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SHRIMAD RAJCHANDRA AND MAHATMA GANDHI
Gandhi's
- Padmashree Dr. Kumarpal Desai CON
violence was Who gave the mantra of non-violence to Mohandas K. Gandhi, the barrister, who had just returned from England? How did he come to place so much trust in non- influenced by violence and who instilled in him love for truth, sense of spirituality and a strong belief in anekant philosophy? It was none other than the spiritual guru Shrimad
anekant Rajchandra who was born in a small village of Vavania in Saurashtra. In Vikram
philosophy... Samvat 1947 Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi returned to India from England trained as a barrister. He arrived at the house of Dr. Pranjivan Mehta, a relation of Gandhiji said. Shrimad Rajchandra. Shrimad Rajchandra also arrived there at the same time and both met for the first time. Dr. Mehta and Gandhiji had met earlier in England and
"I met many they both managed to hit off well. Gandhiji was greatly impressed by Rajchandra's
religious leaders nobility of nature and his deep knowledge. What a coincidence that Shrimad Rajchandra imbibed the essence of non-violence from Mahavir and it got implanted but the from him into Mahatma Gandhi! Gandhi experimented with truth, non-violence and the philosophy of anekant and this saw the dawn of a new era in world history.
impression that Gandhi's concept of non-violence was influenced by anekant philosophy. In
Shrimad 1925, he observed in 'Young India': "I believed that I was always right and my honest critics wrong. But now I realize that we both were right in our own ways. Then I Rajchandra left stopped criticizing my opponents or critics. I learnt that I must try to look at the situation or a problem from a Muslim's or a Sikh's point of view." He later said, "My on me, no other principle of anekant is based on two things - truth and non-violence."
leader had been Gandhi, under the influence of Shrimad Rajchandra, brought about political, social and spiritual revolution of a sort in the country. He admitted that during a spir- able to leave." itual crisis, he sought guidance from Shrimad. He said: "I met many religious leaders but the impression that Shrimad Rajchandra left on me, no other leader had been able to leave. Whatever he said had a lasting effect on me."
Gandhiji, on a train journey, had the occasion to read Ruskin's 'Unto this Last' and it also influenced him profoundly. He then entered into correspondence with Tolstoy and got more strength to pursue his movement. But more than this, it was his meeting with Rajchandra that had launched him on the right path. He often discussed with him matters like non-violence, truth, compassion, existence of God, moksha, rebirth, Christ etc and sought his guidance on matters that baffled him. Shrimad answered all his questions to his entire satisfaction. It was indeed a happy co-incidence, and a historical event that such great souls were born in Saurashtra in Gujarat in the same century. Gandhi's correspondence with Shrimad had been extensive but unfortunately only three letters are in existance today.
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