CHAPTER-II

VINOBA BHAVE’S LIFE, WORKS AND VIEWS ON

SOCIO-POLITICAL AND EDUCATIONAL IDEAS

Mother India had many great sons and daughters in her

lap, who made her period. One of them is Vinoba Bhave. The
equivalent of Vinoba Bhave can also be addressed as „Jai Jagat‟
a man who struggled against evil and turned the evils into good,
to a certain extend. Having a pragmatic stance with great
regard for the law and the poor, he was really a spiritual
visionary to the core. His scholarly ability is par excellence.
His life is the brim heroic deeds and commitment. He spread
the fragrance of non-violence, spirituality, human values and
love. As an ardent follower of Gandhiji, he too preached what
he practiced.

Brief History

Vinobaji was born on September 11th 1895 at the village

of Gagode in Maharashtra. His father was Narahari Bhave and
his mother was Rukmini Devi who was very pious. His parents
named him Vinayak.

From his childhood Vinayaka was very much fond of

reading the writings of Maharashtra‟s saints and philosophers.

29
During his college days Vinayak‟s mind was restless with the
intense desire for realizing Brahma.

In 1916 Vinayak left for Bombay to appear for the

intermediate examination. But, during this journey he changed
his mind and decided to reach K¡¿i. He travelled to K¡¿i
reciting the s£tra „अथातोब्रह्मजिज्ञासा’ 1 . In K¡¿i his main

ambition was to go to the Himalayas. There was a deep rooted

inner longing to visit Bengal as well.

During that time, Vinayak happened to read reports in

newspapers about Gandhiji‟s speech at the Banaras Hindu
University. Instantly he was attracted to Gandhiji. Soon he
wrote a letter to Gandhiji and Gandhiji advised Vinayak to
reach Ahmedabad for a personal meeting. Vinoba went and
met Gandhiji on June 7th 1916, at Kochrab Ë¿ram in
Ahemmedabad. Vinobaji later said, „providence took me to
Gandhiji and I found in him not only the peace of Himalayas
but also the burning fervor of revolution typical of Bengal.‟
Since then the bond between Vinoba and Gandhiji grew
stronger and it was Gandhiji who gave Vinayak the name
Vinoba.

30
 It was with keen interest Vinoba participated in the
activities at Gandhiji‟s ¡¿ram, like teaching, studying, spinning,
hygiene and improving the life of the community and society.
On April 8 in the year 1921 Gandhiji sent Vinoba to Wardha to
take the charge of the ¡¿ram there. Vinoba started a monthly
magazine in Marathi language by the name „Maharashtra
Dharma‟ and before long that monthly became a weekly.
Vinoba wrote many articles in this magazine and his articles on
the Ëbha´g¡s of Saint Tukar¡m became very popular.

On December 23, 1932, Vinoba visited Nalwadi village.

There he experimented his idea of supporting himself by
spinning alone. Later, in 1938, he again shifted to paramdham
¡¿ram in Paunar, which remained his headquarters.

Vinoba started his direct involvement in the freedom

movement of India from the time he met Gandhiji first and in
the year 1923 he was jailed for four months in Nagada jail and
Akola jail. In 1925 Gandhiji sent him to Vykom in Kerala to
support the entry of the Harijans in the temple. In 1932, he was
jailed for six months to Dhulia jail. Later in 1940 Vinoba was
selected by Gandjiji as the first Individual Styagrahi. During
the period 1940-41 Vinoba was jailed thrice for Individual
styagraha at Nagpur. However Vinoba was not widely known
31
as a national leader till Gandhiji introduced him through a
statement on October 5th 1940. The statement reads thus;
„Vinoba believes in the necessity of the political independence
of India. He also believes that the real independence of the
villager is impossible without the constructive programme of
which „Kh¡dis the centre.‟2

The life in the jails became a blessing to Vinoba because

in the jail Vinoba got a lot of time for reading and writing and
also to learn several languages. It was in the Dhulia jail that
Vinoba saw the proof of his book G¢tai. While he was in the
jail Vinoba used to give lectures on G¢t¡ to the inmates there,
later one of his inmates named „Sane Guruji‟ collected
Vinoba‟s lectures and published them as a book entitled „G¢t¡
pravacana.‟ Vinoba himself has written several books and the
important ones are Swar¡jya Ś¡stra‟, I¿av¡syavrtti‟ „Steadfast
Wisdom‟ etc. Vinoba‟s writings cover diverse areas of
religion, philosophy, education and Sarvodaya.

Vinoba was a polyglot. He was not a mere polyglot but a

versatile polyglot that he knew more than fifteen languages
including French, English and Arabic. This deep and vast
knowledge in several languages enabled him to know read and

32
study many things and understand almost all types of people
especially the common people in India.

In March 1948 Gandhiji‟s followers including Jawaharlal

Nehru and Dr. Rajendra Prasad met at Sevagram. It was during
that meeting Vinoba gave and formed the idea of Sarvodaya
Samaj. However they couldn‟t implement that programme
immediately because Vinoba at that time was busy with the
activities which would sooth the wounds of the partition of the
nation.

In the beginning of 1950 Vinoba started the programme

of K¡µcana Mukti (freedom from dependence wealth).3 And
during the same period he also started another programme „ṚiÀi
Kheti‟. In April 1951 after attending the Sarvodaya conference
at Shivarampalli, he started his peace track on foot through the
violence torn Telengana. On April 18th Vinoba met the
villagers at Pochampally in Telangana and this meeting opened
a new chapter in the history of non-violent struggle. In
Pochampally the Harijans told Vinoba that they had no land to
cultivate, if they get a few acres of land they could cultivate it
and make a living. Vinoba realized that it was urgently needed
for the uplift of the villagers. Vinoba asked the villagers what
could be done to solve this problem. Then a noble landlord
33
named Ramachandra Reddy came forward and expressed his
willingness to donate hundred acres of land for the cause. This
incident showed a way to solve the problem of the landless. It
was the humble beginning of the great Bhood¡n movement4.
The response to the Bhood¡n movement was spontaneous.
Many rich and noble people offered land for distribution among
the landless and the poor people. Vinoba had put a target of
collecting five crore acres of land for the success of Bhood¡n
movement. To achieve this goal Vinoba started peace trek on
foot through the different states of India. In Bihar Vinoba
received 23 lakh acres of land during his epic making pad¡y¡tra
from September 1952 to December 1954. Similarly he received
thousands of acres of land from many other states as well.

During his mission Vinoba often reminded the gathering

that „the people are our God‟. So helping the poor must be our
prime duty‟. Vinoba firmly believed in the power of the
people. He initiated several programmes to develop such kind
positive spirit and outlook in people. Sampattidan (gift of the
wealth), áramd¡n (gift of the labour), á¡nti sena (army for
peace) and Sarvodaya p¡tra5 (the pot where every house hold
gives daily handful of grain) are a few such programmes.

34
 In order to contact with the people living in the thousands
of villages across the country, Vinoba organized and
successfully undertook a paday¡tra for 13 years visiting every
nook and corner of India. Once, during his paday¡tra through
the Champal valley, many dacoits surrendered themselves to
Vinoba and they promised to give-up their deeds and agreed to
start a new life. This happened in May 1960.

Later he started Toof¡n Y¡tra (journey with the use of a

vehicle, with the speed of high velocity wind.) in Bihar in July
19656. Toof¡n Y¡tra lasted for four years.

After travelling through India he returned to Puannar on

November 2, 1969. As he reached the age of 75 on October 7th
1970, Vinoba Bhave announced his decision to stay at one place
spending one year in silence. That was from December 25,
1974 to December 1975. In 1976, he undertook a fast to stop
the slaughter of cows. His spiritual pursuits intensified as he
withdrew from the activities. Vinoba Bhave breathed his last on
November 15, 1982 at the age of 88 years.

Incipience and Infancy

The year 1895 was a landmark in the history of India. It

was in this year on September eleventh, the village of Gangode

35
in Kolaba district of Maharastra was sanctified by the birth of
Vinoba Bhave. The house he was born was always filled with
hymns. Both his parents, Smt. Rukmi¸i Bhai and Sri Narahari
Bhave were very religious. Added to this they were straight
forward, had stern character and discipline. His father had a
scientific approach in all matters. Vinoba Bhave was first
named as Vinayak. He had two younger brothers Balkoba
Bhave and Śivaji Bhave. It is not a wonder to say that they too
followed the footsteps of Vinoba Bhave and resorted to
renunciation and service to mankind. He too had an ordinary
childhood and was very mischievous and disorderly. For this
he was usually punished by his father. Vinayak was greatly
influenced by his grandfather Shambhu Rao and his mother
Rukmi¸i Devi.

Family Inspiration

Vinayak was born in an orthodox Brahmin family. A

pious family with a generous outlook was bestowed upon
Vinayak. As soon as Vinayak started his infancy, he saw his
grandfather worshipping áiva, early morning. This routine
inspired him a lot. Though a Br¡hmin, Shambhu Rao allowed
Harijans to worship in their family temple. Even before
Gandhiji, Shambhu Rao had taught young Vinayak the lesson of

36
Ahimsa or non-violence. According to his grandfather Ahimsa
is very patient and long suffering. The spiritual mind of
Shambhu Rao is reflected on Vinayak. The practice of
invocation and immersion of the idol of Ga¸esh after Ga¸esh
Caturti, made Vinayak learn the lesson of relinquishment and
detachment. In short, Vinayak absorbed all the purity of his
grandfather which ran through his blood till his end. The most
important lesson he got from his grandfather was religious
tolerance. The example for this is allowing an Islam follower to
Si´g Bhajans at their family temple.

Narahari Bhave, the father of Vinayak or Vinoba Bhave,

was a man who had designed his life scientifically. He was
self-reliant, punctual and self-disciplined. He had formed his
habits as per yogi mathematician and scientists. The
experiments which his father carried out with dyes, led Vinoba
Bhave to experiment with his life.

Rukmi¸i Devi, the mother, had influenced him greatly.

The evening prayers chanted by his mother were well grasped
by him. But his mother advised him to chant a hymn only after
knowing its meaning. Rukmi¸i Devi considered that a
Brahmac¡ri can liberate forty two generations, whereas a
householder can only liberate one generation. These words of

37
her had been carved into his mind. Rukmi¸i Devi did every job
with a hymn on her lips, according to her each and every work
can be well done with the grace of God by invoking the Lord.
This taught young Vinya lesson of human efforts and God‟s
grace.

Another remarkable trait which she passed on to Vinayak

was to consider all as God in human form. There was a boy
living with them. She never offered him left over food. She
had it herself and also served it to Vinya. When questioned she
replied that the boy was God in human form and Vinya was her
own. The love of nature was taught by urging him to water the
tu½asi plant. It was his mother who made him translate G¢t¡
into Marati as she wanted a very simple translation in her
mother tongue. Vinya brought one Marathi version of Bhagavad
G¢t¡ for his mother which was very difficult for her to
comprehend. Thus she asked him why he couldn‟t attempt it.
But before he could finish the translation, she went to the abode
of God. Vinoba Bhave says that some of his mother‟s words
influenced him very deeply. A few are given here with:

„Vinayak don‟t ask for much. Remember, small is sweet, much

is mischief.

38
A stomachfull of food and a cloth to cover the body that is all
we need.

Give ear to nothing save the words about the wise, the Gods and
the saints.

When you serve your country, that service shows your devotion
to the Lord, but let there be songs of devotion also,‟7

Education

Education is nothing but a system that nurtures and

strengthens the power of creativity in students along with
spiritual forbearance. Vinoba Bhave suggested that student
must have moral power to God to go forward along with
celibacy but the student must have a power for self-rebalance
for the sake of life students should get the remuneration for the
creative works in the campus can spent for the expense of
education. For this purpose Vinoba advised the students to
have a device of handicrafts method. He considered it as a
necessity.

It is the custom of Brahmins to put the sacred thread

across the shoulders of boys. This is usually celebrated with
great pomp and splendor. At the age of six Vinayak also
underwent this ceremony. After this ceremony the religious

39
texts were taught and also Marati. Later on, they shifted from
Gagode to Baroda. He was admitted to third standard. He was
a very brilliant and intelligent student and excelled in his
studies. He came out with flying colours. Like his father, he
had great affinity for mathematics. It is said that even teachers
approached him to clear their doubts in mathematics. When he
was in high school, he was very helpful to other students and
even helped them in mathematics.

His hobbies in his boyhood was roaming and reading. He

knew every nook and corner of Baroda. His mode of exercise
was nothing but running. There was no specific time for his
exercise because he used to be off day and night. As he was a
voracious reader, he had access to the central library. This led
to the formation of student society to celebrate the birthday of
great leaders like Śivaji, Sw¡mi Ramadas and so on. The
„Kesari‟ of Balagangadhara Tilak had injected the energizer of
nationalism in him.

Transforming into a Brahmac¡ri

At the age of ten, Vinya was attracted towards

Brahmacarya. The three pillars that inspired him the most was
Gautama Buddha, R¡mad¡s and Śankar¡c¡rya. In order to
renounce everything he started practicing by studying and
40
meditating. He also made his body fit for spiritual discipline.
He renounced shoes, umbrella, mattress and feasts. He drafted
many rules for the intake of food. In short he became a
Brahmac¡ri, both physically and mentally. He used to teach
poor students without fees. He also imbibed nationalism into
his close friends. In short as a Brahmac¡ri he did each and
every job prescribed for a Brahmac¡ri without fail path of
renunciation.

As said earlier Buddha, R¡mad¡s and

Śa´kar¡c¡rya had inspired him to abandon all ties and resorted
to the path of spirituality. The first thought of leaving home
was in 1912. But only after four years the desire became a
reality. In that year he had to go to Bombay to appear for
intermediate examination. Vinayak and others started to
Bombay but got down at S£rat and left for K¡¿i. The first thing
he did was to break off the scared thread which disseminated
the man by his caste.

At K¡¿i he studied Sanskrit and Hindi. He still had the

habit of composing poems and floated it in the Ganga. He used
to teach English and earned some money just for a living.
While leaving home he had made up his mind for S¡dhan¡
along with social service. He practiced meditation. It was in

41
Varanasi he heard a lot about Gandhiji‟s speech. This pulled
him to Gandhiji‟s ¡¿ram. Without hesitation he left for
Sabarmathi.

In the Abode of Peace and Revolutionary Spirit

The greatest desire of Vinayak was to go to Bengal and

drown in the spirit of revolution. The other desire was to go to
the Himalayas to wrap in its peace. But according to him it was
only Gandhiji who had the revolutionary spirit and peace.
Gandhiji was a Karmayogi who aimed for freedom of mind and
body. He had a fascinating unity inward and outward.

The ¡¿ram life taught him many lessons. Eleven vows

attracted him very much. In the ¡¿ram the first lesson of
initiation was bodily labor. The important lesson in the quest of
self-knowledge was that one should never fall ill. Vinoba Bhave
was a man of few words. According to him, it was the language
of devotion. But Gandhiji exhausted him to adopt the language
of knowledge also. Gandhiji made him talk during the common
prayer about something or the other. The ¡¿ram life converted a
ruffian to the one who was as meek as a lamb.

In the ¡¿ram Vinayak was addressed respectfully as

„Bha‟. Thus Vinya became Vinoba. He taught the inmates

42
Sanskrit. He experienced the one indivisible. It was then
Gandhiji came to know that Vinoba hadn‟t let his family where
he was. So he made Vinoba write a letter to his parents. Along
with that letter a photo and a copy of daily paper of the ¡¿ram
was sent to them. The parents were very grateful to Gandhiji.
This attracted Vinoba‟s brother Balkhoba to the Ë¿ram. It is
said that Balkhoba outshined Vinoba in following and
preaching Gandhian principles. It is said that once his ten year
old grandson was seen cleaning. Seeing the young child doing
the job, Balkhoba helped him out. Vinoba also joined them
when he knew about it. Gandhiji was greatly pleased and took
it as a virtuous act.

Departure of the Loving Mother

Rukma¸i Devi was not only a mother to Vinoba and his

siblings but also a teacher of acetic ideals. The great lady
departed at the age of forty two on 24 October 1918. The depth
of Vinoba‟s attachment to his mother was unfathomable. This
attachment drew him to his mother during her last days. He
asked her whether she felt at peace. She replied „completely at
peace. For one thing, you are grown up, and I have no anxiety
either about you or your brothers, for you will look after them.
For another thing, two months ago I had that dar¿an of the
43
Lord.‟8 Vinoba wanted to do the last rites of his mother, but he
was not allowed to do it. So he didn‟t attend the rites but sat
down to study Ved¡s, which was his mother now. After his
mother‟s death, he took two of her belongings with him. One
was her wedding S¡ri and the idol of goddess Annap£r¸a to
which his mother had made daily offerings. This shows his
deepest love for her. When campaigned for Kh¡di, he
immersed his mother‟s sari in the Sabarmati River and handed
over the idol to K¡¿ibehn Gandhi.

Preceptor

Mahatma Gandhi was the preceptor of Vinoba Bhave and

both imbibed noble ideas and from the G¢t¡.

Disciples

Krishnadas Gandhi and Vallabha Swami are the two

disciples of Vinoba Bhave. Vallabha Swami was Vinoba‟s first
disciple and first secretary of All India Sarva Seva Sangh. Later
guest house was built and dedicated the memory of these two
disciples at Vinobanikethan in Thiruvananthapuram.

44
Ancient traditional knowledge

Vinoba took a year‟s leave from the Sabarmati ¡¿ram. It

was to restore his health and study the UpaniÀads, the G¢t¡, the
Brahmas£tr¡s and the Yoga Philosophy of Pataµjali. Besides,
that he got the knowledge of Ny¡yas£tra, the Vai¿eÀika s£tra
and the sm¤ti of Y¡jµavalkya. Along with studies he started
taking care of his health by walking, grinding grains, and
practicing Yoga and so on.

He did stick on to his health and studies alone. He

conducted free class on the G¢t¡. He also started „Vidy¡rthi
Manual‟ a student‟s club. He went on foot to discover
Maharastra. He also gave talks on G¢t¡. Above all he made
people aware of the principles of saty¡graha ¡¿ram.

Ë¿ram of Wardha

Jamnalal Bajaj, a disciple and a friend of Gandhi, had

asked Gandhiji to set up an ¡¿ram at Wardha. For the purpose
of the ¡¿ram, he offered his home to Bapu. So in 1921 the
¡¿ram started functioning. Later it was shifted to Nalwadi in
the name of Sevagram. The main principles of the ¡¿ram were
self-reliance and self-sufficiency. They cultivated their own
vegetables. Fast was the rule of the ¡¿ram this ¡¿ram led.

45
Vinoba to learn spinning and was forced to start charkha sangh
to promote the use of Kh¡di.

As a follower of Gandhi, Vinoba too had to go to jail

many times. Gandhi selected him as the first saty¡grahi in the
individual civil disobedience campaign. This shows how
trustworthy Vinoba was. The life in the jail was a blessing in
disguise for Vinoba as he could follow the vows of the ¡¿ram
very strictly.

Vinoba did not end his studies of the scriptures of other

religions. He learned Arabic to be able to understand and enjoy
the essence, that too in the original form. Besides this he wrote
a translation of G¢t¡ in a very simple form and language in
G¢t¡i. It was his mother‟s wish but came to light only after her
death.

The over exertion had made Vinoba thoroughly weak. So

Gandhiji advised him to go to some hill station to recoup his
health. Vinoba decided to go to Paunar. It was on the banks of
river Dham and Jamnalal had a bungalow there. As soon as the
car crossed Dham Bridge, Vinoba whispered „I have
renounced‟9which he repeated three times. He named the place
Paramdh¡m. Slowly he started digging the land to cultivate.

46
There also he started a spinning centre and many boys from
Paunar and Kanhapur villages attended it.

K¡µcana Mukti

The concept behind this was to overcome the greed for

money, as said earlier. This promoted the inmates to work for
self-sufficiency and self-reliance. For this the things required
for ¡¿ram like weaving cattle rearing, agriculture, printing press
etc. were started.

Vinoba says “Our education should be work centered. So

the teachers and students should do an hour manual labour
chanting Lord‟s name in mind‟‟ 10 . Literally K¡µcana Mukti
means liberation from money, but its inner meaning is liberation
from passions because money is the root of all passions. The
main points in the liberation of the money are :-

 Self-sufficiency in food, clothing, education and health.

 Productive manual labour
 Equal wages for all kinds of work and
 Community life and common kitchen.

Individual Satyagraha

Individual saty¡graha was the voice raised by Indians

against the war of 1940. Vinoba was the first individual
47
saty¡grahi and Nehru was the second. The first speech of the
first individual, Vinoba had provoked the Britishers and he was
imprisoned in Nagpur Jail. It was here that he wrote Swar¡jya
ś¡stra. The Quit India proclamation of 1942, led to the arrest of
all great leaders like Gandhiji, Vinobaji and so on. Vinoba was
shifted to Sikhani jail. He engaged himself in the series of
speeches on Sthita prajµa Dar¿an, based on the second chapter
of G¢t¡. Later these speeches were collected and published as a
book.

Every action has two sides, one of joy and sorrow. Here
too the Independence of India on August 15th was rejoiced
greatly. But the portion of India dimmed that enjoyment. This
inflicted great pain on Gandhiji and Vinoba Bhave. Adding to
that pain Narahari Bhave too departed. When the last rites of
his father were going on, Vinoba was chanting G¢t¡ aloud.
Soon he returned to Paunar and Gandhi entrusted him the
Harijan.

1948 January 30th was a gloomy day for India. The great
saint, leader and all in one, was assassinated. This was a great
shock to Vinoba. To him, Gandhi‟s death was like losing all
his power and strength. He conducted prayer meetings in
almost all villages. Vinoba claimed that, „Gandhiji, as the

48
assassin proclaimed is not against Hindu religion. His only aim
was to consider all religions as equal and to accept the good of
all religions. In short, he aims at religious tolerance. This
martyrdom of Gandhi is just like the crucifixion of Jesus Christ
to become known as a saint.‟11

Bhood¡n Movement

The great Bhoodan movement started in the village

of Pochampally. Ramachandra Reddy, a land lord and an
advocate handed over hundred Acres of land as the first gift and
benediction of God. This encouragement made him go to other
villages to propagate the Bhood¡n movement.

View on Planning Commission

The prime minister invited Vinoba to discuss about

the planning commission. Vinoba reached Delhi on foot
covering almost 1200 km. The points he stressed in the meeting
were thus:-

 India should attain self sufficiency

 Decentralization in all fields
 The land distribution should be in such a manner which is
suitable for cultivation.
 Employment for all.

49
 The preliminary draft of planning commission was sent to
Vinobaji through Patil. A prolonged discussion took place.
There were many areas where Vinoba had difference of
opinion.

The main points which Vinoba opposed were12:-

Birth Control

The control of birth, according to him was

equivalent to suicide. The tactics for birth control is just like an
evolution. This would bring about great change in the life style
of the people. The birth control method is artificial and so this
would harm the birth of the people. Thus a weak population
would be the outcome.

Cottage Industry and Kh¡di

Cottage industries should be independent,

proclaimed the government. This would lead to the decline of
the industry. Kh¡di was not encouraged by the Government.

Prohibition of Liquor and Basic Education

There was no comment or steps to be taken for

prohibiting liquor. So also no mention was made in the

50
commission for basic education. He was compelled the
commission for basic and practical education.

Co-Operative Agriculture

Agriculture should be encouraged as a co-operate

sector. Even small fields should be cultivated.

Ë¿ram: The Laboratories of Life

Vinoba fondly called ¡¿ram as the experiments in the

laboratory. Ë¿ram are established for delivering people oriented
services. The scheme of ¡¿ram and social work are inter
connected. Ë¿ram must be able to convert the whole society to
be non- violent, powerful, confident, self-sufficient, self-
dependant and fearless. With these fundamental principles in
mind, Vinoba established ¡¿ram, that the same time he
earmarked different goals for different ¡¿ram.

Samanvaya Ë¿ram
This ¡¿ram was established on 18th April 1954 at
Bodhgaya in Bihar. Vinoba firmly believed that Indian lives
and cultural developed through an exercise of synthesis. A
sense of Brahmavidyajµ¡na and non- violence can be attained
through this. The study of different thoughts and philosophies

51
along with developing a practical sense for leading a
meaningful life was the goal of samanvaya ¡¿ram.
On the basis of Brahmanirva¸a, Budhaved¡nta was
synthesized in the book „Sthiitapraµjadar¿ana‟. The one who
sees emptiness and brahma as one who realise the eternal
reality. Budhism is all about emptiness whereas G¢t¡ is all
about Brahman, but there is no difference between, Vinoba
says that synthesis is possible through both of these streams13.
BrahmaVidya Mandir
Brahma Vidya Mandir was established in Maharashtra
on 25th March 1959 with the goal of providing a place for
collective s¡dhan¡ for women. Vinoba holds the view that
when women start working as Brahmac¡ris and social
activities, then the original form of Brahmavidya is revealed.
Only women stay in brahmavidyamandir who run a printing
press and release a monthly magazine in Hindi by the name
Maitri. The women in brahmavidyamandir carryout three fold
activities, collective s¡dhana, physical exertion and self-
learning.14
To empower women, an ¡¿ram was started for women
who practiced Brahmacarya. According to Vinoba women
also, like men, should do menial labor and also have to acquire
spiritual awareness too. They too should work to realize self-
52
sufficiency and self-reliance. Thus Paramadh¡m became
Brahmavidya Mandir. This led to setting up of ¡¿rams at
Pathankot, Banglore etc.
Prasthan Ë¿ram
This ¡¿ram started in October 1959 at Pothankot in
Punjab. Pakistan, Punjab and Kashmir are in the vicinity of
Pothankot and all the three places can be reached from
Pothankot. So it is possible from Pothankot to be connected to
Hindu, Muslim and Christian communities which in turn help
to strength the ties leading to unity.
Visarjan Ë¿ram
This ¡¿ram started functioning at Indore in Maharashtra
on 15th August 1960 with an ambitious aim to create new
value systems in the society by eliminating the outdated and
conservative values and beliefs existing in the society.
Self-learning, cleanliness and humility are practiced in this
¡¿ram along with non-violent experiments for making their
lives worthy and better. These kinds of exercises help the
¡¿ramites to be more confident, kind-hearted and affectionate.
Maithri Ë¿ram
Established in Assam on 5th March 1962, Maithri Ë¿ram
aimed at strengthening friendliness among the people by
dissolving the differences among them. This ¡¿ram also put
53
efforts to find solutions to social issues and women
empowerment.
Vallabha Nikethan, Bangalore
This ¡¿ram was established in 1965 at Bangalore in
memory of Vinoba‟s disciple Vallabha Swami. There was a
conducive atmosphere in this ¡¿ram for self-learning,
meditation and thinking. Taking this atmosphere into
consideration, Vallabha Nikethan stresses on four objectives.15
 Peace must be maintained.
 All activities must be based on love and affection.
 There must be a spiritual outlook in all activities.
 A conducive atmosphere must be maintained for
peace, devotion and happiness.
Vinoba Nikethan in Kerala

In order to propagate and make people aware of Gandhi,

Vinoba ideals, four Sanny¡sinis were made to travel all over
India as a part of this programme in Kerala. Vinoba Nikethan
was established in 1954 in Nedumangad Taluk in Tollikod
Panchayat. The spiritual daughter of Vinobaji, Parivr¡jika
Rajamma was in charge of this.

54
 Sister Parivrajika Rajamma was first selected by Vinoba
for founding Brahma Vidya Mandir. Vinoba Nikethan and
Brahma Vidya Mandir were established as inspired by Vinoba.

Paday¡tra in Uttarpradesh
It was in 1954 December; in Bihar S¡mbathik d¡n was
organized. On May 9th, Vinoba was at Lucknow, the capital of
Uttarpradesh it was the Buddha Jayanti day. In his post-prayer
address he declared:

“The work I am made to do is the continuation of the

Dharma Chakra Pravartan- revolving the Wheel of Dharma,
which the Buddha had started, and mark what I pronounce with
the same commanding voice as that of the lion which draws all
other smaller voices and rings clear across the forest: The land
has already come to me; it has already gone to the landless. It
remains for you only to choose the manner of affecting the
transfer.”16

The chief of the ¡¿ram at Budhgaya denoted land for

¡¿ram and thus the Maithri Ë¿ram came into being.

Paday¡tra in Orissa

In 1955 Vinoba reached Cuttac. He was not allowed to

enter the famous Jaganatha temple because a French lady was

55
with him. He stated that the almighty was chained in the
temple.

Paday¡tra in Andhra, Tamilnadu and Kerala

At Vijayavada, in 1955 December, a meeting of sarva

seva sa¸gh was organized. The main agenda was to strengthen
the Bhood¡n movement. He visited the K¡ma Ko¶i P¢d¡
Śankar¡c¡rya. The ¡c¡rya lauded Vinoba. From there he went
to Pondichery to visit Aurobindo Ghosh‟s Ë¿ram. He also
visited Kanyakumari and was said that „like swami
Vivekananda, my life is also for the welfare of human
beings.‟17

From Kanyakumari he went to Kerala. There he was

welcomed by the then governor Ramakrishna Rao and chief
minister E.M.Sankaran Nambuthiripad. He also visited Kalady,
the birth place of áankar¡c¡rya. Kelappan, the Kerala Gandhi,
gave up politics and joined hands with Vinoba. á¡nthisena was
formed in the borders of Kerala and Karnataka at Manjeri.

Paday¡tra in Karnataka

The meeting of sarvodaya was held at Yalewal which was

attended by pandit Nehru, Morarji and Jayaprakash Narayanan.
Vinoba gave a detailed explanation of human service in the
56
fields of land, body, mind, wealth and strength. For the
development of the country Kh¡di cottage industries and fields
of education should be developed. The country should attain
food sufficiency and self-reliance through agriculture.

Paday¡tra in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab

Vinoba went to Maharastra from Karnataka for the

meeting of sarvodaya. There he visited a famous temple
accompanied by Harijan, Muslim, and German etc. He
exhorted to make the Bhood¡n movement a universal
phenomena. This was accepted by all. He also acclaimed that
changes and development should be on the basis of love.

Martin Luther king and his wife were present at Ajmer

conference. Martin Luther king doubted whether á¡nthi Sena
can replace Indian army. To this question, he answered that
á¡nti Sena was so strong that it can even replace the world
army.

Paday¡tra in Kashmir

Pakistan was provoking India through the weapon of

Kashmir. Vinoba went to Kashmir and spread the message of
universal manhood. This universality is the only source which
can be helpful to solve the matters in an amicable manner.

57
More than science, spirituality will lead to peace and
development. Spending 51 days there, he set his foot on
Kashmir soil on 22nd May with the words:

“My reliance is on God alone. Only His is done. I have

come here for three things: (i) I want to see, (ii) I want to listen
and (iii) I want to love. Whatever power God has given me to
love, I would use it all here, if it falls short, I would beg of Him
for more. In case I am obliged to open my mouth, I would do so
only in order to love you. I don‟t believe in speaking. Let us
pray to God with all our heart.”18

Paday¡tra in Forests of Chambal

The Chambal forests were known as the habitat of

dacoits and bandits from the time of Chandragupta Maurya.
This forest is the border of three states- Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh and Rajasthan. Police and the army failed there, but
Vinoba succeeded.

Paday¡tra in Assam

Passing through the four districts of northern Bengal,

Vinoba set his feet on the soil of Assam on Sunday, 5th March
1961. Assam is a place where many people from different
places inhabited. So there were many languages, religions and
58
culture. Vinoba was really impressed by this culture. There in
Assam he felt the solidarity and universality he preached so far.

Paday¡tra in Bengal, Madhya Pradesh

Vinoba went to Bengal to talk about Indo-China war,

which was on the basis of some misunderstandings. He visited
á¡ntiniketan. He landed the humanity of Buddha, Christ and
Tagore. According to him they were wholesale dealers of
humanity where as he was a retailer of humanity. He was of the
opinion that only through peace and harmony, India can achieve
socialism.

Sulabad¡n

Vinoba understood that human limits hindered his

Gr¡md¡n. So he started the sulabhad¡n. The villagers had to
give one fifth of the land to the Gr¡masabha. Only if
Gr¡masabha agrees the land can be transferred. Those who do
not have their own land only can take land on lease. Every
adult should work in the field.

The great soul Vinoba left his body or attained salvation

in 1982 November eleventh. He observed fast and discarded
medicines from a very long period. Vinoba was really a saint
who lived in the modern era. The correct meaning of non-

59
violence is control of mind and body; this was first taught by
him.

‘{É®úÉÎ\SÉ JÉÉÊxÉ ´ªÉiÉÞhÉiº´ÉªÉÆ

¦ÉÚºiɺ¨ÉÉi{É®úÉRÂó {ɶªÉÊiÉ xÉÉxiÉ®úÉi¨ÉxÉÂ
EòζSÉrÒù®ú& |ÉiªÉMÉÉi¨ÉÉxɨÉèIÉ-
nùÉ´ÉÞkÉSÉIÉÖ®ú¨ÉÞiÉi´ÉʨÉSUôxÉÂ**’19
„The Self-born has fashioned the senses to project
outwards; and hence man tends to look, not into his inner self,
but outwards. Rare is the wise person, who, aspiring to
immorality, turns his eyes inwards and sees his soul directly.‟

Cow the Symbol of Desire-less Service

By its life a cow teaches the lesson of unconditional and

desire-less service. Service can be defined as an attitude to give
more and receive less. There isn‟t any other example than cow
for representing desire-less service.

Consumption of Meat

Vinoba says that there must be a wide-spread propaganda

for the prohibition of meat as a food. This propaganda must be
based on the following:-20

 This propaganda must not be based on hatred or divinity.

60
  This propaganda must be carried out in a non-violent
manner with a scientific view.
 The bad effects of meat consumption on health must be
spread.

Welfare of Women

Vinoba says that women are naturally endowed with

creativity. She is instinctively interested in such creative
activities, she doesn‟t destroy but creates. This was why Vinoba
desired the presence of women in Bhood¡n Movement.

His advocacy for the welfare women is highly

appreciable. The educational requirements of boys and girls up
to the age of twelve years must be taken care of by women.
Women with character, intelligence and creativity can definitely
discourage the menfolk from committing misdeeds.

Works

Vinoba was blessed by Goddess Saraswaty. His words

were golden. His unique style of writing in an effective and
convincing manner in a simple language made his works very
famous. He was never short of words. Though physically lean,
his brain was so large that it was full of thoughts. These
thoughts and ideas flowed out into paper in the form of words.

61
 He wanted the power to be in the hands of all. There
would be no welfare if the power rests in the hands of a few.
Lokn¢ti should never be connected with wealth. Politics gives
importance to governance. The power of rule would be
controlled or else violence and competition rises up. The base
of all rules should be ahimsa. Wealth, power, intelligence and
life should be utilized only for the welfare of the society. The
mental and physical labour of each individual, irrespective of
caste, creed and race, is a must for the social development.

Literary Veracity

Writing is a skill bestowed on those loved by the God

almighty or it is an inimitable gift from Goddess Saraswati.
The choice of words and phrases, the style of writing, the
language, knowledge, insight, analytical ability, sense of
humour, power of imagination…etc. are inseparable
components in a piece of perfect writing. Vinoba was blessed
with all these. He was a man of letters which was for one and
all. The writings of Vinoba were simple to comprehend and
were filled at times with sarcasm. As stated earlier he was well-
versed in many languages which had granted him the gift of
etymological skill. Even common men can read and understand
the writings of Vinoba Bhave on the most complex topics.

62
 Some of the works of this great scholar is discussed
below:21

 Ëbhang-V¤ate: This is a writing consisting of some

verses on ¡¿ram vows.
 As¶ada¿i: Selections from the eighteen UpaniÀads make
this book.
 G¢t¡i: A translation of Bhagavad G¢t¡ into Marati.
 G¢t¡i cintanika: The verse of G¢t¡ and all are explained
briefly. This is based on G¢t¡i. Vinoba has added some
fresh information to convince the readers. The entire
thought of Vinoba about BhagavadG¢t¡ in a very
comprehensive manner can be seen in G¢t¡i Chintanika.
 Gurubodha Sar: This comprises of the selected parts
from áa´kar¡c¡rya‟s philosophical verses. This was
published by Vinoba in the year 1957 at Kalady, the birth
place of áa´kar¡c¡rya. This book is titled as
Gurubodhas¡ra by Vinoba because the ideas of
áa´kar¡c¡rya were very useful for creating awareness in
all, but everybody is at liberty to accept or reject.
 Ì¿¡v¡syav¤tti: An explanation of Ì¿¡v¡sya UpaniÀad.
 Japuji: This is a commentary of Japuji of Guru Nanak.

63
 Jµ¡nadeva Chintanika: Here the thoughts and
memories of about hundred and fifty bhajans of Jµanadev
are classified.
 Lokn¢ti: A book stating the ideas and principles for an
alternative choice for power politics.
 Madhukar: This contains a number of short essays from
Ved¡s, UpaniÀads, and the G¢t¡. It has special emphasis
on Jµ¡neswara and Tuk¡r¡m.
 Mahaguhamem Pravesh: In this Vinoba gives a detailed
account on Meditation and Yoga.
 Manu¿¡sanam: A book which explains the selected laws
of Manu and is also given apt headings. Manu¿¡sanam is
the condensed version of Manusm¤ti or instructions of
Manu that describes about the dharma of each and
everybody. Vinoba has used the word â¡sana in the title
for the better understanding of Manu‟s principles. Today,
instructions of Manu are not so easy to implement in the
society. Hence, a thorough analysis of Manusm¤ti is
essentially required.
 Moved by Love: This is nothing, but the autobiography
of the great saint Vinoba Bhave.

64
  Namghosha Sar: The ¡¿ramse saint Madhavadev‟s
selections are the content of this book.
 Îgveda Sar: this book is in Sanskrit containing about
1319 Îg Vedic mantras.
 Random Reflections

As the title suggests this is a collection about seven

hundred insightful thoughts of Vinoba which substantiate his
meditative and philosophical frame of mind

 Saints of Maharastra

The bhajans of N¡madev, Ekan¡th, Tuk¡r¡m and R¡md¡s

are compiled in this book.

 S¡mya S£tra: This is implied on the aphorisms based on

the „Talks on the G¢t¡‟. S¡mya yoga is explained in
„Talks on G¢t¡‟ in a lucid style. Sanskrit s¡mya s£tras
are very extensive with deeper level of meaning.
 Science and self- knowledge: The concept of sarvodaya
with a vision of replacing politics on a religious base is
explained in this work. Science has also been given vital
importance in this book.
 Steadfast Wisdom: The eighteen verses of the second
chapter of the G¢t¡ is reflected upon. Synthesis of Ahimsa

65
 and Ved¡nta on the basis of Brahmanirv¡¸a has found a
significant place in this book. Buddhism preaches
Nothingness and Bhagavad G¢t¡ is based on
Brahmavidya. But, Vinoba finds no difference between
these.
 Swar¡jya á¡stra: The term Swar¡jya, the science of
self-government is expounded in this book.
 G¢t¡pravacana (Talks on G¢t¡): This is a book for one
and all. This looks into the eighteen chapters of
Bhagavad G¢t¡ and the thoughts and findings are
expressed in a very simple language. According to
Vinoba Bhave Bhagavad G¢t¡ is a great source of
mental peace. Talks on G¢t¡ is a comprehensive work
that can be treated as a close aid for finding solutions. The
central ideas of this book were prominently, significantly
and very successfully put into practice during the period
of Bhood¡n movement. ‘Steadfast Wisdom‟ is the fore-
runner of the ideas found in Talks on G¢t¡. But G¢t¡i
Cintanika is meant for the thinkers of a higher level.
These three books together are known as Vinoba‟s
„Prasth¡natrayi‟.

66
  The Essence of the Christian Teachings: Vinoba
selected the important points in the new treatment of the
Holy Bible and composed this book.
 The Essence of Quran: the peculiarity of this
composition is that Vinoba studied Arabic to understand
the Quran and wrote down the important teachings of
Quran in the form of this book.
 Thoughts on Education

The warnings of Vinoba against the present educational

system are found in this book. The book proves that Vinoba is a
visionary with deep concern for education.

 Third Power

The most powerful instrument for transforming the

society is the power of love. The innovation and progress of a
culture depends on this third power. Vinoba‟s views on this
third power is described and explained in the book.

 UpaniÀdomka Adhyayan: the mantra „Om ¿¡nti‟ ¿¡nti

has been clearly explained here.
 Vinay¡µjali: The Vinayapatrika by Tulasid¡s is abridged
in this book.

67
  Women’s Power: This book is a proof of Vinobaji‟s
views on equality of women and men.
 Bh¡gavad Dharma S¡ram: The eleventh chapter of
Bhagavat has been examined in this book which is a
dialogue between Krsna and Uddhava.
 Dhammap¡da Nava Samhita: Buddha‟s Dharmap¡da
has been explained with certain changes.
 Visnusahasran¡ma: The names of Lord ViÀ¸u are the
content of this book.
 Vinoba S¡hitya: This is a 21 volume title covering
almost all aspects of religion, social life, culture, tradition,
philosophy and politics.

Besides the above mentioned literature, a numerous other

books were penned by him. Umpteen numbers of articles of
Vinoba Bhave have been published in various periodicals. He
has used Sanskrit, Hindi, Marati, English and all languages he
knew to put down his ideas and view on almost all the subjects,
especially the religious, spiritual, social and political.

Vinoba’s Social Structure

Equality is the base of the Sarvodaya society. The society

has no discrimination between the high caste and low caste and

68
between rich and poor. The women were given the same status
in the fields of financial and administrative rules. The following
points are stressed by the sarvodayans to stick on to the
ideology of equality22.

 The glory of Exertion

The mental exertion enjoys an exalted position. Physical

exertion is to be considered equivalent to mental exertion.
In the society of Sarvodaya the physical excretion is a
must. Both mental and physical exertion is inevitably
required to ensure and safeguard equality in the society.
This yields results and the society, as a whole, earn
abundantly.

 Agriculture

Physical exertion in agriculture was particularly stressed by

Vinoba. Agricultural labour has two facets, physical well-
being and agricultural products. Consumption of healthy
and nutritious agricultural products plays significantly in the
well-being of all. In view of this, Vinoba emphasized
agriculture in a Sarvodaya society.

69
 Curbing Private Property

Strict control on private property was imposed in the

sarvodaya society. The private wealth and property should
be used only for individual purpose. The tools of
production were public and not private. This was so to put
an end to exploitation.

 Social Dilemma

The ¡¿rama system is favored by sarvodaya. The cycle of

human life is divided into Brahmacarya, Garhastya,
Sanny¡sa and V¡naprastha. It can be thus concluded that
the sarvodaya society has its foundation in the concepts of
equality, physical labour, non-acceptance and sacrifice. The
¡¿rama system is not so much concerned with society as
with individuals. Hence, it is applicable to all societies and
all times. There may be some outward changes, but its basic
form will remain the same. Though other religions have not
prescribed anything like the ¡¿rama system of Hinduism,
the idea behind it is present in all religions.23

Vinoba’s Economic structure

The economic policy of the sarvodaya society is based on

four principles or pillars.

70
  Simple living

Leading a simple life is necessary for an elevated state of

mind and a fruitful spiritual life. The basic needs and necessities
like food, clothing and shelter should be fulfilled. At the same
time, it is not proper to go behind with extreme greed for
material prospects.

 Decentralization

Cottage industries are the main production units in the

Sarvodaya society. The manufacturing of machineries for
cottage industries should be encouraged and this in turn will
improve the efficiency of such industries. The present day
dependence on centralization is really harmful to the society.

 Self-Dependence

This means that every village should be self-dependent.

It also implies that nearby villages should co-operate in the
production of food, clothes housing which are the basic
necessities of every human life. The fulfillment of these
necessities in unison with other villages or in the same village is
the aim of self-dependence.

71
  Co-operation

Conflicts in the society must be resolved by the way of

co-operation. Unity is the fundamental aspect and aim of
sarvodaya society. A united society as envisaged by sarvodaya
movement can fetch a lot of radical changes even in the
economic front.

Vinoba’s Political Ideology

Sarvodaya favors a society free from Government. It is

totally against the present day system of governance and
government. The term democracy is misused by the
government. The life should be so cut and stitched for not
allowing the police or military to punish the citizens. The
decentralized government is the need of the hour. The villages
should be given freedom to conduct the affairs of the villages.
Every individual in the society should be given complete
freedom and it should not be misused. The social, moral and
human ethics should be obeyed and thus lead the society along
the right path. The good qualities in a human should be
encouraged and help the humans to erase off their bad qualities.

72
Lokan¢ti á¡stra

Lokan¢ti is a new word meaning the politics of the people

and is replaced by R¡jan¢ti. It‟s just a new wine in old bottle.
This needs four things which are of great importance to it.
They are.

 The society for the good of the people

 The Government should be for the welfare of the people.
 Only through this can the nation be said developed.
 Change in the decision making process
This point out to the decision making process should be
changed. Accepting the views of the majority is harmful. The
views of the minority should also be considered. The unison of
the ideas of the will bring about greater development. This will
bridge the gap between the majority and the minority there by
bringing peace in the society. Moreover, the decisions will be
according to the desire and wish of the entire population.
Abolishing the System of Political Parties

The existing system of forming parties should be put to

an end. This party formation leads to hatred and this is the base
of all parties. The doctrine, discourse and litigation are unfit.
The theoretical base of the party is not the wish of anyone. In
the discourse level it builds up hatred among people. In the
73
disciplinary aspect the people were trampled upon and
humiliated. The party is for selfish motives and purpose.

Transformation in the Mode of Elections

It is opined that the existing election mode is not apt.

Elections are a show off of power and politics. Jayaprakash
Narayan had said that elections should be changed into indirect
elections, which is direct now. Unity and party less
organization should be the main base for it. Gr¡masabh¡s,
should be given the power for selecting the higher bodies.24

Fabrication of Sarvodaya Society

Kaka Kalelkar is analyzed the views and thoughts and

said that the society should be based on the new ideas.

 Religious discrimination should not be tolerated and

glorified
 The caste divisions should be abolished
 The people have to strive for better society, meaningful
politics and prosperous industries.
 Higher education should be beneficial to the motherland,
India.
 Society should be provided with good roads and other
infrastructure facilities. There should be classes for

74
 creating awareness about hygiene and good health. They
should also be funded by the society.
 The propagation of cultural and educational ideologies
should be strengthened.
 Leaders should have the mentality for helping the poor
and be ready for service.
 The rural industries should be developed.
 The swar¡j in its real or original meaning should reach all
through the spiritual media of Sarvodaya25
A society that follows and practices the above-
mentioned ideas will ultimately transformed to an ideal
and non-violent society. Sarvodaya aims at a society
which is pious, wealthy, prosperous, skillful and efficient.

In short the points stressed by Vinoba in forming a base

of Sarvodaya society are:

 Ahimsa
 Equality in all sense
 Simple living
 Non attachment and physical labor
 Decentralization
 Self-dependency and co-operation
 Financial equality

75
  Importance should be given to cottage and village
industries.

Possessing of private property should be put to an end. This

is so because this creates a lot of gap in the society. The
handling of private property as public property brings a lot of
change and welfare in the society.

Internationalization View of Sarvodaya

Sarvodaya views are not confined to India alone; it has a

clear and definite view on internationalization. The word „jai
hind‟ was changed by Vinoba into „Jai jagat.‟ The hatred
between nations should be melted off. The politics should be
replaced, when sarvodaya principle is to be internationalized.
The colour race discrimination should be wiped off and the
principle of „vasudaiva kudumbakam‟ has to be the motto. If
this policy is put into practice then the undeveloped countries
will slowly and gradually move to the path of development.

Democracy of the Modern day and Vinoba Bhave

Vinoba Bhave deterred the democracy of the present day.

He opines that democracy is the rule of the people. Now the
rule is in the hands of wealthy and mighty few. A ruler is
elected to that post only by the voting of only few people, the
76
rest are not included in this process. In short the leaders or
rulers are not voted by some and not all. The majority wins and
thus they are not elected by all. It is their false notion or lust
that makes them say that they are the representative of the
people. In short democracy is the ruler of a minority and not of
the majority.

Monarchy and Democracy

Monarchy is the rule of kings. Modern democracy was

the result of the misrule of monarchs. But democracy though
the rule of the people, was not a relief to the common people.
Now-a-days democracy has the same faults of monarchy. The
power rests in the hands of the central Government.

Flaws of Political Parties: Impact

The political parties are really a hindrance to the

development and growth of a country. Moreover, people are in
the clutches of one party or the other. Each party proclaims that
the welfare of the people is its goal, but in actuality each of
them is interested in the welfare and image of the party. The
sovereign of the party makes each individual a slave, draining
their courage and power to retort. The need of the hour is to
abolish all political parties. Implementation of the policies of

77
Sarvodaya, Gr¡md¡n and á¡nti Sena is the only remedy for the
stunted growth and development.

Defective Election Methods

Present day elections are filled with restlessness. In

democracy the leaders are chosen through elections. Elections
are now a daze, a competition between the haves and have-nots.
The foul wind of communalism and castiesm is blown during
elections. A lot of money is also wasted for this. The ethics of
present day elections are self-praise, speaking ill of others and
telling lies.26

Democracy and Sans party

A democracy with a party, to implement these four things

are to be done. They are:

Nomination of a Popular Candidate.

A candidate who is accepted and recognized by one and

all should be suggested. He /she should be a member of any
Gr¡ma pancayath. He/ she should be accepted by one and all in
the society.

78
The kind of party system

The aim of sarvodaya is to put an end to the party system.

When a believer of Sarvodaya philosophy ever casts an vote,
should do it very thoughtfully. They should vote for such a
person who is willing to work for the people.

United Organisation

The members of different political party should be invited

to the sarvodaya movement. Then their help to the core should
be accepted and thereby make them understand the ideologies
and principles. Once this awareness is created, the ideas of
sarvodaya will be fulfilled.

Vinoba says, „regarding the various political parties is of

great concern. My view is that they should end being in
different parties and form a common party to fulfill and finish
the existing programmes. For this a group of sincere and
punctual persons should be selected to form a united
organization. With this view, I am keeping in front of the
people such a programme which is accepted by all and in this
each and every one forgetting and discarding the race and caste
discrimination will organize together to make it success and
thus bring out a great parties will came together and thus bring

79
out a great change and also bridges the gap of caste and
religious discrimination. Bhood¡n is such a programme. This
was accepted by all. This helps in the development and
progress of the country.‟27

Difference of Opinion among the Parties –An End

The option leads to a rule without any party system. All

the evils of the party system can be erased off, if every
individual tries his/her level best. This helps one to be the
representative of a nation. The drawback of modern democracy
is the party system. Dr. Varma said that if the followers of
sarvodaya do not have belief in the party system, they
themselves should take an upper hand to solve the problems of
the society. The advisers of the rulers must be able people with
integrity, righteousness, readiness to sacrifice and an eye for
justice. This ultimately ends the difference of opinion in the
party.

Contribution and Views of Vinoba to the Indian Politics

Vinoba aimed at a government which was for the people.

The people of the country should be the sovereign rulers.
Punishments should be abolished if the people can control

80
themselves. Both Gandhiji and Vinoba considered punishments
as Himsa.

The aforesaid ideas, if followed and practiced, will lead to

a society based on Ahimsa. Sarvodaya aims at a society which
is pious, wealthy and prosperous with skillful and efficient
people.

In short the points stressed by Vinoba in forming a base

of Sarvodaya society are:

 Ahimsa
 Equality in all sense
 Simple living
 Non attachment and physical labor
 Decentralization
 Self-dependency and co-operation
 Financial equality
 Importance should be given to cottage and village
industries.

Holding of private property should be put to an end because this

brings about a lot of gap in the society. The handling of private
property as public property brings a lot of change and welfare in
the society.

81
Vinoba in Kerala

It was in 1924 Vinoba made his maiden visit to Kerala as

was directed by Gandhiji to lead vaikom saty¡graha. Again he
came to Kerala in 1957 during Bhood¡n movement. In 1973 he
visited Kalappetti Lokaseva¿ram in Palakkad, and he went to
Kalady to commemorate áa´kar¡c¡rya. Vinoba said “non-
dualism of áa´kar¡c¡rya and human love of Jesus Christ are
two favourite sweets for Keralite”.28

á¡nti Sena

Vinoba commenced the ¿¡ntisena movements in 1957 in

Kerala29. He organized an eight member troupe of ¿antisena in
Kerala itself under the leadership of K.Kelappan. But
unfortunately, this movement did not go much ahead in
Kerala. The rules and regulations to be followed by a á¡nti
sainik were defined by vinoba as follows:

 Truth and Non –Violence must be meticulously

practiced.
 Serving the world without any selfish motive.
 Must not involve in party politics, directly or indirectly
to the maximum extend. Even when there is allegiance

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 to a political party, a ¿¡nti sainik must avail the help and
co-operation of all.
 Must not treat any one in terms of religion, caste and
creed.
 Must devote heart and brain for Bhood¡n movement.
 Must be ready and mentally prepared to sacrifice own
life for á¡nti Sena if such a demanding situation occurs.

Educational thought of Vinoba

Gandhiji had stressed on compulsory education for

children in the age group of 7 to 14. This was also the same
ideology of Vinoba. The basic education was formed and
spread in 1939 through a discussion in the presence of Zakir
Hussian who had presided the meeting.
The philosophy or ideology of basic education is to
synthesize of karma and jµ¡na. But, this concept is imperfect
in the view of vinoba. For him, the aim of education is the
development of human qualities. Karma and jµ¡na are to be
attained in an extremely qualitative style in the scheme of
education, only then human qualities are developed and
improved in a desirable and required fashion. Fearlessness is
fundamental to this for which reading, learning and thinking

83
are necessary. This kind of education has the potential to
purify the mind. The primary aim of education is to cleanse
and purify the inner being (inner self), through which jµ¡na
and karma can be attained. The goals and ideals of education
can be attained only through this process.
Vinoba opined that knowledge should not be dumped
and faxed on student. They should have the eagerness and
curiosity to learn. This should be cultivated in students. This
gradually leads to valorous, intelligent clever citizens. In short
Karmayogis and Jµ¡nyogis will be born. The creativity and
self-control, self-abstinence and so on should be developed
and explored in students.30
Students Education:

Vinoba gave a lot of suggetion and advice to students.

He motivated them to read good literature and to involve in
productive physical training and sports activities. Students
must develop a temperament for physical exertion. They
must observe the society with keen senses and learn lessons
from surroundings. The true ideal of education is character,
and as such students must develop the qualities like humility,
obedience and discipline.

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Ëc¡rya kula
Ëc¡ryakula means the family of Ëc¡rya‟s. This
concepts creates an awareness that all Ëc¡rya‟s belong to the
same family. Ëc¡rya‟ in one who thinks, practices and
propagates. He is one who executes his ideals in his life and
spread it among others fearlessly and impartially. An Ëc¡rya‟s
behaviour and manner must be exemplary. These two traits are
very essential for an Ëc¡rya. 31 Along with this he must be
very responsible and committed to the society and students
community. Vinoba firmly held the view that Ëc¡rya kula
must exist on these fundamentals.

Basic Education

The basic education is not practical as long as there

remains a gap between physical and mental efforts. Physical
training and sports activities must have a place in education as
any other subjects have. If so, the present system of education
can have tall claims. Basic education is not just a process of
teaching, but it is a scheme of life. 32 Vinoba vehementally
argues that the targets of basis education can be attained only
when there are changes in the fundamental values existing in
the society.

85
The Knowledge of Languages

Vinoba was a great scholar who knew eighteen

languages including Sanskrit, English and French. He
attempted to express certain views and observations which
were different from other linguists. He classified languages
like sweet languages, vigorous languages, literary rich
languages … etc. He accepts the sweetness of Tamil, the
vigour of Marathi and Urdu, the simplicity of Hindi, literary
richness of Bengali, the pleasant audibleness of Gujarati and
the depth of Sanskrit. He admits that grammar rules in
Malayalam language are simple. In oredr to resolve the issues
related to Indian Languages, Vinoba suggested to adopt a
n¡gari lipi (n¡gari script)33.

Resume

Vinoba Bhave was an original thinker, philosopher and an

activist who fought for the cause of the landless farmers of
India. He was a staunch follower of Gandhiji‟s Saty¡graha
mode of activism. He devoted all his life to spread Gandhiji‟s
ideals of truth and non- violence among people. Vinoba put
forward truth, compassion and love in place of Gandhiji‟s Truth
and Non-violence. He initiated several programmes like

86
Bhood¡n , Gr¡md¡n, Kh¡di and á¡ntisena. These programmes
were motivated and conducted in the spirit of compassion and
love and on the basis of the principle of truth and non-violence.
According to Vinoba Bhave Saty¡graha is a way of living
which is to be meticulously and honestly practiced in day-to-
day life.
Vinoba Bhave is the pragmatic saint of the modern era.
He was born in an ordinary family. There was something very
peculiar in him from his very childhood. He was a boy who
was gifted with ample intelligence and brilliance along with the
quest of spirituality. His parents, especially his mother, were
very devotional person and this was passed on to him. At the
age of ten he vowed to be a Brahmac¡ri.

After matriculation he put an end to his college education

to pursue the study of religion and spiritual treatise. So he went
to K¡si to pursue his spiritual pusuit instead of going to
Bombay to continue his studies. Gandhiji‟s life, his speeches
and activities impressed and influenced Vinoba very deeply. He
wrote to Gandhiji and soon went to meet him and became his
follower. He became a member of Gandhiji‟s ¡¿ram. He had
been imprisoned at different occasions, but he never wasted his
time as he busied himself with the study of the G¢t¡ and

87
propagating its teachings. He insisted on physical labor which
ultimately would lead one to the path of liberation.

88
 REFERENCES

1
Brahmas£tra, 1.1.
2
N.P. Sukumaran, Sarvodaya Darsanam, Poornodaya Book Trust,
Gandhi Bhavan Kochi, 1997, p. 254.
3
S.V.Govindan., A saint of the modern world, World conference
of Religion for peace, Satsang sadan, Hanumanpur, Varanasi,
1985, p.18.
4
Suresh Ramabhai, Bhoodan Movement Basis and Approach,
Madras City Bhoodan Committee, 1955, p.15.
5
N.P. Sukumaran, Sarvodaya Darsanam, Poornodaya Book Trust,
Gandhi Bhavan, Kochi, 1997, p. 25.
6
N.P. Sukumaran, Sarvodaya Dar¿anam, Poornodaya Book Trust,
Gandhi Bhavan , Kochi, 1997, p. 25.
7
Vinoba, Moved by love, The memories of Vinoba Bhave,
Published paramdham prakashan, 1994, p.44.
8
Ibid., p.43.
9
N.P. Sukumaran (trans), Vinoba : Moolyangal Thedi Oru
Sadhana, Poornodaya Book Trust, Gandhi Bhavan, Kochi, 2000,
p.107.
10
S.V.Govindan., A saint of the modern world, World conference
of Religion for peace, Satsang sada, Hanumanpur, Varanasi,
1985, p.18.
11
Sarvodaya, Vol. III, April, 1954, No.12.
12
Encyclopedia of Eminent Thinkers, Vol.V, The Political
Thought of Vinoba, Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi,
1998, p. 25.
13
,Gautam Bajaj, Vinoba Dar¿an, Paramdham Prakasan, Paunar,
Wardha, p.75.
14
Sarvodaya, Vol.XXI, July, 1971, p.6.
15
Vinoba, Moved by love, The memories of Vinoba Bhave,
Published Paramdham Prakashan, 1994, p. 237.

89
16
Suresh Ramabhai, Bhoodan Movement Basis and Approach,
Madras City Bhoodan Committee, 1955, p.17.
17
Vinoba, Prarthana Pravachan, 1957, p.11.
18
Vasant Nargolkar (trans), The creed of saint Vinoba, Bharatiya
Vidya Bhavan, Bombay, 1966, p. 50.
19
Ka¶opaniÀad, 2-1-1.
20
Vinoba, Moolyangal Thedi Oru Sadhana, Poornodaya Book
Trust, Gandhi Bhavan, Kochi, 2000, p.106.
21
Guatham Bajaj, Vinoba Dar¿an , Paramdham Prakashan, p.263.
22
Vinoba, Prathana Pravachan,14.4.1959.
23
Kh¡di Jagath, October, 1948.
24
Viswanath Tandon, Selection from Vinoba, Sarv Seva Sangh
Prakashan, Rajghat, Varanasi,1981, p.182.
25
Kaka kalekar in Sarvodaya, Feb., 1940, pp.320-321.
26
Vinoba, Sarvodaya ke Adhar, Feb, 1956.
27
Viswanath Tandon, The Social and Political Philosophy of
Sarvodaya After Gandhiji, Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan,
Chowpatty, Bombay, 1964, p.36.
28
S.V Sathyan, Krishnavariyar,( trans), Vinoba: G¢t¡ pravacana,
Kerala Gandhi Smarakanidhi, 1988, p.36.
29
A.Saraswathi (trans), Vinoba: Acharyakulam Oru Darsanam,
Kerala Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, Tvm, 1984, p. 9-10.
30
Vinoba, Prarthana pravachan,Vinobaniketan,Aryanadu,
Trivandrum, 1957, p. 73.
31
A. Saraswathi, (trans), Vinoba:Ëc¡rya kulam Oru Dar¿anam,
Kerala Gandhi Smaraka Nithi, Trivandrum, 1984, pp.9-10.
32
Sarvodaya, Vol.VII, June 1958, p.4.
.33 Vinoba, Prarthna Pravachan, 1957, pp.70-71.

90