- Gandhianism starts with the idea of Simple living and high moral thinking.
- The ideas and ideals of Gandhi emanated mainly from
- His inner religious convictions
- Exigencies of his struggle against apartheid in South Africa and the mass political movements during India’s freedom struggle.
- Influence of Tolstoy, Carlyle and Thoreau etc.
- Gandhianism appears to be simple to everyone but in real sense practicing it in day to day life is difficult.
- The two cardinal principles of Gandhian Ethics are Truth and Non Violence.
Truth
- Truth is what the voice within tells you.There should be Truth in thought, Truth in speech, and Truth in action.
- Truth is relative as what may appear as Truth to one person, will often appear as untruth to another person. But that need not worry the seeker.
- When there is an honest effort it will be realized that what appears to be different truths are like apparently different countless leaves of the same tree.
- Character is based on virtuous action and virtuous action is grounded on Truth. Truth is the source and foundation of all things that are good and great.
- One can realize Truth by single-minded devotion (Abhyas) and indifference to every other interest in life ( Vairagya).
- Gandhi holds that truth is God, and maintains that it is an integral part of Satyagraha.
- The Gandhian view of truth was irreversible in different contexts irrespective of the urgency of the situation similar to the path followed by Immanuel Kant.
“Truth never damages a cause that is just.”
Non-Violence or Ahimsa
- Truth is inseparable from Ahimsa.Gandhi saw violence pejoratively and also identified two forms of violence ie Passive and Physical.
- The practice of passive violence is a daily affair, consciously and unconsciously.It is again the fuel that ignites the fire of physical violence.
- Gandhi formed Ahimsa into the active social technique, which was to challenge political authorities and religious orthodoxy.
- Gandhi objects to violence because it perpetuates hatred.A true nonviolence activist accepts violence on himself without inflicting it on another.
- Gandhi feels that violence is not a natural tendency of humans. It is a learned experience. There is a need for a perfect weapon to combat violence and this is nonviolence.
- For Gandhi, nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than any weapon of mass destruction.
- A seeker of truth or satya is a practitioner of non-violence or ahimsa.
“Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong.”
“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”
Moral Behaviour
- According to Gandhi, an action is moral if it is volitional, intentional, universal, practical, selfless, and free from fear and compulsion simultaneously.
- The elements of moral life in Gandhian ethics are calmness, wildness and tranquility of personality, fostering of good habits, observance of chastity, altruism and righteousness, etc.
“Morality is the basis of things and truth is the substance of all morality.”
Gandhian Economy
- It is a school of economic thought based on spiritual and socio-economic principles.
- The Gandhian Economic Order is based on simplicity, decentralization, self-sufficiency, cooperation, equality, non-violence, human values, self-sufficient village units, and nationalization of basic industries, Swadeshi and the theory of trusteeship.
- These will solve the problems pertaining to labour, capital, production, distribution and profit etc.
Sarvodaya
- Sarvodaya means “universal uplift” or “progress of all”.
- The sarvodaya society is based on equality and liberty. There is no room in it for unwholesome competition, exploitation and class-hatred.
Ends and Means
- The relationship between means and ends is not a technical one but an ethical one, one that involves choice which requires an initial decision about the desired end and the obligatory acceptance of steps necessary to secure it or most likely to do so.
- Gandhiji constantly emphasizes that evil means could never lead to good ends.Noble and good ends could never be attained by evil and/or immoral means.
- Guided by his belief in the law of Karma he underlines the organic interdependence between means and ends.
- He also stresses on the fact that individuals have control over the means but not over the end.
“As the means so the end.”
Dignity of Labour
- Dignity of labour is the experience of self-worth and achievement that a person derives from his or her work.
- Gandhi had high respect for the dignity of labour and firmly believed that labouring with one’s body is the law of one’s being and there was no reason why one should hesitate and feel dissatisfied with one’s labour.
Satyagraha
- Satyagraha means clinging to truth, holding fast to truth, insistence on truth, or firm adherence to truth; come what may.
- Gandhiji described Satyagraha as “firmness in a good cause” .
- Satyagraha is a matchless weapon to fight against the strongest and the mightiest power.
- Gandhi used and demonstrated the power of Satyagraha successfully to get India liberated from the yoke of British imperialism.
“The world rests upon the bedrock of Satya which being what is can never be destroyed. This is the doctrine of Satyagraha in a nutshell”.
Tolerance
- Tolerance is when we can take suffering and withstand undesirable situations. Tolerance also has a key role in religion.
- Gandhi believed that all religions were fundamentally equal and that there should be innate respect for them, not just mutual tolerance.
“The golden rule of conduct is mutual toleration, seeing that we will never think alike and we shall always see truth in fragments and from different angles of vision”
Doctrine of Trusteeship
- Trusteeship is a socio-economic philosophy propounded by Mahatma Gandhi.
- It provides a means by which the wealthy people would be the trustees of trusts that looked after the welfare of the people in general.
- Gandhi’s theory of trusteeship stipulates that the rich should consider their property as what God trusted them to manage for the benefit of the poor.
- This theory legitimated the positions of the former, as long as they behaved as “trustees”
- Eg: J.R.D. Tata, the founder of the Tata Group was influenced by Gandhi’s idea of trusteeship and developed his personal and professional life based on this idea.
Seven Deadly Sins
Wealth Without Work
- It is the practice of getting something for nothing.ie Making wealth by unfair means or by taking other shortcuts.
- Eg: Making excess money without paying taxes
Pleasure Without Conscience
- Attaining pleasure without a sense of social responsibility. Happiness that is earned at the expense of others is no less than a sin.
- Eg:Sexual harassment and mindless consumerism
Knowledge Without Character
- It is a situation where a person may be very knowledgeable, but lacks the moral and ethical framework to use that knowledge responsibly. This can lead to misuse of knowledge, causing harm to oneself and others.
- Eg: A doctor or a pharmacist might have extensive knowledge about medicines and their effects on the human body. But If they lack character, they might misuse this knowledge by overprescribing medications or selling drugs illegally for personal profit.
Science Without Humanity
- Misuse of scientific knowledge and technology without considering its impact on humanity.
- Eg:The development and use of increasingly destructive weapons, such as nuclear bombs and chemical weapons, is an example of science without humanity.
Commerce Without Morality
- Conducting business practices without ethical considerations. It involves prioritizing profit over principles and can manifest in various ways such as price gouging, selling inferior products, cheating, making false claims etc.
- Eg: Adulteration of food products and use of harmful chemicals in farming.
Religion Without Sacrifice or Worship Without Sacrifice
- Worship is commonly associated with sacrifice for a Higher Being. Sacrifice requires giving up of ourselves and giving our love and adoration. It is associated with what we are willing to let go of, or what we are willing to stop or start doing to demonstrate our devotion.
- Sin is when we fail to live out the moral precepts of brotherhood, compassion, and affection.
- Eg: A monk not sacrificing his worldly pleasures is an example for Worship without sacrifice
Politics Without Principle
- Practice of politics without adherence to a system of laws or values is called Politics without principle.
- Eg: Scams and Corrupt practices by Politicians .“Horse-trading” in politics which refers to the practice of politicians switching parties for personal gain is also showing politics without principle.
Quotes of Mahatma Gandhi
- “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong”
- “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony”
- “A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes.”
- “The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humane.”
- “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”
- “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
- “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
- “ He who fears, fails”
- “Being a slave to fear is the worst form of slavery”
Relevance of Gandhianism in today’s world
- The world is grappling with the consequences of War (Russia-Ukraine War,Israel-Palestine War) and there is a significant requirement of the Gandhian idea of Non- violence today.
- The Gandhian idea of decentralization of power is implemented in democracies through local self governments (Panchayati Raj and Municipality) at the grass root level.
- Gandhiji has given great emphasis upon cleanliness or Swacchta. He used to say ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’.The recent Swacchta Bharat Abhiyaan, the biggest cleanliness drive of India, is to fulfill the dream of Gandhi by making India clean.
- Gandhi believed that Earth has enough for Human needs, but not for Human greed.This principle reflects the new global idea of Sustainable Development.
- Gandhi’s practice of tolerance is also very important in today’s world, where we face many challenges and conflicts due to the differences and inequalities among people.
Reference
- Light of India or Message of Mahatmaji’ by M. S. Deshpande
- https://www.mkgandhi.org/africaneedsgandhi/gandhis_philosophy_of_nonviolence.php
- https://www.mkgandhi.org/mgmnt.htm
- The Lexicon For Ethics ,Integrity and Aptitude.
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/the-rock-bottom/relevance-of-gandhianism-in-todays-world/
Previous Year Question
Discuss Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of seven sins.(2016)