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________________ 182 Discourses on Shrimad Rajchandra by Gandhiji There is something I need to tell you first before we start. If we attempt to evaluate him by the modern yardstick, we might wonder what was so special about him? What I am referring to is his external personality. In India, the one who adorns saffron clothes and applies a ceremonial tilak on his forehead is thought to be saintly. Such a person is considered a pious person because of his external appearance. There was really nothing like this in Raichandbhai. He was a simple trader and that too in foreign clothes, foreign pearls and diamonds etc. His trading activities were mostly with foreign countries such as Paris. We may not appreciate the kind of life he led. We may strongly feel, why not conduct trade within the country and that too in indigenous goods? Raichandbhai never thought along these lines. We need not be shocked by this. If we try to evaluate the life of those who have already passed away by present-day standards, in all probability, we are likely to be disappointed. To get a true measure of their life standards, we should use the ethics of those days as our measure. For instance, we often say that the evils or virtues of the era of Ramayana and Mahabharata are not comparable with the presentday evils or virtues. Hence at the time of evaluation, we should take into consideration the constantly changing circumstances. Raichandbhai used to have pleasant dialogues with all. His simplicity and frankness used to impress the listeners, so much so that he could transform their hearts. He was endowed with very deep knowledge. It could not be said that he was a learned or highly educated person. He had dropped out of formal education as a child. Nevertheless, he had a unique capacity to absorb knowledge. He could perform a hundred tasks at a time. His memory was so sharp that he would remember whatever he had read once. Whenever he was at his shop, where he used to conduct trading activities,
| SR No. | 034032 |
| Book Title | Shrimad Rajchandra And Mahatma Gandhi |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Kumarpal Desai |
| Publisher | Raj Saubhag Satsang Mandal |
| Publication Year | 2017 |
| Total Pages | 107 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 19 MB |