Mahatma Gandhi on Ethics

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Mahatma Gandhi wrote and spoke on all aspects of life-political, social, economic and spiritual. This book deals with his ethical concepts as reflected in his writings and speeches. Presenting a framework of Gandhian ethics, it provides Gandhi's original text on Ethical Religion for deeper understanding of his views on the subject.

Dr. Anil Dutta Mishra (b. 1965) started his career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Non-violence and Peace Studies, Jain Vishva Bharati University, Ladnun, Rajasthan. His area of specialization includes Public Administration, Grass-root Politics, Gender Issues, Ecology and Human Rights.

Besides a number of research papers in leading professional journals, he has to his credit 16 books including Problems and Prospects of Working Women in Urban India (1994); Fundamentals of Gandhism (1995); Gandhian Approach to Contemporary Problems (1996); Decentralized Planning in India A Study of Objectives and Operational Framework (1999); Gender Perspectives Participation, Empowerment and Development (1999); Perspectives on Human Rights (2002); Rediscovering Gandhi (2002); Patterns of Gender Violence (2002); Challenges of Twenty First Century and Gandhian Alternative (2003). India and Canada; Past, Present and Future (2003); Public Governance and Decentralization Essays in Honour of T.N. Chaturvedi (2003); Gandhian Alternative to Contemporary Problems (2004); Globalization Myth and Reality (2004); Gandhian Alternative Vol. III, Socio-Political Thought (2005); Inspiring Thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi (2008); and Terrorism A Global Challenge (2009).

Gandhi's life was an open book. He made himself brick by brick and step by step. He reached the top where even the saints rarely reach. He combined facts with value, theory with practice, body with soul. He conducted experiments after experiments to achieve the final goal. His entire public life was based on ethics, morality, voluntary poverty, simplicity and pristine purity. He accepted positive points from Western and Eastern tradition. He read and accepted the noble points from all world religions. He was aware of what is going on in the world around and with latest technique and scientific enquiry. Even though for Gandhi, Gita was a source book. Like Aurobindo, Tilak and many others, Gandhi got ultimate strength and inspiration from Gita which is the gist of all Vedas. He made title of his Autobiography as An Autobiography: My Experiments With Truth. From early childhood he was truthful. He never bowed his head. He always upheld the self-esteem and dignity of human being. He was firm in his conviction. And on the basis of Non-violence, Satyagraha, Swadesi and Swaraj he laid the freedom struggle of India and showed the way to the world.

Gandhi's approach was human centric. He wrote and spoke on all aspects of life. After going through the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (CWMG) word by word, I came to the conclusion that even whole life is not enough to understand Mahatma Gandhi. For that, one has to be born and reborn again and again.

To work on "Gandhi on Ethics" is a Himalayan task. I took it as a challenge and started working on the subject. In the beginning, there was lot of problems due to vastness of the available literature on Gandhi. These collections constitute the written and spoken words of Mahatma Gandhi reflecting, in volume after volume, the mood and temper of the times and illuminating every aspect of India's political, social, economic and spiritual history and aspirations. Even in the era of Globalization, particularly after economic crises all over the world, one is debating about various approaches to development. One can draw inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi's words and deeds which lead us to a harmonious whole between urban and rural, materialism and spiritualism, theory and practice, localism and globalism, ethical and unethical, pain and pleasure, love and hate, secularism and communalism, development and environment, and war and peace. This is the most appropriate time when one can realize Mahatma Gandhi's view. Today they are more relevant than ever before or even when he was alive.

To work on any of the concepts of Mahatma Gandhi and its formulation is not an easy task. Collecting and researching materials on Ethics from Gandhiji's writings, speeches and letters, representing his sixty years of very active public life was no easy task. To locate specific material from the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Young India, Harijan, Navajivan, D.G. Tendulkar etc. is also very difficult. It needs thorough and deep understanding of Gandhi by the researcher.

Gandhi is now, part of history and his words belong to humanity. There is vast literature on Gandhi, apart from his original works or compilation of his works, popularly known as CWMG, which are hundred bulky volumes. The ethical concepts of Mahatma Gandhi as reflected through his writings and speeches are scattered.

**Contents and Sample Pages**