Oct 2: Gandhi Jayanthi - Part 1
Dear All,
Ram Naam, which had become part and parcel of the timid, shy boy, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, transformed him into Mahatma
Gandhi. Gandhiji showed the path of Ahimsa to the world. Leaders like
Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela followed Gandhiji's Ahimsa movement
in their battle against oppressors. 'Bapu' (Father), as he came to be
known, wielded the magic wand of 'Ramanaam' to cut the fetters that held
Mother India in bondage! Born in British India, Bapu left his mortal
coil in free India.
"G A N D H I" – the name became a synonym for Truth and Ahimsa (non-violence).
Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi's 'Brahmastra' (the most powerful weapon) in his battle against British rule in India was Ahimsa.
Gandhiji observed silence for a day, every week. He felt that this practice
brought him inner peace and made him a better listener.
On this special day - Oct 2, Gandhi Jayanthi, let us reminisce this great Mahatma - the father of India...
Mahatma Gandhi - 'Bapu'
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2nd October 1869, at Porbandar, to
Karamchand Gandhi and his wife Putlibai, a very devout woman. Mohandas
was greatly influenced by his devout mother. Uttamchand, Mohandas’s
grandfather was a Diwan (Prime Minister) of the Porbandar state. His
father, Karamchand, also served as Diwan of Porbandar, Rajkot and Vankaner states.
As a boy, Mohandas was extremely shy and timid. He showed no sign of any
genius that would point to the ‘Mahatma’ (great soul) that he really
was. He seemed an ordinary child. Mohandas studied in an elementary
school at Porbandar. The family moved to Rajkot when he was seven and he
continued his elementary school education there and then went to high
school.
Even from his childhood Mohandas had a passion for Truth. The story of Harischandra who stuck to Truth always had a great
impact on Mohandas. Gandhiji writes "It haunted me and I must have acted
Harishchandra to myself times without number." A significant incident
occurred during his school days. A British School Inspector once visited
Mohandas’s school to examine the students. He set a spelling test.
Noticing a mistake committed by Mohandas the class teacher signed to him
to copy the right spelling from the boy seated next to him. However,
Mohandas refused to take the hint and later had to face the teacher’s
wrath for being ‘stupid’. His passion for being truthful and open is
seen in another incident, too. Born in an orthodox, vegetarian
family he took to eating meat on the sly on the recommendation of a
friend of his elder brother. This friend convinced Mohandas that meat
eating bestowed power and it was only due to this that the British could
rule India. The timid boy who yearned deeply to turn brave began to eat
meat but soon gave up, as he had to hide it from his parents and this meant deceit and lies.
It is interesting to note that an old nurse of his taught him to repeat
the Divine Name “Rama” whenever he felt scared or miserable. Little
Mohandas took hold of this and it became second nature to him. Ram Naam
that his nurse had taught him made him fearless. His undaunted spirit
was seen in his battle against the oppression of the British.
Gandhiji’s life was one of continuous sadhana in search of Truth. He calls God as
Truth and goes on to say that Truth is God. Bapu says, “And when you
want to find Truth as God the only inevitable means is Love, i.e.
nonviolence, and since I believe that ultimately means and end are
convertible terms, I should not hesitate to say that God is Love.”
!!! Will Continue !!!
Source:http://namadwaar.org/home.php
Ram Naam, which had become part and parcel of the timid, shy boy, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, transformed him into Mahatma
Gandhi. Gandhiji showed the path of Ahimsa to the world. Leaders like
Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela followed Gandhiji's Ahimsa movement
in their battle against oppressors. 'Bapu' (Father), as he came to be
known, wielded the magic wand of 'Ramanaam' to cut the fetters that held
Mother India in bondage! Born in British India, Bapu left his mortal
coil in free India.
"G A N D H I" – the name became a synonym for Truth and Ahimsa (non-violence).
Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi's 'Brahmastra' (the most powerful weapon) in his battle against British rule in India was Ahimsa.
Gandhiji observed silence for a day, every week. He felt that this practice
brought him inner peace and made him a better listener.
On this special day - Oct 2, Gandhi Jayanthi, let us reminisce this great Mahatma - the father of India...
Mahatma Gandhi - 'Bapu'
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2nd October 1869, at Porbandar, to
Karamchand Gandhi and his wife Putlibai, a very devout woman. Mohandas
was greatly influenced by his devout mother. Uttamchand, Mohandas’s
grandfather was a Diwan (Prime Minister) of the Porbandar state. His
father, Karamchand, also served as Diwan of Porbandar, Rajkot and Vankaner states.
As a boy, Mohandas was extremely shy and timid. He showed no sign of any
genius that would point to the ‘Mahatma’ (great soul) that he really
was. He seemed an ordinary child. Mohandas studied in an elementary
school at Porbandar. The family moved to Rajkot when he was seven and he
continued his elementary school education there and then went to high
school.
Even from his childhood Mohandas had a passion for Truth. The story of Harischandra who stuck to Truth always had a great
impact on Mohandas. Gandhiji writes "It haunted me and I must have acted
Harishchandra to myself times without number." A significant incident
occurred during his school days. A British School Inspector once visited
Mohandas’s school to examine the students. He set a spelling test.
Noticing a mistake committed by Mohandas the class teacher signed to him
to copy the right spelling from the boy seated next to him. However,
Mohandas refused to take the hint and later had to face the teacher’s
wrath for being ‘stupid’. His passion for being truthful and open is
seen in another incident, too. Born in an orthodox, vegetarian
family he took to eating meat on the sly on the recommendation of a
friend of his elder brother. This friend convinced Mohandas that meat
eating bestowed power and it was only due to this that the British could
rule India. The timid boy who yearned deeply to turn brave began to eat
meat but soon gave up, as he had to hide it from his parents and this meant deceit and lies.
It is interesting to note that an old nurse of his taught him to repeat
the Divine Name “Rama” whenever he felt scared or miserable. Little
Mohandas took hold of this and it became second nature to him. Ram Naam
that his nurse had taught him made him fearless. His undaunted spirit
was seen in his battle against the oppression of the British.
Gandhiji’s life was one of continuous sadhana in search of Truth. He calls God as
Truth and goes on to say that Truth is God. Bapu says, “And when you
want to find Truth as God the only inevitable means is Love, i.e.
nonviolence, and since I believe that ultimately means and end are
convertible terms, I should not hesitate to say that God is Love.”
!!! Will Continue !!!
Source:http://namadwaar.org/home.php
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mark Birmingham on
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Surface Dwellers Part 1
by Mark Birmingham on September 29, 2010
Gandhi's Possessions
Success in western culture is measured in terms of financial wealth, not spiritual growth. Indeed, spiritual needs have long been discounted, and symptoms of spiritual dysfunction are everywhere, even among devout followers of the great religions. So disconnected are we from our spiritual selves and our true nature, we tend to think being spiritual as being rigid, dogmatic. Few of us imagine being spiritual as being liberated, and imagine Gandhi as a powerful spirit who moved millions of people.
The picture here represents Gandhi’s worldly possessions at the time of his death. Few would argue against the level of his spiritual development. Why did he endure the suffering of having so little? To the unenlightened, Gandhi looks small and insignificant. The reality of his life paints quite a different picture. He single-handedly inspired a nation in non-violent protest, defeating the mighty British Empire, and forging a path to independence for India. The power of his mind and conviction inspired the Indian people to support his vision. Clearly his stature would not improve to Westerners if he lived in a lavish palace. His spirituality had already made him rich beyond measure. We don’t need to live like Gandhi did, but our consumer culture being at the opposite pole, we should pause to think about why that is so.
Often, the greatest spiritual deficiencies occur in households of great wealth. Why? Is it likely those individuals place great value on things, and little on spiritual development? With abundant finances, the rich often surround themselves with distractions, preventing opportunity for spiritual development. This doesn’t mean a poor person is more likely to be spiritually developed. However, it does indicate that something big is missing when a person who has “everything” still encounters spousal abuse, drug abuse, anxiety, phobias, chronic illness, or just a high misery index. Even in seemingly happy households, an emotional void is often present, though it may be masked with smiles and feigned cheeriness.
Clearly, financial gain is a hollow pursuit as a life purpose. Such a life is what I call “surface-dwelling”. It is like crossing the ocean in a small boat, reacting to each wave, at the mercy of external elements, and fearing the depths below. It means passive assignment of our thinking to the influence of media and the money culture, and assuaging our problems with distractions. Living without examining one’s life, without exploring below the surface of ordinary consciousness, is surrendering to egocentricity with all its manifestations and vulnerabilities.
Gandhi understood all this so well. We would do exceptionally well to aspire to be half as good and enlightened.
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