Gandhian Dictum for Right Living

Swachid K. Rangan

As Time rolls by, Gandhi’s global stature is growing. Gandhism is taking roots all over the world and will eventually sprout into a Universal Religion based on Gandhian Spiritualism. Then Gandhi’s place will be among the prophets of the world, after Moses, Buddha, Jesus Christ and Mohammed. The Prophets had laid down Commandments, edicts and sacred duties to be performed for individuals. So has Gandhiji without giving them directly.

“My life is my message,” he has said when asked for one. Anyone can derive these dictums from his own life, so vividly recorded in his autobiography, “The Story of My Experiments with Truth.”

1. Be truthful. Truth begets trust. Trust begets respect, recognition and rewards. You may not always follow truth, but if you find truth stand by it. And make it your business to find Truth. Don’t do anything in secret that you cannot divulge in public.

2. Be fearless. Face threat and danger stoically.

3. Bear no grudge. Non-violence in thought, word and deed will transform your relationship with others for the better. Malice toward none is the right attitude.

4. Free yourself from enslaving habits.  Illness is caused by wrong food or pollution. Don’t suppress the symptoms by medication. Find the cause and avoid it. In most cases Nature cure is the best remedy. Smoking is a slow killer. Not only you get polluted and sick you expose your family and others to danger making them passive smokers. Alcohol and drugs are poisons.  

5. Be emotional. Show it in love not in hatred or anger. Keep the ego under leash. Ego is the seat of emotions and let it not get the better of you.

6. Create wealth for the society. If you have surplus funds invest them in productive ventures. Don’t hoard or make dead investments.

7. Share your burden and profits. If you have inherited wealth or running business consider yourself as a trustee and put it in productive uses. Share business profits generously among the workers. Identify truthful, trustworthy persons and reward them with responsibility and money. Do not shoulder all the responsibilities by yourself.

8. Go public. Take interest in public affairs. Set aside at least three hours of your time in a week and one per cent of your personal expenditure to support a public cause.

9. Be with God. Sit in Meditation for at least 30 minutes. Relate with your inner Self, God within.

10. Be a Satyagrahi. Remain committed to truth and nonviolence under all circumstances. Fight injustice and oppression. Be ready to sacrifice your life and wealth for the sake of your country and the people. Service to the poor and the distressed is service to God.

Gandhian dictums should find a place in school textbooks. The moral fibre in every individual would then be fortified. When these individuals grow up and take over national leadership a new world order of peace and prosperity would set in. 

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