Homeopathy and Mahatma Gandhi

[Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav]

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Senior Gandhian Scholar, Professor, Editor and Linguist

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

Contact No. – 09404955338, 09415777229

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Homeopathy and Mahatma Gandhi

Non-co- operation is no t allopathic treatment, it is homoeopathic. The patient does not taste the drops given to him. He is sometimes even incredulous, but if the homoeopathy are to be trusted, the tasteless drops or the tiny pills of homoeopathy are far more potent than ounce doses or choking pills of allopathy. I assure the reader that the effect of purifying non-co-operation is more certain than the effect of homoeopathic medicine. I do wish, therefore, that everywhere non-co-operators will insist upon due fulfillment of all the conditions of civil disobedience. One may be a lawyer, title-holder, even a councilor and yet properly eligible for civil disobedience if he is sincerely non-violent in thought, word and deed, wears hand-spun khadi as a sacred duty, shuns untouchability as an intolerable evil and believes in the unity of all races and classes of India, as for all time essential for the well-being and the attainment, as also retention, of swaraj. 1 

It is a principle of homoeopathy that the patient should take in the smallest possible quantity the very substance which has caused the disease. Similarly, if we wish to become non-violent in this violent world, we shall advance as we gradually become more and more non-violent, On the other hand, trying to overcome violence with violence leads to evil consequence. Akarma means reducing karma and the degree of violence involved in each karma. One who does that will not go seeking work to do. Such a person will ultimately reach a state in which his thought itself will be action. We cannot pursue even bhakti or jnana without some measure of karma we shall see tomorrow how this is so. 2

Now about homoeopathy. I must confess that without any specific cause I have never been able to take kindly to it, though some of my friends have often recommended it to me. I have noticed too that these friends themselves at critical moments have given up homoeopathy and gone to allopathy. Though I should like to believe to the contrary I am driven to the conclusion that allopathy, although it has great limitations and much superstition about it, is still the most universal and justifiably the most popular system; Allopathy provides opening medicines, ointments for a variety of boils and eruptions, disinfectants for various situations and includes surgery of a most wonderful type. It is an all-inclusive system. It can well include homoeopathy, biochemistry and the latest nature-cures. If therefore allopathy rids itself of the worship of mammon, which has overtaken most human activities, and could exclude vivisection and other practices which I call black, and liberally took advantage of the new methods discovered by lay people, it would become all-satisfying and quite inexpensive. Having said this, if you have an accurate knowledge of homoeopathy and can easily spare the time necessary for treatment, I do not mind you’re introducing it in the Ashram subject of course to consultation with Narandas and the other responsible people in the Ashram. I would love to think that we were independent of outside medical assistance or that it was only rarely that we have to trouble our medical friends. My ideal is to find whatever alleviation we want in the Ashram itself. It pains me when any of us have to go out for medical relief or treatment or to call in medical assistance. We may never reach that perfect state, but the nearer the approach to it the better for us. I would therefore be pleased if you could even minimize the occasions for seeking medical help from outside. Tell me what treatments you would give to Kusum, Jamna, and Chimanlal and last but not least Parachure Shastri. These are all typical cases. 3 

Personally I would prefer Homoeopathy any day to Allopathy. Only I have no personal experience of its efficacy and I have told you so. Perhaps if you have confidence in yourself, and if you can really spare time from the daily work for attending to Homoeopathic remedies, so far as I am concerned I do not mind you’re trying them. You may discuss this thing with Narandas and if you are interested in the simple treatment of diseases I would like you to understand Dr. Sharma’s system. He has great confidence in his own method and if his experiments in the Ashram succeed it will be a great gain. 4  I was pained to read about Bachubhai. You cannot leave him as long as he is bed-ridden. Tell Jugatram to consult a homoeopath. Homoeopathy has not won my faith, but it helped Devdas and a medical specialist whom we met here is all praise for it. In any case it will do no harm, and may do some good. 5 

Do not worry about anything just now. Your health must mend completely. If homoeopathy helps you, I will begin to have some faith in it. I have never been able to put any faith in it. I entrusted a case to a homoeopath but there was no result. 6 Do give, within reasonable limits, the time required by homoeopathy to cure you. I have heard much about the water at Hajira, but do not know about Deolali. Hajira may possibly agree with you. Everything else failing, you can try nature cure. But we should first meet and have a brief discussion. 7 You have tried homoeopathy. We have an allopath here, as also a vaid. A homoeopath also may join. I am also here. If, therefore, you can summon up courage, come over. Resolve that you will return only when fully recovered or when I admit defeat. But don’t come merely because I ask you to. Come only if you are fully convinced that my advice is correct, for only then will you benefit. 8 Nowadays the villages around Sevagram are in the grip of cholera. The hospital doctors are working very hard. They are giving the medicine prescribed by the Civil Hospital. Is giving enema the only remedy? How to cope with thousands of patients? Isn’t there anything in Homoeopathy or Ayurveda? 9

 

References:

1. Young India, 9-2-1922
2. November 6, 1926
3. Letter to T. Titus, April 4, 1933
4. Letter to T. Titus, April 28, 1933
5. Letter to Gangabehn Vaidya, June 5, 1936
6. Letter to Vallabhbhai Patel, September 14, 1941 
7. Letter to Vallabhbhai Patel, September 25, 1941
8. Letter to Sharda G. Chokhawala, January 16, 1945
9. Letter to Dr. Jivraj Mehta, September 3, 1945