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Rajchandra's Influences on Gandhi
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Gandhi understood from these messages that equability, selflessness, kindness, non-possession, and renunciation are core considerations in aparigraha, which ought to be a central theme in any religion. Gandhi goes on to say that "word like upurigruha (non-possession) and samabhava (equability) gripped me. How to cultivate and preserve that equability was the question. How was one to treat alike insulting, insolent, and corrupt officials, co-workers of yesterday raising meaningless opposition, and men who had always been good to one? How was one to divest oneself of all possessions ?... Straight came the answer: I could not follow Him unless I gave up all I had."53 Henceforth, Gandhi decided to consider himself a vanaprasthuit and only a "trustee" of all his possessions. He also understood that non-possession and equability presupposed a permanent change of attitude and a change of the heart. 55
Compassion
Gandhi credits Rajchandra for learning from him the true meaning of compassion and its proper practice. He understood that true compassion did not mean just love and generosity toward others, but also entailed sincere efforts for bringing fairness, justice, and joy to all. Each person had to perform own duty diligently, with a view to what was just, right, enabling, and in the best interest of all. Even when pain was caused to others (like, when parents discipline the children), three conditions had to be met to make certain that the inflicted pain was out of compassion and not out of anger, hatred, or egotistical attitude: 1) the motive in inflicting the pain had to be absolutely selfless and drawn out of noble concerns, 2) the inflicted pain had to hurt the inflictor more than on whom it was inflicted, and 3) the application of the pain had to be free of all hypocritical feelings. Regarding hypocrites, Rajchandra used to say that he could bear being transfixed with spears, but could not bear being stabbed with the spears of lies and hypocrisies. Rajchandra also grieved for
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