Gandhi And Jainism

Author(s): Shugan C Jain
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 56

well.22 Finally for economic considerations as well as to observe his vow stringently, he started cooking at home. All these developments show his strong commitment to the vow of neither eating meat nor taking wine. Indeed he spent lot of time and effort to stay vegetarian and ultimately became its greatest proponent by becoming an active member of Vegetarian Society.
Celibacy: The English custom involved students to be unmarried. The students were allowed freely to intermix with girls socially and have conversations, food, walk etc together. He used to feel a loner due to his shyness and hesitated to go on date. The old widow who helped him in the French restaurant in Brighton find vegetarian dishes invited her at her London home. They became friends and had Sunday lunches together. This lady tried to arrange dates for Gandhi, like a well wisher, so that Gandhi can find some suitable partner. Feeling such ambitions of the lady, he told the old lady that he is already married and has a son. They both laughed and continued to be friends. Such incidences demonstrate his strong will to honour the vow of no sexual relations with other women. As he observed them, he also educated himself about their efficacy to make these life style practices by choice. So Gandhi adhered to the family values and the vows he was administered as a prerequisite for permission to go to England and achieved his mission.
Emerging personality of Gandhi: Return to India was a different experience. Gandhi was shaken to know of the death of his mother while he was in England. Similarly the community declared him as an outcast. Costs of settling him down according to English tradition by his brother were mounting and the need of bribing to get cases for legal practice made him uneasy as these did not match with his values practised so far. So he decided to locate himself to Bombay for better professional opportunities. However things did not go the way he desired in Bombay either. His experience of making a compromise with his values by approaching the British agent in Rajkot for favour, giving commission to agents who brought him business, superstitions and his experiences in England thereof
Gandhi & Jainism | Pg.33