For Global Peace with Social Justice in a Sustainable Environment

Shivabhai G. Patel and Mahatma Gandhi

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Senior Gandhian Scholar, Professor, Editor and Linguist

Gandhi International Study and Research Institute, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

Contact No. – 09404955338, 09415777229

E-mail- dr.yadav.yogendra@gandhifoundation.net;

dr.yogendragandhi@gmail.com

Mailing Address- C- 29, Swaraj Nagar, Panki, Kanpur- 208020, Uttar Pradesh, India

Shivabhai G. Patel and Mahatma Gandhi

Shivabhai G. Patel was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi advised him in every activity and work. He wrote many letter to him. I could not attend to your letter earlier on account of my illness. If one regards non-co-operation as dharma then co-operation is sinful. Dharma is ever binding. The slightest violation of such a bond is sin. It would be an exaggeration to say that an institution can render no service to the country if it associates with the Government. But it is certainly true that the closer the association the less the service. It is difficult to answer your last question offhand. I can explain if you see me in person. The usual time is 4 p.m. except on Monday. I do not think a husband observing brahmacharya must forsake his wife. Of course, he should steadfastly avoid all privacy with her. 1

I still cannot say that the printing of the Ashram Samachar is such that it can be read in full. And it is likely that the clearest copy is sent to me. If the lettering is faint even in that copy, how much fainter it must be in the other copies! I therefore feel that we must instal a litho or get the Ashram Samachar printed. It must itself raise the money for that expense. The list of the inmates is well given, but I consider it a big mistake that you have shown the three untouchables separately. You could have mentioned ‘Hindus (including three untouchables) 198.’ I also do not like the statement that the list of the labourers will be given later. The number of the labourers staying there must be known and it should be easy to give it. We cannot have in the Ashram a separate class of labourers distinct from other inmates. The labourers should be identified in some other way, because all of us are labourers. We should drive this point into our heads as firmly as we can. And we must give up in practice and in principle the idea which often persists that a particular job is the responsibility only of the labourers. We should make a distinction between students and paid workers or members receiving maintenance and paid workers in keeping with our principles. But even while making such a distinction we must strive to absorb the labourers among ourselves. In other words, the number of labourers should diminish day by day and we should try to absorb among ourselves as many of the present ones as we can. You have given the number of Muslims as seven. Does this number include Amina’s children? If it does, according to my reckoning the number comes to eight. Sixth is Imam Saheb, seventh Abbas and the eighth another student whose name I have forgotten. You write suggesting that I should check your figure with Jethalal. I shall do so now, for Jethalal has returned to Bardoli. 2

I think my memory is as weak as yours, but this is the method I followed, and still follow, for memorizing whatever I did, or do when I get any time for that, and I have no doubt that it is the best one. We should first try and understand the meaning of what we wish to memorize and the relations of the different parts to each other. After we have done this, all that remains to do is to commit to memory the poet’s words expressing that meaning and those relations. This is easy to do. Try this method and memorize Chapter XII. Arjuna asks: “As between one who worships in this manner and another who worships the Unmanifest, who is superior?” Reflect over the reply to this question and then try to memorize the verses. This is interesting, involves no waste of energy and, because we have faith, the meaning sinks in our heart while we try to memorize the verses. 3

One must never forget prayer. As the body craves for food when it is hungry and does not forget about it, so the soul should yearn to pray. The prayer may consist of nothing more than Ramanama, but one ought not to forget it in any circumstances. To the extent that you forget it occasionally, to that extent it is an external thing to you. Prayer must become so intimately a part of one’s being that at last one’s every breath is accompanied by Ramanama. As an eyelid goes on doing its work, one will go on repeating Rama’s name with every breath. 4 There is not the slightest doubt that if we condone or take direct or indirect advantage of the untruth spoken or practised by a person with whom we associate, we become party to his untruth. It is for this reason that Tulsidas advises us to seek the company of the good. However, in practical life we cannot always live up to the ideal. We have to bear with our co-workers. We may consider the circumstances in each case and act within the limits of our capacity. We ought not to join where untruth is being deliberately practised, but having once found ourselves in a certain situation; it may not be possible to force ourselves out of it. Where the situation is ab initio permeated with untruth, we have of course the weapon of non-co-operation. Surely, it cannot be claimed that no one practises untruth in the Ashram. Still, we do not close down the Ashram, nor do we condone untruth; but we bear with our associates and strive to advance further every day. Nobody in this world can do more than this. Have you come to know about the new method of spinning the takli? It is being practised at Wardha. One can draw 160 rounds in half an hour by following it. Why should your diary include anything other than your own daily activities? If necessary, you may give up recording even these. 5

Every human being is liable to err. However, nothing but good results to him who, on realizing his mistake, tries to mend it, since in the long run such a person learns not to make mistakes. His conduct is inspired by love of truth. Where there is such love, the erring man will not deceive himself or the world. I would regard it as his error if Tolstoy expressed the opinion that you mention. He expressed such mistaken opinions on several occasions. His greatness lay in the fact that as soon as he realized his mistake, he confessed it and corrected it. Moreover, there were so many changes in his way of life that one should also take into account the time when he expressed a particular opinion. In any case, in the matter of husband-wife relationship, I myself am definitely of the opinion that the consent of both should be necessary for their union and not for living apart. If that were not so, both would ordinarily remain in a fallen state. It happens only in rare cases that both wake up at the same time and remain awake together. 6 You did very well in writing to me. You are faced with a really difficult moral dilemma. All that I can say in this matter is that you should consult your own conscience and fearlessly follow its bidding. There is a risk of your committing an error in taking that course, but that risk is worth taking. In such matters, the advice of others never helps. If, in consequence, you feel that you ought to leave the Ashram, do not hesitate to do so. Nobody can force himself to observe brahmacharya. If one cannot observe it, one should admit one’s weakness and follow the common way. It is possible to exercise self-control even in conjugal life. You may do as much as you can. Write to me from time to time. Do not hesitate to write to me out of fear of adding to my burden. 7

An act of expiation for violation of a vow should be directly related to the nature of the vow. If one has been guilty of telling a lie, the proper expiation for it should be observance of silence for some time and not a resolution to give up drinking, for the latter is desirable even in it. If drinking was the cause of one’s speaking untruth, then of course it would be one’s duty to give it up. Similarly, if you touched your wife’s body with impure thoughts, you should stop going to her room or even refrain from the sight of your wife for some days. In addition to doing this, you may give up eating sweets as reminder to yourself of your resolution. However, you are fully awake and conscious of your lapses. You will, therefore, be saved. 8 Give your wife the freedom that you have reserved for yourself. In matters in which both do not agree, each must be free to go his or her own way. She should, therefore, get training for using her freedom well. I see the good of you both in that. Take the fullest interest in village industries work. And do not forget that khadi is the center of such work. 9

It seems that a beginning has been made. In my opinion there is no place for buffaloes or ghee made out of buffalo’s milk in our village industries. What shall we gain by interfering in the activities which are going on quite systematically? We do not want to make a business out of it. One who understands the dharma of cow-protection would not speak for the buffalo. 10 I do not see any objection to your wanting to join a school. You alone can say whether you will be able to shoulder the responsibility of that work or not. 11 You have started well. In my view, there is no place for the buffalo or buffalo-ghee in our programme of village industries. Why should we interfere with an activity that is going on smoothly? We do not want to take up this work as a business. No one who looks upon service of the cow as a religious duty will ever advocate the cause of the buffalo. 12

You are observing your vow well enough. With a firm mind you will go farther. The food seems to be quite all right, except that it is deficient in green leaves and vegetables. You must include some fresh raw leaves. You should grow them yourself. 13 Your disappointment is not justified. One who strives hard does succeed in the end. Do stick to the decision already taken. Think twice before taking a decision and once it is taken stick to it. Vasumati spoke of those twelve things. 14 I hope you do not expect the customary words of condolence from me. Hira has departed after repaying her debt and receiving her due. What is there for grief in this? Your duty is clear. You should bring up the child and not harbour even the thought of marrying again. If you find this beyond your strength, do what is possible for you. Do not deceive yourself. 15 What guidance can I offer? See if you can deduce something from what I am writing. I have had a talk with Ravishankar Maharaj, who will offer some advice. All of you should do as much work as you can. 16

Do you also hanker after blessings? Of what avail are they, if you do your work well? If you do not, they will never make up for the deficiency. You should know that. 17 If you have not sent the figures of yarn to Narandas, at Rajkot, please do so. Instead of incurring expense in sending the money, use it there it for Harijan works. 18 Your letter is good. Instead of replying ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to your questions, I think I shall be able to explain my point of view more clearly if I state my own ideas. If any institution has not become self-supporting on the lines suggested by me, the fact can be interpreted in two ways; either that the workers were not efficient enough, or that my calculations were erroneous. If any institution has not succeeded so far, I will begin to doubt only my calculations. But probably you will be able to see that both these inferences are irrelevant. I have advocated self-reliance in three matters:

(1) for the workers in villages,

(2) for basic education and

(3) for institutions. In regard to the first, my view is that any individual or family who settles in a village must earn their subsistence by working in the village itself. For instance, the person may start some industry that is, without entering into competition with anybody else engaged in a similar industry or may join an existing industry. If the person becomes popular with the local population, the people themselves will meet his needs. In either case I will describe the worker as self-supporting. (2) As regards basic education, I am of the view that the rent of the school building, the teacher’s salary and the running expenses of the school should be met from the pupils’ labour during the seven years of their stay in school. I am doubtful about including the expense incurred on the pupils’ food in the scheme of self-reliance. Third, any institution will be considered to be self-supporting if the people for whose benefit it is run provide its expenses. For instance, if the money for Indian Christian institutions comes from America, then the Indian Christians will have proved their incapacity. Those institutions must be supported by the local Christians. I think this should answer all your doubts. But the three rules I have suggested should not be interpreted to mean that any activities which do not conform to them should be treated as useless and be wound up. I have thought deeply and long about our institutions and formulated a code on the basis of experience. We shall be able to render better service to the extent we are able to live up to it, and will not become a burden on others. I think it would be dangerous to take the prevailing prices as the basis for any calculations. That is, if you produce cotton, food grains, vegetables, fruits and milk on your own land and consume them, need you concern yourself with their market prices? I would exclude for the present the expenditure on cows, seed and bullocks. I think on the basis of this you will yourself be able to answer the questions you have raised. If you have any more questions yet to ask, you may do so. 19

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