhi’s own words, seems to summarize his entire legacy—particularly today, when ultranationalists often accuse him of being responsible for the present ‘communal’ crisis in India. History, however, will tell the truth, and no one needs to defend Gandhiji, for he himself never attempted to defend his legacy. The message he…

The way Mahatma Gandhiji communicates profound theological truths to ordinary people, speaking as a fellow layman rather than as a professional theologian, is truly remarkable. This distinguishes him from many academically trained theologians. In much theological writing, although the central message may remain clear, readers often have to negotiate numerous technical discussions, specialized methods of…

A Reflection on Mahatma Gandhi’s Young India (11 August 1927) Whenever I hear that another nation has increased its military budget, I cannot help asking myself a disturbing question: Is this the highest expression of our humanity? Must our security always depend upon our capacity to destroy one another? Governments justify such expenditure by insisting…

Author’s Note: This article is a companion piece to Beyond Survival: Violence, Religion, and the Need for Inner Regeneration. [https://dayanandbharati.in/beyond-survival-violence-religion-and-the-need-for-inner-regeneration/] Both essays arise from my personal reflections on a series of messages and dialogues Mahatma Gandhi published in Young India (Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 32) after receiving the news of the assassination of…

When I read the critic’s message about Gandhi, it made me think deeply about what it means to be human. Is a human just an animal with some moral rules put on top, or something more? The fact that this person—not just any man but a thoughtful doctor—was able to write down his ideas carefully…

In his Young India article “Colour Bar v. Swadeshi” (1 July 1926), Gandhi responded to a critic who likened his swadeshi programme to South Africa’s Colour Bar legislation. Mr. Spender claimed that both stemmed from the notion that East and West cannot intermingle without harm. Gandhi firmly rejected this comparison, explaining that while Colour Bar…