Question

Gandhi's thought on satyagarha
in essay
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Answer 1

Gandhi’s Concept of Satyagraha is an exceptional and novel way to resist evil. This is the heart and soul of the entire Gandhian theory and philosophy, and his exclu­sive contribution to the modern Indian political thought. Through this mechanism, Gandhi aimed at resisting any kind of unjust, impure or untruthful acts.

This concept also aims at furtherance of love and self-purification. Satyagraha can be regarded as a vindication of truth by taking self-suffering in the form of love. It is the weapon of the bravest and the strongest. It is an antidote for coercion. It was believed that Satyagraha enables elevation of spiritual and moral qualities of an individual.

The main function of a Satyagraha is not to injure the enemy by any means. It is an appeal to the enemy either through reason or by a gentle rational argument. It is something like a sacrifice of the self. Satyagraha has two positive features, viz., it showers blessings on those who practice it and secondly, it blesses those individuals against whom Satyagraha is practiced.

The concept of Satyagraha advocates that it is through suffering that there are achievements. For instance, just like a mother who takes all the suffering for the sake of a child, Satyagraha also takes all the pain for the cause of the fellow citizens.

This ideal also expounded that there is a direct relationship between the purity of the suffering and the extent of progress. It believes that the purer the suffering, the greater the material and spiritual progress. The theory of Satyagraha has three main purposes firstly, it purifies the sufferer; secondly, it intensifies favorable public opinion; and thirdly, makes a direct appeal to the soul of the oppressor.

Gandhi differentiated between the terms Satyagraha and Passive resistance. The former, according to him, is a moral weapon and the latter is a political weapon. The victory of the soul power over the physical force is reflected in the idea of Satyagraha. The former is dynamic, while the latter is static.