World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 55

sufficiently enough to hold water without scattering several drops. On the other hand, there are some who, by efficacious actions, take on the responsibility of seas, mountains, cities, and islands, as well as families, for whom even the earth itself would not be too much (Chapple, 105-106).
Gandhi struggled to find strength within India and within the Indian psyche. In the Yogavasistha he found a philosophy that regales one into action, that rejects any form of submissiveness. This strength must be directed inward, however, and not against an external enemy. From Rajchandra and his own mother, Gandhi learned and lived an undying commitment to nonviolence. Nonetheless, he advocated inner warfare, heeding the advice of the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. As I learned from his personal secretary, Narayan Desai, in 2008, Gandhi recited the last eighteen verses of the Yoga of Knowledge daily, adhering to the ideas encapsulated in verse 64: "With the elimination of desire and hatred, even though moving among the objects of the senses, the one who is controlled by the self through self-restraint attains tranquility." Combining strength, adherence to nonviolence, and self-control, Gandhi set himself and others on a path that changed the course of world history.
Narayan Desai serves as the Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapeeth, the university that Mahatma Gandhi established in Ahmedabad, India. Desai, following the footsteps of his father, served as Gandhi's personal secretary. Desai continues to set forth Gandhi's core message: holding to truth in a spirit of nonviolence. He states that we need to overcome our all-to-human greed and fear with love and cooperation. Greed and fear plague the U.S. and throughout the world today. Debts, individual and governmental, have been poorly managed with dire consequences. Signs of greed can be found throughout the world in obesity and other food-related crises, and in lumbering, energy-guzzling cars, trucks, and overbuilt houses. Likewise, fear can be seen in a deepening split between political parties, between religions who ironically all preach peace and love, between rich and poor. All these tensions can lead to mistrust and the potential for violence.
No political figure today will dare suggest that citizens should alter their lifestyle and reduce their consumption willingly for the sake of a common good. Desai offers a radical personal solution to the world's ills: Live within your means, occupy your hands with creative work, and be open to the ideas and views of others. Even when engaged in world travel, Desai, following the model of Gandhi, spins tufts of cotton into thread, adding to his spool each day. After several weeks or months, he weaves this thread into homespun cloth and wears only self-crafted clothing. All the students and