Mohandas Gandhi: My life. My life - Mahatma Gandhi Download gandhi my life

My life

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Mahatma Gandhi My Life.
INTRODUCTION.
About five years ago, at the urging of my closest workmates, I
agreed to write an autobiography. But before I could finish the first page, disturbances broke out in Bombay, and I was forced to suspend work.
Then came the events that ended for me in prison
Yerwady. The lawyer Jeramdas, who was with me in prison, advised me
put aside all other business and finish your autobiography. But I replied that
made up a program of classes for myself and I can’t think of anything else until it
will not be executed. I would finish my autobiography if I served my time
completely, but I was released a year early. Now Swami Anand repeated it
sentence, and since I finished the history of satyagraha in South Africa, then
decided to write an autobiography for Navajivan. Swami wanted me
published his autobiography as a separate book, but I did not have
free time: I could only write a chapter a week. For "Navajivan"
I still needed to write something weekly. Why in
In this case, do not do an autobiography? Swami agreed to this and I
diligently set to work.
Meanwhile, one of my God-fearing friends had doubts, which he shared with me on my “day of silence.”
What prompted you to embark on this adventure? he asked me. Scripture
autobiographies is a custom inherent in the West. I don't know a single person
East, which would do this, with the exception of persons who fell under
Western influence. What will you be writing about? Let's say tomorrow you give up
provisions that you consider to be your principles today, or in the future
review today's plans. Will it not then turn out that people who are guided in their actions by your authoritative word will be introduced
astray? Wouldn't it be better to completely abandon it, or at least a little?
wait?
These arguments made some impression on me. But I'm not going
write a real autobiography. I just want to tell a story
their search for truth. And since such searches are the content of the whole
my life, then the story about them will really be something like an autobiography.
But I don't mind if every page of my autobiography says
only about my quests. I believe, or at least try to believe, that
a coherent account of this will benefit the reader. My searches in the field
politicians are now known not only to India, but to some extent to everything
"civilized" world. For me, they are of little value. More
of less value to me is the title of "mahatma" which I received
thanks to these searches. This title often upset me greatly, and I do not remember
not a single case when it would please me. But of course I wanted
to tell about spiritual quests known only to me alone, in which I
drew strength for his activities in the field of politics. If my search
are truly spiritual in nature, then there is no room for
self-praise, and my story can only increase my humility. The more
I reflect and look back at the past, the more clearly I feel my limitations.
For thirty years I have pursued only one thing: self-knowledge. I want
to see God face to face, to achieve the state of moksha. I live and move and
I exist only to achieve this goal. Everything I say and write is all mine
political activity Everything is directed towards this goal. But being convinced that what is possible for one is possible for all, I do not keep secret my
searching. I do not think that this reduces their spiritual value. There are things that
known only to you and your creator. Of course, they cannot be disclosed.
The quest I want to talk about is of a different kind. Are they spiritual or rather
moral plane, for the essence of religion is morality.
In my biography I shall deal only with those matters of religion which
equally understandable to both adults and children. If I can tell them
humbly and dispassionately, many who seek the truth will draw strength here for
further movement forward. I look at my quest like a scientist who
although he conducts them very accurately, carefully and deliberately, he never
lays claim to the finality of its conclusions and provides great opportunities for
reflections. I went through the deepest introspection, carefully checked myself, researched and analyzed all the psychological moments. And yet I'm far from
thought to claim the finality or infallibility of their conclusions.
The only thing I claim is this: they give me
appear to be absolutely correct and, for the time being, final.
If it were not so, I would not put them at the heart of my activities. But
at every step I either accepted or rejected them and acted accordingly.
way. And as long as my actions satisfy my mind and my heart, I must
stick firmly to their original conclusions.
If it all boiled down for me to a discussion of academic principles, I certainly wouldn't write an autobiography. But I set out to show
practical application of these principles in various cases and therefore called
these chapters, which I am about to write, "The Story of My Quest for Truth."
This should include searches in the field of application of non-violence, celibacy and other
principles of conduct that are usually regarded as something different from
truth. But for me, truth is the overriding principle, including many
other principles. This truth is truthfulness, not only in words, but also in
thoughts, not only the relative truth of our concepts, but also the absolute
truth, the eternal principle, that is, God. There are infinitely many definitions
god, for his manifestations are innumerable. They fill me with wonder and
reverent awe and for a moment stun. But I worship
God only as truth. I haven't found it yet, but I'm looking. I'm ready for my quest
- to sacrifice everything dear to me. If a sacrifice is needed, I will give
even life, think I'm ready for it. Yet until I knew
this absolute truth, I must adhere to relative truth in my
understanding her. This relative truth should be my beacon and shield. Although
this path is straight and narrow, like a razor's edge, for me it was the fastest and
easy. Even my colossal blunders seemed insignificant to me thanks to
because I strictly adhered to this path.
This path saved me from sadness, and I moved forward guided by
inner light. Often along the way I saw faint glimpses of the absolute
truth, God, and every day the conviction grew in me that he alone
real, and everything else is unreal. Let those who want to know how in me
this conviction grew; let them, if they can, share my quest with me, and
also my belief. A growing conviction matured in me that everything available
me, accessible even to a child; I say this with good reason. The practice of these
search is as simple as it is difficult. They may seem completely
inaccessible to a presumptuous person and quite accessible to an innocent baby.
The seeker of truth must be humbler than dust. The world tramples on dust, but the seeker
truth must be so humbled that even the dust can trample on it. But only
then, and not before, he will see glimpses of the truth. It becomes absolutely
clear from the dialogue between Vasishta and Vishwamitra. Christianity and Islam also
fully confirm this.
If it seems to the reader that pride is visible in my words, then something
wrong in my searches and I saw not glimpses of truth, but only a mirage.
Let hundreds like me perish, but the truth will prevail. Even by a hair
one should not deviate from the truth when judging such erring
mortals like me.
I ask no one to count the advice strewn across the pages
subsequent chapters, indisputable. The searches I describe should
be regarded as illustrations only. Everyone, having familiarized themselves with them, can
pursue their own quests according to their inclinations and
abilities. I believe that, with this caveat, the illustrations I offer
will be really helpful, since I'm not going to hide or gloss over
unpleasant things to talk about. I hope to introduce the reader
with all their mistakes and delusions. My task is to describe my searches
in the field of satyagraha, and not at all to talk about how good I am.
In evaluating myself, I will try to be as strict as the truth, and I want
others were the same. Applying this yardstick to myself, I, like Surdas, can
exclaim:
Is there a villain in the world
As vicious and disgusting as me?
I abandoned my creator
I am so treacherous.
For it is eternal torment for me that I am still far from him, who, as I
I know for certain that governs my every breath and from which I conduct my
Start. I know that my evil passions keep me away from him, but I am not yet in
power to get rid of them.
But it's time to end. In the next chapter, I will begin to talk about my
life.
Ashram, Sabarmati
November 26, 1925
M. K. Gandhi
PART ONE
I. FAMILY AND RELATIVES
Gandhi belong to the Bania caste, and at one time, apparently, they were
grocers. But representatives of the last three generations, starting with mine
grandfather, were prime ministers in several principalities of Kathiawar. My grandfather
Ottamchand Gandhi or, as he was more commonly called, Ota Gandhi, was, throughout
probability, a man of principle. State intrigues forced him
leave Porbandar where he was a divan and seek refuge in Junagarh. There
he used to salute the Nawab with his left hand. Someone, noticing such a clear
impoliteness, asked my grandfather what caused it. "My right hand belongs to
Porbandar,” he replied.
Ota Gandhi, having become a widow, remarried. By his first wife he had four
son, from the second - two. I remember that in my childhood I never felt and even, perhaps, did not know that the sons of Ota Gandhi were not from the same mother. Fifth of
of these six brothers was Karamchand Gandhi, or Kaba Gandhi as he was called, the sixth was Tulsidas Gandhi. Both brothers, one after the other, occupied the post
Prime Minister Porbandar. Kaba Gandhi is my father. He was a member
Rajasthani court. Now this court no longer exists, but then it was
a very influential body that resolved disputes between the heads and members of the clans.
Kaba Gandhi was for some time prime minister in Rajkot, and then in
Vankaner. Until his death, he received a pension from the Rajkot government.
Kaba Gandhi was married four times. The first three wives died. From the first and
From his second marriage, he was survived by two daughters. Fourth wife Putlibay gave birth
him a daughter and three sons. I was the youngest.
The father was devoted to his family, truthful, courageous and generous, but
hot-tempered. To a certain extent, he could not live without sensual pleasures. IN
the fourth time he married, when he was already over forty. He was incorruptible and
for his justice he was respected both in the family and among strangers.
His loyalty to the state of Rajkot was well known.
One day, an aide to a political agent spoke derogatoryly about the Rajkot
takor sahib, whose father was in the service. The father responded to the insult
an insult. The agent became angry and demanded an apology from Kaba Gandhi. Father
did not apologize and was put under arrest. However, seeing that Kaba Gandhi
adamant, the agent after a few hours ordered to release him.
Father never aspired to wealth and left us very little
state.
He did not receive any education, but only acquired a large practical
experience; at best, he reached the fifth grade of the Gujarati school. About
history and geography father

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

MY LIFE

Introduction

About five years ago, at the urging of my closest co-workers, I agreed to write an autobiography. But before I could finish the first page, disturbances broke out in Bombay, and I was forced to suspend work. Then events followed which culminated for me in the imprisonment of the Yerwadis. The lawyer Jeramdas, who was with me in prison, advised me to put aside all other cases and finish my autobiography. But I replied that I had already drawn up a study program for myself and could not think of anything else until it was completed. I would have completed my autobiography if I had served my full sentence, but I was released a year early. Now Swami Anand repeated this suggestion, and since I had finished the history of Satyagraha in South Africa, I decided to start writing an autobiography for Navajivan. Swami wanted me to publish my autobiography as a separate book, but I did not have free time for this: I could only write a chapter a week. For Navajivan, I still needed to write something weekly. Why not write an autobiography then? Swami agreed to this and I diligently set to work.

Meanwhile, one of my God-fearing friends had doubts, which he shared with me on my “day of silence.”

What prompted you to embark on this adventure? he asked me. Writing autobiographies is a custom in the West. I do not know a single person in the East who would do this, with the exception of people who fell under the influence of the West. What will you be writing about? Suppose tomorrow you abandon the provisions that today you consider your principles, or in the future, revise today's plans. Will it not then turn out that people who are guided in their actions by your authoritative word will be misled? Wouldn't it be better to completely abandon it, or at least wait a little?

These arguments made some impression on me. But I'm not going to write a real autobiography. I just wanted to tell the story of my search for truth. And since such searches are the content of my whole life, the story about them will really be something like an autobiography. But I don't mind if every page of my autobiography talks only about my searches. I believe, or at least try to believe, that a coherent account of this will benefit the reader. My searches in the sphere of politics are now known not only to India, but to some extent to the entire “civilized” world. For me, they are of little value. Of still less value to me is the title of "mahatma" which I received through this quest. This title often upset me greatly, and I do not remember a single case when it pleased me. But, of course, I would like to tell about the spiritual quest, known only to me alone, in which I drew strength for my activities in the field of politics. If my quest is really spiritual, then there is no room for self-praise, and my story can only increase my humility. The more I reflect and look back on the past, the more I feel my limitations.

For thirty years I have been striving for only one thing - self-knowledge. I want to see God face to face, to achieve the state of moksha. I live, move and exist only to achieve this goal. Everything that I say and write, all my political activity - everything is directed towards this goal. But, being convinced that what is possible for one is possible for all, I do not keep my quest a secret. I do not think that this reduces their spiritual value. There are things that are known only to you and your creator. Of course, they cannot be disclosed. The quest I want to talk about is of a different kind. They are spiritual or rather moral, for the essence of religion is morality.

In my biography, I will deal only with those issues of religion that are equally clear to both adults and children. If I can speak about them humbly and dispassionately, then many who seek the truth will draw strength here for further movement forward. I look at my searches as a scientist who, although he conducts them very accurately, carefully and deliberately, never pretends to the finality of his conclusions and provides great opportunities for reflection. I went through the deepest introspection, carefully checked myself, researched and analyzed all the psychological moments. And yet I am far from the thought of claiming the finality or infallibility of my conclusions. My only claim is that they seem to me to be absolutely correct and, for the moment, final. If it were not so, I would not put them at the heart of my activities. But at every step, I either accepted or rejected them and acted accordingly. And as long as my actions satisfy my mind and my heart, I must hold fast to my original conclusions.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

MY LIFE

Hi all. In the summer of 2016, I got to a photo exhibition dedicated to Gandhi. The statements, as well as the photos, made a very strong impression, and I wanted to know more about him, his life, work and philosophy than the standard clichés and statuses.

At that moment, it seemed to me that it was just a fleeting desire, but perhaps enough so that in Kyiv in a bookstore I could attract a book with Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography. Naturally, now the memoir "May Biography" has become part of my growing library.

By the way, it is quite strange for an Indian to write his biography, especially in English language. But for Gandhi, who received his higher education in England, this is quite normal. The only pity is that the beginning of this autobiographical book was written in prison. But let's not rush - first things first.

From the first pages, Gandhi talks about his family and relatives, about the traditions of their family. Despite the fact that at first his grandfather, and then his father, occupied the posts of chief ministers in the sofa, the family of hereditary politicians lived very modestly, and, according to Gandhi himself, even poor. None of Gandhi's ministerial relatives received a good education, but they more than compensated for this with life experience and wisdom.

All religious rites and traditions were strictly observed in the family. Nobody drank milk or ate meat. And according to one of these traditions, a 13-year-old schoolboy Mohandas, his older brother and cousin were married on the same day in order to avoid additional expenses for wedding ceremonies.

Not only is it an arranged marriage, but also at that age. The young husband himself was not yet very aware of the full extent of his responsibility for his wife and family. All this time he was torn between his passion and his studies, and his wife spent most of her time at her parents' house. At the age of 16, Mohandas' father passed away.

After leaving school, a trip to London for higher education, condemned by his caste, took place. The sea voyage gave him a friend and colleague. Settlement, placement in an English family, first impressions of the British Empire.

At the time of his departure from India, at the age of 19, Gandhi already had a son, swore to his wife to observe marital fidelity, and, according to him, he was saved twice by chance or the hand of God from breaking the vow. Also, the “hand” and stubbornness in matters of nutrition saved him from breaking the vow that forbids the consumption of milk and meat.

But most of all I was surprised by the attitude of the British towards vegetarianism. Most of them were of the opinion that people without meat could not survive, they quickly weakened and died. Gandhi describes the difficulties he encountered in matters of his "diet". In a bookstore, he found a book on the basics of vegetarianism and began to practice.

By that time, he already lived in a separate apartment near the university, which allowed him to walk to classes every day in any weather, thereby saving on travel and supporting healthy lifestyle life.

Spiritual and religious searches, begun at home, continue in London, among the Christian community, who tried to "convert" him to their faith. But things did not go beyond discussions and conversations, because the young Indian did not look for a new religion, but tried to understand his own and others, to deepen and know his faith and religion through the prism of other directions.

Since there were very few Indian students in England at that time, most of them hid their marriages from the local society, which allowed them to start new relationships there. But Mahandas possessed not only strong shyness, but also honesty, which did not allow him to hide this truth from others. He was afraid that this might lead to misunderstanding and confusion towards him.

During his 4 years in London, Gandhi made many acquaintances among the English, with whom he maintained good relations and correspondence throughout his life. If possible, I organized dinners in vegetarian restaurants, read a lot. But it's time to go home. Again the ship, but already home to his native India.

The arrival of a newly minted lawyer did not guarantee him a job, and the one simple case that he agreed to handle in court failed at the first hearing. He couldn't get a word out of himself. At that moment, he realized that he could not work as a lawyer.

After some time, he received an offer to become a representative of the company in South Africa. But upon arrival there, he did not really understand how he could be useful, and took a wait-and-see position. But very soon he finally realized the position of the contracted Hindus in this country on his own skin.

English "politeness" and attitude towards Indians differed significantly in the colonies of the British Empire. When Mohandas Gandhi in his autobiography described the true situation of his people and other nationalities in Natal and other cities of South Africa, this contrast was simply striking in its cruelty and insensitivity.

In fact, no one, except for the local white population in the British colonies, had legal and civil rights. But with all this discrimination and blatant disregard for the rights of the Indians, Gandhi continued to support the British Empire as the highest good for the Hindus. He tried to cooperate with local authorities, organized medical teams during the uprisings.

It was while working in Natal that Gandhi tried to apply the new principle of non-violent resistance, which later resulted in a whole philosophical direction - satyagraha. The same principle can be described as "truth embodied in love" or "perseverance in truth based on non-violence." In other words, let's agree so that everyone is happy.

In the same place, in Natal, inspired by the first successes, Gandhi founded a party advocating for the rights of Indians and contracted workers. They conduct educational activities among the population, telling them about their rights, defending their interests. The party is growing very rapidly and is becoming very popular among the workers. Receives stable funding from membership dues.

Naturally, having felt his need and demand, after 3 years, Gandhi decided to bring his family from India and settle in Natal. Staying in India for 6 months, Gandhi tried to draw the attention of his compatriots to the problems of contracted Indians in South Africa, which led to misunderstanding and indignation of all participants in the conflict in Natal.

The return of Mohandas Gandhi after public and political activities in India, was met with a riot. The authorities of Natal were not going to let him back into the city, so 3 ships with Indians were quarantined, which forbade them to enter the port.

Fleeing from the ship, Gandhi was forced to seek asylum in the police. After waiting for the hearing of his case, he presented all the necessary evidence in his defense. His authority and reputation not only recovered, but also increased several times.

When the fourth child was born in the Gandhi family, Mohandas thought about taking the vow of brahmacharya, but, having not decided, he took it already in India in 1906. Brahmacharya is a vow of abstinence or chastity, also interpreted as self-discipline. He did not want to have more children, but this does not mean that he has the right to decide for two. What did he think of his wife? Still quite a young woman must bear the burden of this vow. Her desire, of course, he did not ask. Anyway…

After such a successful stay in South Africa, he returned home to India. Naturally, by that time his reputation was already working for him. He attended various meetings and conventions. Calcutta, Benares and, finally, substantiation in Bombay. And again South Africa. Constant ordeals.

I want to express my thoughts about the upbringing of his sons. Gandhi was categorically against school and university education, so the children had to be educated at home. But the father himself didn’t have enough time for this, so “... we all learned something and somehow ...”

Naturally, having matured, children experienced an inferiority complex not only among their peers. But Mohandas Gandhi himself is sure that he gave the children the most necessary, something that they could not be taught in public and private educational institutions. I don't know him or his sons, so it's hard to say how successful his experiment with education was.

Offspring education is not the only area subjected to experimentation. Treatment with earth and water, and later, during a serious illness, he had to abandon the vow of drinking milk. We have arrived... And this is after so many years of observing the “golden rule” of Ahisma.

The Phoenix colony became the foundation for the birth of the community and the Satyagraha movement, which roamed from place to place, expanded and grew. The community lived on the money of donors. Here Gandhi tried with all his might to revive hand weaving. Let's do it quite successfully.

Management and publications in the Indian Opinion newspaper, through which important political, legal, public and social problems of society reached the people. Naturally, after the arrest of Gandhi, the demand for the newspaper fell by almost 3-4 times.

His political activities began with the post of secretary of the congress in Calcutta. His task included sorting and distributing incoming congressional documentation, identifying important letters and documents. Familiarity with the principle of the congress allowed him to make the necessary connections and support.

Even while engaging in socio-political activities, Mahatma Gandhi tried to introduce the philosophy and principles of Satyagraha among the population. He fought for the abolition of caste inequality and other social injustices of the untouchables. Gandhi's publications in the Indian Opinion newspaper contributed to the introduction of the Satyagraha philosophy to the masses and the organization of rallies for non-violent resistance.

One of these rallies in honor of the universal ashram turned out to be a complete "failure" of the principle of non-violent struggle. The rebellious and aggressive demonstration was forcibly dispersed by the authorities. Gandhi himself realized that, despite the seeming simplicity of satyagraha, the people are not ready to accept it as a basic life principle. But in 1940, it was precisely this principle that Congress adopted in regard to India's independence from the British Empire.

In his memoirs, Gandhi mentions a case of dysentery, which he mistook for a one-time indigestion, the "torment" of hemorrhoids and the surgical removal of cracks in the rectum. I could not resist and looked in the Louise Hale reference book, what these diseases mean. The first is fear and concentration of anger, and the second is the inability to get rid of accumulated problems, resentments and emotions.

Apparently, the person who founded the principle of satyagraha, forgiveness and reconciliation, himself did not really meet his own criteria. This can also be attributed to nervous and dangerous socio-political activities, as well as the unfavorable location of star bodies in the sky.

But it seems to me that even Mahatma Gandhi himself applied this principle only externally. The ashram riot was not something unexpected, it simply mirrored Gandhi himself, as well as the congress, which did not want to apply the principle of satyagraha in defense against external aggression. Draw your own conclusions.

As another conclusion, I want to tell you that until quite recently I was thinking about global changes, or, more precisely, about their absence. It seemed to me that all attempts to change something for the better were useless. I looked at the span of the last 2000 years.

In general, in my opinion, the changes are not cardinal, small. In fact, it turns out that people have remained the same as 2 thousand years ago. I thought about the question, is it worth devoting your whole life to a useless struggle to break existing systems and rules? Or is it better to spend this time creating your ideal life and become a stone in the water, creating a wave effect of uniform circles, which, by inertia, improves life around you?

But if you take a shorter period of time, and look at what changes Mahatma Gandhi was able to achieve, then they seem to be more impressive. A small concession in favor of the same unchanging people.

P.S. At the end of the book, 25 pages are devoted to notes and deciphering of "unknown" words in the book, which expand the horizons of Indian culture.

Postscript 2. Reading Gandhi's autobiography, which illustrates the true situation of Indians and their level of poverty, made me perceive beautiful and colorful, but not realistic, Indian films in a different way.