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Gandhi and Rajchandra : Question and Answers
51
reassured that Hinduism could give me what I needed... Since Rajchandra was primarily responsible for the above result, my respect for him increased manifold."
Gandhi needed at that time more than anything and Rajchandra provided him amply was the hope and assurance and that if one practiced higher ethics and morality demanded by a religion, moksha2 was possible in this very life.13 Rajchandra sent Gandhi several books to read. One of those books, Mumukshuprakarana of the Yoga Vasishtha, indicated to Gandhi that a strong sense of human endeavor (purushakara) was necessary in order to face the difficulties in this world and self-examination of experiences was necessary at every step on the path to moksha. Gandhi, henceforth, turned action-oriented and made himself a mumukshutva.!4 Gandhi also read Panchikaran, Maniratnamala, Shaddarshana Samuchchaya, The Perfect Way, The New Interpretation of the Bible, and The Kingdom of God is Within You. Regarding the last book, he later remarked that "before the independent thinking, profound morality, and truthfulness of this book, all the books given to me by Mr. Coates seemed to pale into insignificance."15
Gandhi continued his correspondence with Rajchandra throughout the latter's lifetime and received guidance from him from time to time on comparative study of religions and his soul searches. The correspondence included in this chapter took place in 1894 in Gujarati language.!“ Gandhi asked the questions in a mood of confusion and bewilderment and Rajchar dra answered them through his vast knowledge of the religious philosophies and deep self-reflections.
The following were the questions and answers:17
Q. 1 What is a soul and what are its functions? Do the karmas 18 bind it?
A. (1) Just as pot, table etc. are material substances, similarly a soul is a conscious substance. But pots, tables etc., all material substances, are transient and impermanent. They cannot remain static in their nature through all the ages: past, present, and future. While on the other hand, soul retains all
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