You may find it quite unusual and romantic. But day after day, tired of witnessing the fraudulence of Indian politicians, I turned to Gandhi for a solace. Surely, he is not the panacea for all our problems. But these words which adorned the first page of the NCERT books in my schools days had a soothing effect.
I will give you a talisman.
Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self
becomes too much with you, apply the
following test. Recall the face of the
poorest and the weakest man whom you may
have seen, and ask yourself, if the step
you contemplate is going to be of any
use to him. Will he gain anything by it ?
Will it restore him to a control over his
own life and destiny ? In other words,
will it lead to Swaraj for the hungry and
spiritually starving millions ?
Then you will find your doubt
and your self melting away.
- Mohandas K. Gandhi
One of the last notes penned and signed by Gandhi. Found among his papers after his assassination on January 30, 1948.
Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self
becomes too much with you, apply the
following test. Recall the face of the
poorest and the weakest man whom you may
have seen, and ask yourself, if the step
you contemplate is going to be of any
use to him. Will he gain anything by it ?
Will it restore him to a control over his
own life and destiny ? In other words,
will it lead to Swaraj for the hungry and
spiritually starving millions ?
Then you will find your doubt
and your self melting away.
- Mohandas K. Gandhi
One of the last notes penned and signed by Gandhi. Found among his papers after his assassination on January 30, 1948.
Swaraj was defined by Gandhi as: “Real swaraj [freedom] is self-rule or self-control… The way to it is satyagraha: the power of truth and love.”
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