Gandhi And Jainism

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

Page 81

and therefore serves as a synonym for force i.e. the force which is born out of Truth and Love or non violence. In contradicting Mr. Hosken's observation32 Gandhi said 'I defined our passive resistance as soul-force...... Brute force has no place in Indian movement in any circumstance... Fostering the idea of strength, we grow stronger and stronger ever day." It became the very purpose of Gandhi's life. Later Gandhi called 'Satyagraha as a matchless weapon and those who wield it are strangers to disappointment'.
Thus Satyagraha implies self effort through self suffering, like observing austerities Itapa to annihilate bondage of karmas or purify the soul of its impurities through its own effort to attain the highest objective of life.34 Thus the term Satyagraha is all inclusive of Ahimsa, vows, self restraint, and fasting all in one.
Unlike passive resistance, he mobilised people to peacefully oppose oppression/discrimination like asking the women going to jail, leaving their home and crossing borders illegally, staying at Tolstoy Farm and so on for Satyagraha. Jains also say that tolerating violence is also violence and their path of spiritual purification called Moksamarga as practised by householders is similar to Satyagraha.
Ahimsa: He practiced Ahimsa to the extreme as it was the principal means of Satyagraha to eliminate the suffering of the oppressed. He considered discrimination, inequality, hurting or killing, and use of force, as violence.
During his first journey from Dublin to Pretoria, he experienced extremes of violence but always maintained nonviolent attitude. Yes, he did write to officials to insist on his rights (nonviolent opposition) as tolerating violence is also violence.
Pg.58 Gandhi & Jainism