'Mahatma Gandhi' ...the Renaissance of Indian Cultural Values

Mahatma Gandhi The non-violent political leader of India touched the very soul & spirit of Indian cultural value to get the political freedom and spiritual liberty for every Indian.

Is it not surprising that we always support and subscribe the "Truth" but this fundamental value is not defined frequently! Basically we can define the 'Truth'- in the most common parlance, as an entity ...which gives life to the life ... serves the cause of humanity...a philosophy for sustainable existence...and as any positive notion for human being .

The grace of truth is always upheld by the great souls of India from Mahavir Swami to Mahatma Buddha...the everlasting faith in ultimate victory of truth is enshrined in indian epics as "Satyamev Jayate" : Truth is the ultimate victor. Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest pragmatic spiritual leader of India realized the inner-power of this truth and not only experimented with it but also implemented it in his life. For him the life was the natural laboratory to test the testimony of truth to prove that truth is not said but lived. He felt most of the problems in life is due to untruthfulness; so he emphasized on the 'Truthful-behaviour' in the name of "Satyagraha". His faith in truth was so deep rooted that he always proposed that the search for truth may not be a problem or even a spiritual-spiral because truth is itself a solution and most of the negativity of life is due to lack of it. Untruthfulness creates psychological complexes, which in turn cause further complexes and so on...this vicious circle of complexes mitigates the true personality of a human being...which is the biggest loss of the humanity itself.

Mahatma Gandhi also found the greatest hope of humanity in "Ahimsa" : The Non-Violence; which was not only the absence of physical violence for him but a state of being free from any type of mental; verbal and functional negativity against anyone. Indian Culture always believed that it is the non-violence, which paved the way to mankind to come out of the jungle rule of "Survival of the Fittest." and to get rid of brutal violence to make it possible for a 'man' to be 'human' and to give hand of help to help-out someone from the worst conditions of life by applying the greatest human principle of "Live and Let Live!". For him, Ahimsa was the greatest spiritual achievement of human being and it was the only inner-force which created the concept of co-operation and the co-existence which ultimately resulted into the concept of "Vasudheva Kutumbkam". In actual for Mahatma Gandhi 'Ahimsa': The Non-Violence; was a liberty from the very feeling of revenge and avenge in toto against anyone even against the worst enemy.

Mahatma Gandhi also set the living example of austere and abstemious life. For this "Fakir" a loin was enough to cover oneself and also to discover this fact that if you can live with minimum requirements then only you may be in self-control otherwise petty physical demands may astray you from the real goal of life. In this way he lived the concept of "Aparigraha": Do not use or collect more than least required.

In the great Indian tradition of "Adhyatmikta": Spirituality; he stood hard for the Atma. On this very basis he felt that by the very root of oneself, everyone is right and righteous and if someone is wrong it is the cause of negative situation and conditions and only these are in the villainous role not a person; so he suggested not hating the sinister but the sin. In this way he revived the ancient concept of personality-change for which every spiritual- personality worked through the centuries in India...sabko sanmati de bhagwan! : May almighty give right & righteous knowledge to all! He himself put before the example of this change that how the mediocrity rises to brilliance.

Mahatma Gandhi's unquestioned faith in the traditional values of love and compassion reflected in his favourite prayer Vaishnava Jan to tene ri kahiyo re, jo peer paraye jane re : The real followers of almighty are those who feel & realise pains of someone else.. He created an conducive atmosphere for all downtrodden and deprived by this humane principles. Thus he created a broad base for Indian National Movement from class-to-mass to get rid of the shackles of foreign rule and to get not only freedom but the permanent liberty forever by strengthening the inner-bonds of humanity and unity. So, Gandhiji fought for 'Freedom'; but thought for 'Liberty'.

Now, the whole world is showing respect for Gandhian Values for the peaceful co-existence of world ...a world of peace not of pieces...not in pieces....so Mahatama Gandhi is still relevant ...and we can say as long as humanity will survive Gandhian philosophy will survive or better to say as long as Gandhian philosophy will survive humanity will survive.......!

Neelesh Jain
Mumbai
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