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TULSI-PRAJNA
ously, Inspired by Gita's Karmayoga he staked his life to the ideals of justice, freedom and dignity of the individual. Following "the still small voice within" he grappled with the problems of life. Success may not have always crowned his effort. But his devotion and dedication were unmistakable. He did not know any religion apart from human activity, the spiritual law did not work in a field of its own but expressed itself through the ordinary activities of life. To be truly religious one did not have to retire to the Himalayas nor shrink into the security of the home or a sect." Gandhi's long and eventful life was one continuous denial of dualistic approach to life. The distinction between the outer life and the inner self, theory and practice, words and deeds, Ethics and Politics, Ends and Means had no place in Gandhi's thought. Gandhi wanted to end the "broken totality" manifesting itself in splits within man himself, between man and society and between man and nature."4 Gandhi believed in Advaita (the Indian doctrine of monism) i.e. "the unity of God and man and for that matter of all that lives." This is identical with the Upanishadic view of the oneness of everything, sensate and insensate. know his crea
"We may not know God." says Gandhi, "but we tion, Service of his creation is the service of God."5
Gandhi's activities emanated from his spiritual quest. His active involvement in politics, his suffering and sacrifice were all part of his overall concern for self-realization and self-perfection. His approach was holistic in that he saw life in its entirety. What mattered was the whole, man and all men.
II
On his arrival from South Africa Gandhi's uppermost objective was to work for the liberation of India. For this he wanted to weld the Indian people of various castes, creeds, classes and regions into one nation and weave a cultural pattern of unity in diversity. His mind was set on forging a unity between Hindus and Muslims. "There are two things to which I am devoting my life.""permanent unity between Hindus and Muslims and Satyagraha...... It would be on the question of Hindu-Muslim unity that my Ahimsa would be put to the severest test......I am trying to become the best cement between the two communities. My longing is to cement the
two with my blood."
Thus, for him the Hindu-Muslim problem was not merely political but an essentially spiritual and moral issue. He realized that in a vast country like India a complete uniformity was neither possible
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