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“Ban the bomb but who will ? It is not just to bell the cat but to bell the tiger. The milliondollar question is: How and who will ? Its answer is non-violence. It was he who displayed extraordinary courage and fearlessness in facing violence and proved that non-violence is not the quality of the coward or the timid but of one who is strong. Another thing, after non-violence, that Gandhiji acquired from Shrimad Rajchandra was truthfulness. According to him Shrimad practised what he preached and always spoke the truth. Thus truth, which is central to Jain religion, is found reflected in Gandhiji's life and deeds. How did he acquire these two qualities - love of truth and non-violence ?
In the issue of "Young India" of March 1925, he writes: "His anekantvad is based on two principles - truth and non-violence." He was impressed by the philosophy of anekantvad. He writes: "I believed that my view or opinion was always right, and that those who opposed me were wrong. Now ! have realised that we both are right and I stopped accusing my critics or opponents of being wrong. I learnt that we must see what Muslims say from their point of view and what Sikhs say from the view point of the Sikhs."
In 1938, after Shrimad's death, Gandhiji visited Rajkot and straight from the Railway Station, he visited the shrine of his spiritual guru and source of inspiration. On Shrimad's birthday, Gandhiji would remember him
wherever he happened to be and talk about what he learnt from his life in his prayer meetings.
He once said that from Shrimad's life we can learn four things : simplicity of life, truth, non-violence and faith in the eternal verities of life. Jain religion lays great stress on fasting and for Gandhiji it was his most powerful weapon. He, like Shrimad, learnt to listen to the conscience and believe in soul force. This alone can make one strong and this alone can make life worth living. Fasting purifies the soul, makes one nonviolent and helps to attain salvation.
A striking incident, reflecting Jain philosophy in Gandhiji's life, happened in Gandhi's Phoenix Ashram in South Africa. A student found a shilling on way to station. Ashram's teacher Dhaivatben and students decided to spend the shilling on buying savouries. Since everyone would be party to the conspriracy, no one would complain to Gandhiji; but he somehow came to know of it. Gandhiji discussed the matter with the teacher and others and called his son Devdas. He slapped Devdas. What pained him was the fact that the son had cheated the father, He then went to Johannesburg but fasted that day. After ten days, he fasted again for seven days to atone for the sin. Every evening people were treated to a touching discourse and for seven consecutive days a verse composed by
Influence of
Jainism on 18 Mahatma Gandhi
Influence of
Jainism on Mahatma Gandhi 19
| SR No. | 034277 |
| Book Title | Influence Of Jainism On Mahatma Gandhi |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Kumarpal Desai |
| Publisher | Jaibhikkhu Sahitya Trust |
| Publication Year | |
| Total Pages | 18 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 2 MB |