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Gandhi's Teachers : Rajchandra Ravjibhai Mehta
Spiritual Yearnings
Spiritual yearnings came early to Gandhi. Even as a boy, he had a religious orientation and was dutiful, truthful, and devoted to his parents and elders. He learned early to carry out the orders of the elders, without scanning their faults or shortcomings. 64 He was much influenced through his regular visits to the temple in Haveli, the discourses visiting holy people had with his father, and the morality-oriented plays he watched as a boy (e.g., Shravana Pitribhuktu Nataka"s and Harishchandra"). Even more important influences on his life were those of his mother Putlibai and the housemaid Rambha. About his mother, Gandhi remarks:67
"The outstanding impression my mother has left on my memory is that of saintliness. She was deeply religious. She would not think of taking her meals without her daily prayers... As far as my memory can go back, I do not remember her having ever missed the chaturmas." She would take the hardest vows and keep them without flinching. Illness was no excuse for relaxing them. I can recall her once falling ill when she was observing the chandrayana, 69 but the illness was not allowed to interrupt the observance."
Rambha was much older than Gandhi, but was like a friend to him. Gandhi used to share with her his fears of ghosts, spirits, and snakes. It was Rambha who first recommended to Gandhi that he should learn Ramnama70 and recite it whenever facing the fears. He shares: "I think that it is due to the seed sown by that good woman Rambha that today Ramnama is an infallible remedy for me."?l Later Gandhi also learned Rama Raksha72 and started listening to the recitations of Ramayana73 and Bhagavat?4. Ramayana and Bhagavat, further evoked Gandhi's religious interests and kindled his spiritual yearnings. Regarding Ramayana, he mentions: "Today I regard the Ramayana of Tulasidas as the greatest book in all devotional literature."75 He was also very appreciative of the Bhagavat,76
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