Bharatheeyam : ( 08/11/2012. )

PHILOSOPHY The Mind Of Mahatma Gandhi 1. Neither Saint Nor Sinner : I THINK that the word 'saint' should be ruled out of present life. It is too sacred a word to be lightly applied to anybody, much less to one like myself who claims only to be a humble searcher after Truth, knows his limitations, makes mistakes, never hesitates to admit them when he makes them, and frankly confesses that he, like a scientist, is making experiments about some 'of the eternal verities' of life, but cannot even claim to be a scientist because he can show no tangible proof of scientific accuracy in his methods or such tangible results of his experiments as modern science demands. (YI, 12-5-1920, p2) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To clothe me with sainthood is too early even if it is possible. I myself do not feel a saint in any shape or form. But I do feel I am a votary of Truth in spite of all my errors of unconscious o...

PHILOSOPHY : THOUGHTS OF MAHATMA GANDHI ON VARIOUS IMPORTANT SUBJECTS IN HIS OWN WORDS  These selections are from his speeches and writings will give the reader some idea of the working of Gandhi's mind, the growth of his thoughts and the practical techniques which he adopted 1. Women’s Problems: ------------------------------- a) Women and India’s Future - ........................................ 790. I am firmly of opinion that India’s salvation depends on the sacrifice and enlightenment of her women.-H,27-6-36,i53.   -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 791.I had flattered myself that my contribution to the women’s cause definitely began with the discovery of satyagraha. But the writer of the letter is of opinion that the fair sex requires treatment different from men. It is so, I do not think any man will find the correct solution. No matter how much he tries, he must fail because nature ha...

PHILOSOPHY The Mind Of Mahatma Gandhi : Truth Is God : God Is -  THERE IS an indefinable mysterious Power that pervades everything. I feel it, though I do not see it. It is this unseen Power which makes itself felt and yet defies all proof, because it is so unlike all that I perceive through my senses. It transcends the senses. But it is possible to reason out the existence of God to a limited extent. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I do dimly perceive that whilst everything around me is ever changing, ever-dying, there is underlying all that change a Living Power that is changeless, that holds all together, that creates, dissolves, and recreates. That informing Power or Spirit is God. And since nothing else I see merely through the senses can or will persist, He alone is.  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And is this Power benevolent or malevolent? I see...

                                                                  M. K. Gandhi : Kashmir Issue - M. K. Gandhi : (Speech at the Prayer Meeting on 4th January 1948)   Today there is talk of war everywhere. Everyone fears a war breaking out between the two countries. If that happens it will be a calamity both for India and for Pakistan. India has written to the U.N. because whenever there is a fear of conflict anywhere the U.N. is asked to promote a settlement and to stop fighting from breaking out. India therefore wrote to the U. N. O. however trivial the issue may appear to be, it could lead to a war between the two countries. It is a long memorandum and it has been cabled. Pakistan’s leaders Zafrullah Khan and Liaquat Ali Khan have since issued long statements. I would take leave to say that their argumen...

The Ideal And The Actual In Gandhi's Philosophy : The question: “How is the ideal related to and distinct from the actual?” is crucial to the understanding of Gandhi’s philosophy. The failure to appreciate this has led his critics either to misrepresent him or to call him inconsistent and full of contradictions. Gandhi has often been quoted against himself. Dr Bondurant writes: “Gandhi’s political philosophy is, indeed, elusive. To the scholar who seeks internally consistent, systematised bodies of thought, the study of Gandhi is unrewarding.”1 She attributes this to the “result of his thinking in public.” 2 Another recent writer, Dr Paul F. Power, writes: “Divergent and sometimes conflicting positions can be traced throughout most of his public life, although one may dominate the others during particular phases.”3 He tries to classify Gandhi’s idea into different categories at different times and concludes that they “cut across.”4 At the same time, later on he observes: “...