The Gandhi Project by Nashid Fareed-Ma’at
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3
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 3, excerpt from Young India, March
23, 1921.
191
chapter will focus on the active application of love as a final requirement that must be lived
before engaging in civil disobedience, if we heed Gandhi’s guidance. It is no exaggeration to
state that when we are in the midst of living love, civility to others -- including our opponents --
is a natural outflow of being in such a state. And the cultivation of love looks not to only live
love in the presence of a challenging situation -- in fact, if we weren’t living love before then it
may be too late to suddenly embrace love within such a situation. Instead, the Satyagraha
approach to cultivating love is to make it a cornerstone of our daily lives; and perfection of such
cultivation will mature to the reality of having every act and moment be an expression of pure
love.
Before continuing, let’s briefly define civil disobedience as “civil breach of unmoral
statutory enactments.”
3
The next chapter will provide a more in-depth definition and
examination of civil disobedience. Also, as Gandhi’s vocabulary changed throughout the many
years of his Satyagraha work, he at times used “non-cooperation” and “passive resistance” to
refer to what we now call civil disobedience. I won’t change his quotes, but just know what
when you see these terms in this and the following chapters, the terms usually refer to civil
disobedience.
OF SERVICE AND DUTY
It’s interesting to note that many people in contemporary times view civil disobedience in
the context of protest and conflict (i.e. good versus evil). This approach can include anger (and
sometimes violence) at injustice, wants for retribution and accountability to correct or amend
past or current wrongs, desires to shift power to one group at the expense of another group
(usually held to be in the wrong), and many other things along these veins. Thus, persons who
hold to these views regarding civil disobedience will often confuse the underlying yet important
context that shaped Gandhi’s understanding of and approach to civil disobedience. He
approached civil disobedience in the context of two main virtues, as informed by ancient Indian
teachings (esp. Hinduism): he viewed civil disobedience as an expression of duty and service.
4
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 47, excerpt from From Yeravda
Mandir, 1932, Chapter XIV: Yajna Or Sacrifice.
5
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 48, excerpt from From Yeravda
Mandir, 1932, Chapter XIV: Yajna Or Sacrifice.
192
Gandhi, as a Hindu, rooted his approach to service in yajna, which he defined as:
“Yajna means an act directed to the welfare of others, done without
desiring any return for it, whether of a temporal or spiritual nature.
‘Act’ here must be taken in its widest sense, and includes thought
and word, as well as deed. ‘Others’ embraces not only humanity,
but all life.”
4
He admitted his understanding of yajna may depart from some literal interpretations of it in the
Vedas (Hindu sacred writings), but his understanding is firmly in line with ahimsa and the spirit
of the Vedas. He expounded on the importance of yajna:
“The world cannot subsist for a single moment without yajna in
this sense, and therefore the [Bhagavad] Gita, after having dealt
with true wisdom in the second chapter, takes up in the third the
means of attaining it, and declares in so many words, that yajna
came with the Creation itself. This body therefore has been given
us, only in order that we may serve all Creation with it. And
therefore, says the Gita, he who eats without offering yajna eats
stolen food. Every single act of one who would lead a life of
purity should be in the nature of yajna. Yajna having come to us
with our birth, we are debtors all our lives, and thus for ever
bound to serve the universe.”
5
(bold emphasis mine)
In this context, service that renders welfare to other living beings is a duty. Gandhi held humans
arrive in this world receiving their body, among other things, and are thus challenged to repay
“the debt” (or sacred responsibility) of receiving this gift by rendering beneficent service to the
universe via the service of other living beings. As reflected in Swaraj and Swadeshi, the scope
of this service begins in one’s household to progressively extend outward to one’s neighbors,
community, village or city, region, nation, the world, and the universe. Gandhi’s realization and
6
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 50, excerpt from From Yeravda
Mandir, 1932, Chapter XV: More About Yajna.
193
continued study of this duty moved him to a great humility, which will be addressed shortly.
And he applied these spiritual lessons to his social and political work. Consider how this
responsibility of service and duty informed his approach to civil disobedience. Consider how
contemporary civil disobedience would differ (perhaps significantly) if civil resisters approached
it from such a place.
In pursuit of increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of (the science of) Satyagraha,
Gandhi was not content with merely fulfilling the “universal mandate” of duty and service. He
saw great benefit in embracing yajna more fully as this increased the impact of Satyagraha on
Satyagrahis, their opponents, and others. One of the barriers to the full embrace of yajna is
selfishness. Remember, yajna is supposed to be performed without any desire of return for the
act. He explained:
“Voluntary service of others demands the best of which one is
capable, and must take precedence over service of self. In fact, the
pure devotee consecrates himself to the service of humanity
without any reservation whatever.”
6
In living this realization, Gandhi devoted himself completely to the Satyagraha efforts in India.
And if, in his lifetime, these efforts had reached a point of perfection in the form of a just and
beneficent Indian nation, he would have continued his Satyagraha work beyond the borders of
India. He was measured in his efforts to serve humanity, realizing that one of the best
contributions he could make to humanity (and the universe) was to free his nation from British
oppression one community at a time. Such an accomplishment would have made India a living
example of the fruits of service and duty, an example others throughout the world could apply.
Even in not reaching this state of perfection, Gandhi’s work left an abundance of lessons,
guidance, and inspiration for others across the globe seeking justice -- and for generations
beyond his lifetime too. But his contribution to humanity, would have been greatly hindered, if
not impossible, if Gandhi did not mature beyond selfishness to a living state of loving
selflessness. He remains an excellent example of someone who put others before himself and
how much beneficence can spring (and continues to spring) from such an approach to service
and duty.
7
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 48 - 49, excerpt from From Yeravda
Mandir, 1932, Chapter XIV: Yajna Or Sacrifice.
194
Although this may be inconceivable to some, the more we embrace service and duty the
more we realize the need to embrace these more fully and deeply. Gandhi wrote:
“He who devotes himself to service with a clear conscience will
day by day grasp the necessity for it in greater measure, and will
continually grow richer in faith. The path of service can hardly be
trodden by one, who is not prepared to renounce self-interest, and
to recognize the conditions of his birth. Consciously or
unconsciously every one of us does render some service or other.
If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our
desire for service will steadily grow stronger, and will make not
only for our own happiness, but that of the world at large.”
7
Gandhi pointed out that all humans provide some form of service, so the practice of service is
not beyond our present lives -- unless you live as an extremely reclusive hermit and have no
interaction with other beings. So the call to service and duty is not something beyond the scope
of our lives, but the fulfillment of these with a deliberation that renounces self-interest may be as
a result of our (selfish) choices. It’s a peculiar dynamic that the realization of the full benefits of
duty and service lay in the performance of these with selfless deliberation. The (selfish) barriers
to this realization have remained a challenge to the maturity of humanity for ages upon ages.
But if we move beyond selfishness we can discover great happiness in service and duty -- and
not only for our individual selves, but a happiness that can be shared with other servants and
those who are served. Certainly one way to contribute to the continued progression of this
realization among larger humanity is to be a living example of this realization: to serve with duty
and a deliberation that renounces self-interest. Gandhi and many others did this in relation to
Satyagraha and I doubt not that the merit of such commitment contributed to you reading this
book -- it certainly contributed to me writing it and sharing it freely.
Another important point in the above quote is Gandhi’s words about performing service
with a selfless deliberation leading to the happiness of one’s self and others. He shared the
following words about him serving others through nursing:
8
Mohandas K. Gandhi, An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, 1957, p. 175.
9
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 49 - 50, excerpt from From Yeravda
Mandir, 1932, Chapter XV: More About Yajna.
195
“Such service can have no meaning unless one takes pleasure in it.
When it is done for show or for fear of public opinion, it stunts the
man and crushes his spirit. Service which is rendered without joy
helps neither the servant nor the served. But all other pleasures
and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is
rendered in a spirit of joy.”
8
This state of joy he attained from service is an indication of the maturity of his service and duty,
yet it beholds relevant lessons for others. Those engaged in service and duty would be wise to
commit to searching for joy within these. Any extended period of rendering service and duty
that produces no happiness may indicate the presence of selfishness within a servant. But even
for those newly embarking upon duty and service, all efforts done for show, fear, or public
opinion should be abandoned. Such an approach will stunt your growth in the path of service
and duty, if not crush your spirit -- and often the shallowness of such performances will have
negative impacts on those being served. With a change in approach -- even an open-mindedness
to finding a joy in service -- the performance of service and duty can cultivate selflessness in
those who dutifully serve.
Beyond selfishness, another barrier to finding joy in service and duty may reside in our
attitudes, as informed by our upbringing. Gandhi explained:
“A life of sacrifice is the pinnacle of art, and is full of true joy.
Yajna is not yajna if one feels it to be burdensome or annoying.
Self-indulgence leads to destruction, and renunciation to
immorality. Joy has no independent existence. It depends upon
our attitude to life. One [human] will enjoy theatrical scenery,
another the ever new scenes which unfold themselves in the sky.
Joy, therefore, is a matter of individual and national education.
We shall delight in things which we have been taught to delight in
as children.”
9
10
Mohandas K. Gandhi, An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, 1957, p. 396.
11
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 284, excerpt from Young India,
April 2, 1931.
196
Thus, we can better understand Gandhi’s point about teaching Indian people about character and
morality in terms of Indian culture (as addressed Chapter 8). The above quote pointed out a
prevalent danger in modern cultures that link joy with material things, power, and selfishness.
For those who have been raised in and / or accepted the tenets of such cultures, this cultural
conditioning may be a barrier that must be addressed to discover joy (and the fullness of joy) in
service and duty. A number of pre-modern cultures share approaches to joy that guide people to
discover its fullness in duty and service; so for some, it’s simply a matter of returning to ancient
or older cultural approaches within your ancestral lineage. For others, there may be a need to
learn from other cultures and incorporate relevant, valuable lessons into your life so you can join
the fold of humans who have discovered great joy in service and duty.
In addition to what we find in the performance of service and duty, how we approach
service and duty is vital. This brings us to the road of humility (again). Gandhi reflected on
humility in the following quote:
“The true connotation of humility is self-effacement. Self-
effacement is moksha (salvation), and whilst it cannot, by itself, be
an observance, there may be other observances necessary for its
attainment. If the acts of an aspirant after moksha or a servant
have no humility or selflessness about them, there is no longing for
moksha or service. Service without humility is selfishness and
egotism.”
10
(bold emphasis mine)
There is no need to reiterate what has already been said about selfishness, but Gandhi clearly
acknowledged that without humility one’s service is selfish and egotistic. Thus, humility is
essential to service and duty. In this vein, Gandhi rejected all sense of pride with the
performance of service and duty. He wrote in regards to one accomplishment: “we have no
reason to be puffed up with pride over certificates of merit. In so far as we observed non-
violence we only did our duty.”
11
He also made the following remarks highlighting the
importance of humility:
12
Mohandas K. Gandhi, An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, 1957, p. 505.
13
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 290, excerpt from Young India,
May 21, 1931.
197
“I must reduce myself to zero. So long as a man does not of his
own free will put himself last among his fellow creatures, there is
no salvation for him. Ahimsa is the farthest limit of humility.”
12
“Only man in his overweening pride and egotism imagines himself
to be the lord and master of the earth, and goes on piling up for
himself goods that perish. Nature tries every day by its rude
shocks to wean him from his pride but he refuses to shed it.
Satyagraha is a specific for bringing home to one the lesson of
humility.”
13
It may seem extreme (and possibly scary) for some to hear Gandhi encourage others to “reduce
one’s self to zero” -- to nothingness. But doubt not that this is what he did. This self-
renunciation contributed significantly to him becoming the person he became who rendered
beneficent service to humanity. I cannot overemphasize how important this self-renunciation
(liberation from egotism and selfishness) was to his embrace and advancement of the (spiritual)
science of Satyagraha. Without the deep humility needed to reduce himself to nothing, Gandhi’s
accomplishments would be minuscule compared to the legacy he left -- and perhaps, his efforts
may have resulted in complete failures forgotten and omitted from the memory of history. If
those in contemporary community organizing, peace, and social justice fields seek to affect any
semblance of the beneficent change Gandhi and his compatriots attained, we must begin with
humility and self-renunciation. Anything less will wreak of hypocrisy if pursued in the name of
Satyagraha (non-violence) and is very likely to fail in ways that will be harmful to ourselves and
others.
In many respects, humility has been a recurring theme throughout much of this book.
But I want to point out something that holds particular relevance to civil resisters. Gandhi
stated:
“One who would serve will not waste a thought upon his own
comforts, which he leaves to be attended to or neglected by his
14
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 50, excerpt from From Yeravda
Mandir, 1932, Chapter XV: More About Yajna.
15
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 48, excerpt from From Yeravda
Mandir, 1932, Chapter XIV: Yajna Or Sacrifice.
198
Master on high. He will not therefore encumber himself with
everything that comes his way; he will take only what he strictly
needs and leave the rest. He will be calm, free from anger and
unruffled in mind even if he finds himself inconvenienced. His
service, like virtue, is its own reward, and he will rest content with
it.”
14
The above quote contained much wisdom and guidance but I want to focus on the closing point:
that our service is its own reward and we should be content with this. In the course of providing
service and duty, particularly for those who engage in civil disobedience, large provisions may
come into our reach. And with access to large provisions may come the temptation to sate our
sense of comforts. This is a trap that is easily avoided for those who find great joy in fulfilling
service and duty. But for those who have yet to reach this maturation, I would encourage you to
trust in Gandhi’s words and take only what is needed, trusting (if not knowing) that service and
duty are their own rewards. The simplicity of such an approach is a great building block for
shared beneficence. Imagine how quickly we could reduce, if not completely eliminate, all
poverty if people only took what they needed. As wondrous as this may be on a community,
national, or global scale, the application of this approach within Satyagraha organizations and
activities can make this reduction of need a reality in our work -- that within an organization or
activity a maximum amount (if not everyone) can be served by what is available. Also, being
open to the insight that service and duty are their own rewards may be helpful to those who are
presently unaware of this realization: this insight can serve as an encouragement and reminder
for those maturing to realize this truth in their own service and duty.
Gandhi felt so strongly about the importance of service and duty that he declared: “all
action that cannot come under the category of yajna promotes bondage.”
15
To some this may
seem extreme, but a range of (if not all) selfish acts outside the bounds of service and duty surely
manifest inequality, injustice, destruction, violence, and other forms of evil. So service and duty
are important, if not essential, in establishing just and beneficent societies. And as Gandhi
acknowledged:
16
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), 1961, p. 365, excerpt from Harijan, June 3,
1939.
199
“There are various ways of service. Millions need not be civil
resisters. The field of constructive work is open to them. Some
special rigid discipline is necessary for civil resisters. The
privilege of resisting or disobeying a particular law or order
accrues only to him who gives willing and unswerving obedience
to the laws laid down for him. This may exclude men who may be
otherwise far worthier than the common men who observe the
Satyagrahi’s code. Those others may perform worthier tasks, but
not civil disobedience.”
16
For those who meet the measure of engaging in civil disobedience, I will briefly address the
appropriate means for such activities.
THE MEANS OF CIVILITY
The issue of what means to take to liberate India from the British was a common topic in
Indian public dialogue. Some thought that violence could be used to liberate India that it would
not be bound to ongoing cycles of violence. Reflections on the earlier chapters addressing the
cycles of violence reveals this to be a delusional premise. Others thought that liberation could be
attained by working through the colonial British system to eventually accumulate enough power
to force India’s liberation. This path included cooperating with the exploitation and oppression
of the Indian masses en route to an eventual possible liberation. Even if this approach would
reach its goal, it included participating in evil -- something in direct contrast to the tenets of
Satyagraha. There were also a range of mixed approaches that borrowed partly from these and
other methods. Gandhi rejected these approaches, in part, because he saw the uncompromising
necessity to use just and beneficent means to attain the goal of establishing a just and beneficent
liberated India. And I stress, Gandhi was committed to establishing a just and beneficent as well
as free India, as all three characteristics are part of living Truth. He was opposed to working for
a free India that would be unjust and destructive.
17
Mohandas K. Gandhi, Hind Swaraj (Indian Home Rule), 1938 reprint from original publication in 1909,
p. 52, Chapter XVI: Brute Force.
200
To illustrate the fallacy of using violent and immoral means to attain the beneficent and
just outcome of Swaraj (Indian home-rule), Gandhi gave the following example:
“The English in 1833 obtained greater voting power by violence.
Did they by using brute force better appreciate their duty? They
wanted the right of voting, which they obtained by using physical
force. But real rights are a result of performance of duty; these
rights they have not obtained. We, therefore, have before us in
England the force of everybody wanting and insisting on his
rights, nobody thinking of his duty. And, where everybody
wants rights, who shall give them to whom? I do not wish to
imply that they do no duties. They don’t perform the duties
corresponding to those rights; and as they do not perform that
particular duty, namely, acquire fitness, their rights have proved a
burden to them. In other words, what they have obtained is an
exact result of the means they adopted.”
17
(emphasis mine)
The fact that Gandhi placed rights in the context of duty and, thus, service should be no surprise
after reading the previous section. And Swaraj (home-rule) is a right -- even if not in legal terms
certainly in terms of morality and human rights. When emphasis is placed on rights outside the
context of service and duty, much harm and confusion can abound. When such rights are
granted, instead of being earned as an outcome of service and duty, they can quickly be rendered
to meaningless symbols or delusional veils that conceal ongoing problems. To use an example
in America, the right to vote is a veil for the abundance of political corruption and influence of
money in electoral campaigns. The large absence of civic service and duty in the political realm
has left a huge space where affluent special interests can dictate large portions of, if not the
entire, political process. In the presence of these corrupting forces, the citizens are told they
have the (weakened) right to vote out corrupt politicians. In the rare instances when such
politicians are voted out (the re-election rate for incumbents can be over 90%), other corruptible
politicians are usually voted in their places. Thus, the right to vote corrupted politicians out fails
to seriously address corruption in politics. Sought after solutions become terms limits (limiting
the amount of times politicians can serve) or placing limits on campaign contributions. Yet,