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28
NONVIOLENCE
tent to invite suffering on himself. Suffering, deliberately invited in support of a cause which one considers righteous, naturally purges the mind of the Satyāgrahi of ill-will and removes the element of bitterness from the antagonist.
The efficacy of Satyāgraha depends upon the tenacity to resist evil which, while it abjures force, develops in the Satyāgrahi the faculty to face all risks cheerfully. It is only when these requirements are met that non-violent Satyāgraha becomes a mighty weapon of resistance both in the struggle for freedom as well as in self-realization. Gandhi adopted the technique of Satyāgraha, by which mass resistance could succeed in achieving enduring results, without resorting to force and leaving a legacy of bitterness behind.
The technique acquires great significance in the modern world when instruments of coercion and destruction are concentrated in the hands of a few rulers in every country. Those who serve the cause of freedom or collective welfare have no other efficacious weapon left, except Satyāgraha. Satyāgraha is anactivity resulting from an effective will to vindicate the supremacy of the moral order. In the hour of danger Satyāgraha demands the highest form of heroism as well as self-control. Gandhi declared that Satyāgraha is a weapon of the strong, not a cover for the cowardice of the weak. The power of Satyāgraha lies in the Satyāgrahi’s firm determination to uphold his life, in a spirit of humility.
The relevance of Satyāgraha, both as a way of life and as a weapon for evolutionary social change, need
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