As I mentioned earlier, Gandhi's thoughts did not end with my article. There is a lot to be shared about him. He had different views on religion and his Gandhian character played dynamic role in history of India. Let's continue.

His views on Ends and Means

Gandhi's ends were moral and he insisted that our means  must be consistent with our ends. It is not sufficient  that the ends we peruse should be moral; it is equally necessary that the means to them should also be pure. by insisting upon the moral qualities of Gandhiji took the greatest step towards spiritualism politics , the fascists and the communists have been the advocates of the Machiavellian doctrine that the end justify the means : that success is the foremost objective; and every thing which contributes to it is justifiable. to Gandhi ends and means are inseparable;the end grow out of the means. "as  the means so the end". The means may be likened to a seed, the end to a tree! and there is just the same inviolable connection between the ends and the means as there is between the seed and the tree.

Even in the sphere of social reconstruction Gandhi firmly believed that "socialism cannot be established by resorting to impure means". He did not subscribe to the negative views of socialism : equality cannot be obtained by leveling down. He believed in positive meaning of socialism which stands for leveling up of all. Thus by demanding that the means must be consistent with the end, he wrought a revolutionary change in politics ; it may be regarded as one of his most important contributions to the art of politics.

On non-violence

While Marx would insist on class war and violent revolution, Gandhi was all for the truth or non-violence. Non-violence as a method of transforming the socioeconomic order remains one of the greatest contributions of Gandhiji truth and Non-violence are inseparable. One who would inflict violence would depart from truth and hence from God because TRUTH IS GOD. Violence is untruth because it offends against the unity of life. In describing Ahimsa as the highest religion Gandhiji was not original. The words of Mahabharata are well known all over India. The doctrine constitutes the core of Jainism. What Gandhiji did was the to give an extended meaning and application to both these terms: Truth and Ahimsa.

Superiority of Non-violence over violence- There are several consideration which go to show that as a method of solving disputes non-violence is far superior to violence. Firstly, Non-violent struggle is always confutes gracefully and with a minimum of bitterness. Secondly, it renders ineffective and useless the weapon of violent warfare which the opponent possesses and puts him on horns of a dilemma. Lastly, we may refer to the fact that in a non-violence campaign the final victory of the proletariat over the bourgeois may not be guaranteed by the Marxian theory of Dialectical Materialism and class struggle but the fact that the Satyagrahi is fighting on the side of God and has the backing of the cosmic forces makes his final triumph absolutely certain.

On Satyagrah

The form which Gandhiji emphasized the non-violent struggle should take was designated as Satyagrah. It constitutes the heart and the soul of Gandhiji's thought, it is his most important and imperishable contribution to social thought and practice. "This is the center round which his other contributions revolve."

 make he opponent realize the justice of one's cause. It is the vindication of truth by bearing witness to it. Through self-suffering, it is plea for action." In other words of Dr. Stanley Jones, "the Satyagrahi matches his capacity to suffer against the capacity of his opponent to inflict suffering ; he does not hate the latte but refuses to obey him and to help him in perpetuating injustice."

Satyagrah is sometimes described as a moral substitute for war. This method of Satyagrah is a novel weapon forged by Gandhiji: by it a subject nations can win back their freedom without shedding a drop of blood of their oppressors. But it requires training. Just as soldiers and their officers have to undergo a bard and prolonged training before they are sent out to fight against the enemy in the battle, similarly, the people and their leaders in a non-violent struggle must have the requisite training. "Besides control of the senses, simple living and devotion to truth, obedience to law is a necessary part of the training. Only he who has mastered the art of obedience to law knows the art of disobedience to law." So wrote Gandhiji.

The principle of returning good for evil, of overcoming hatred by love which constitutes the essence of Satyagrah, is a very old principle. Gandhiji described it as 'eternal'. Gandhiji extended the sphere of its application to public affairs. He used it on a much wider scale for the solution of social, economic and political problems.

On Education

Mahatma Gandhi's idea on education are for the most part laid down in his 'Nai Talim'. He did not have much interest for English. He believed that the time spent on mastering the English language by the child could be better used for imparting the essential knowledge about some of the basic facts of civil life(From the sources).

Gandhiji laid emphasis on the concept of Basic Education. He believed that true education consisted in the harmonious development of mind, body and spirit. He suggested that education should be accompanied with handicrafts so that most of the expenses incurred in education could be met out of the sale proceeds of articles which the students make. "True education, of the intellect" he said, "can be only through the proper exercise of training of the bodily organs like hands, ears and nose."

On Rights and Duties

This leads us to the consideration of Gandhiji's views on rights and duties. According to him, the conflict between individual freedom and social restraint arises in the present day society out of an over emphasis on individual rights Gandhiji like Kant and Hegel attached more importance to duties than to rights. Rights, he says, are opportunities for self-realization through service of others and doing one's duty by them. "The right to perform one's duties is the only right that is worth living for and dying for. It covers all legitimate rights." It was in this way that Gandhiji south to solve the problems of individual freedom versus social restraint.

The Final Words

Gandhiji thoughts are valuable as like gold or a coin. We must inculcate his thoughts and views in order to have a balanced and cultured life. Let me tell you, sources are taken from one of my prescribed book. I have just recapitulated this all out here.


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