The Father of our nation,Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat. He is called 'Mahatma', meaning Great Soul because of his greatness.
Gandhi Ji helped free the Indian people from British rule through nonviolent resistance, therefore he is honored by Indians as the father of the Nation.
More than once Gandhi used fasting to impress upon others the need to be nonviolent. India was granted independence in 1947, and partitioned into India and Pakistan. Rioting between Hindus and Muslims followed. Gandhiji had been an advocate for a united India where Hindus and Muslims lived together in peace.
When he attempted to claim his rights as a British subject he was abused, and soon saw that all Indians suffered similar treatment. Gandhi stayed in South Africa for 21 years attempting to secure rights for Indian people.
On January 13, 1948, at the age of 78, he began a fast with the purpose of stopping the bloodshed. After 5 days the opposing leaders pledged to stop the fighting and Gandhiji broke his fast. Twelve days later a Hindu fanatic, Nathuram Godse who opposed his program of tolerance for all creeds and religion assassinated him.
Mahatma Gandhi’s life is a monument to the triumph of spirit over flesh, a living witness to the victory of the divine over the base nature of man. A continuous exercise of self-restraint and discipline, along with deep prayer and an invincible faith in the Divine, enabled him to successfully resist all kinds of temptations, overcome all obstacles and gain full mastery over himself.
Gandhiji’s life was dedicated to the ideals of Truth, Non-violence and Love. 'The Bhagavad Gita is my mother,' he once said; and the name of Sri Rama was his shield. He was the architect of India's freedom and one of the greatest men of this century.
There are 6 principles that Gandhi followed:
Truth: fight your own inner demons, fear and insecurities. Everyone is unique in this world and therefore, one should not compare with others. Be honest with yourself of who you are and what you want. If you think there is something to fix, then fix it.
Nonviolence: control your temper and also your thoughts. What we think, we become and therefore if you always are thinking of hurting someone or feeling extremely angry at someone, those are the vibes you'll be giving to others. Best way to be nonviolent is to think positive and believe that whatever happens, it is for a good reason.
Vegetarianism: not everyone can resist meat, but you can control your consumption. For health reasons, avoiding eating a lot of red meat is a good idea.
Brahmacharya: many of us want to get married and have children or be intimate with someone. Therefore, becoming a brahmacharya might not be possible. However, you could reduce thinking of the opposite sex as an object. You could also wait to be intimate with someone till after marriage.
Simplicity: life in the western countries tends to be quite fast. Do you need the latest fashion clothing or can you wear the clothes you already have? Simplicity doesn't mean foregoing all your desires, but not buying something right away or something you don't really need. Simplicity also means being happy with what you are given and have.
Faith: believing that there is someone or something higher than you. You don't need to believe in God, but believing that everyone is equal and you are no less or more than someone else. It is knowing your values, ethics and morals. Faith is not following others blindly especially when someone else is doing something that your heart says is not right.
May the Mahatma’s light of love illuminate the hearts of nations and individuals! May his spirit bless us all with the vision and strength to realize in our everyday life all his lofty ideals of truth, purity, non-violence and faith in the Divine!
Students' Oxygen Movement View
30/09/2012
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