Gandhi Journal Article-III (April 2016) - Reinterpreting Gandhi's Notion of "Dharma": An Entanglement of Duty, Religion, and Ethics

Gandhi Journal Article-III (April 2016)

Reinterpreting Gandhi's Notion of "Dharma": An Entanglement of Duty, Religion, and Ethics

The term 'dharma' is an enigmatic term. It is one of the purusarthas of Hindu tradition. Scholars belonging to classical age have described 'dharma' variously: faith in God(s), recognition of the quality of an object, and understanding the laws of the cosmos. These descriptions are found in classical manuscripts such as Mahabhrata, Ramayana, Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads, Vedas, and Manusmruti. But there has been a gradual change in the interpretation of 'dharma' with time. In modern times, 'dharma' is interpreted as 'duty', 'ethics', and 'religion'. This paper examines the modern interpretations of 'dharma' from the Gandhian perspective and critically evaluates Gandhi's view on 'dharma' in relation to purusdrthas. It discusses why 'dharma' must be given highest priority among the purusarthas. Finally, it attempts to answer how dharma is associated with duty, religion, and ethics.

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Gandhi Journal Article-II (April 2016) - Salt Satyagraha and Dandi March

Gandhi Journal Article-II (April 2016)

Salt Satyagraha and Dandi March

 

In all the stirring annals of our Freedom Movement, few events are as dramatic, inspiring and significant as the historic Dandi March led by the Father of our Nation-Mahatma Gandhi.

On one level, the March was intended to protest against the nefarious provisions of the Salt Tax imposed by the British. But there was another level that had deeper, more profound implications and gave the event a unique significance. The March, in effect, was the spark that ignited the flames of the Freedom Movement and caused the idea of mass civil disobedience to spread like wildfire across the nation.

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Celebrating 86th Anniversary of Salt Satyagraha - Dandi March