GANDHI’S CONCEPT OF NON VIOLENCE AND PCIFISM

B.S.W. LL.B- 2nd SEMESTER 2016-17

GANDHIAN APPROACH TO SOCIAL WORK

SUBMITTED BY:
RAGVENDRA SINGH KHICHI: 16B122

SUBMITTED TO:
Mrs. APOORVA PATEL
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL WORK
GUJARAT NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY.

"I cannot teach you violence, as I do not myself believe in it. I can only teach you not to
bow your heads before any one even at the cost of your life."
INTRODUCTION
Gandhi was a great admirer of Truth and Non-violence. He had a great importance to the
concept of Truth and Non-Violence. Truth or Satya, Ahimsa or Non-Violence are foundation of
Gandhi’s philosophy. So this paper tries to understand the concept and basic principal behind
Non violence and Pacifism particularly from the Gandhi’s point of view. Today when we talk
about Gandhi or about his ideologies everyone laughs. As in today’s time his ideologies seems
very idealistic or Utopian. But that is not true his concepts are very realistic and rationale in
approach. If everyone follows the same our society will become very peaceful and happy living.

GANDHI’S THOUGHTS.

NONVIOLENCE
The word ‘Non-violence’ is a translation of the Sanskrit term ‘Ahimsa’.He stated that in its
positive form,’Ahimsa’ means ‘The largest love,the greatest charity’. According to Gandhi the
word ‘Satya’ comes from the word ‘Sat’ which means ‘to exist’. So by the term ‘Satya’ Gandhi
also means that which is not only existent but also true. Gandhi said that Truth and Non-
Violence are the two sides of a same coin, or rather a smooth unstamped metallic disc. Who can
say, which is the obverse, and which the reverse? Ahimsa is the means; Truth is the end.
Gandhi identifies Truth with God. According to many philosophers God is the highest reality.
At the same time Gandhi says that there is nothing besides Truth. So both Truth and God stands
for the highest reality or the ultimate reality. And hence the two can be identified. He said that
there is no person in earth who can deny Truth. God can be denied because the atheist does not
believe in God. But the atheist cannot deny the power of Truth. Hence God is identified with
truth.
Ahimsa or Non-Violence is the central concept of Gandhi’s philosophy. According to Gandhi,
Ahimsa or Non-Violence has a positive meaning also. In positive sense Non- Violence means
‘love’. It means love towards all living creatures. The concept of non- violence is extended not
only means to human love but love towards all sentient creatures of the world. That means one
should not love only human being but every living being in the world. When a person claims to
be non-violent, he is expected not to be angry with one who has injured him. He will not wish
him harm; he will wish him well. He will not swear at him, and he will not cause him any physical
hurt. He will put up with all the injury to which he is subjected by the wrong-doer. Thus Non-
Violence is complete innocence. Complete Non-Violence is complete absence of ill-will against
all that lives. Therefore, it embraces even sub-human life not excluding noxious insects or beats.
Non- Violence is, therefore, in its active form goodwill towards all life. It is pure love.
When the idea of Non-Violence in Gandhi’s philosophy is analysed then a number of
characteristics features stand out. In his book ‘Social and Political Thought’ of Gandhi J.
Bandyopadhyaya stated the following characteristics features of Gandhian Non-Violence.

1. Non-Violence is not the same as non-killing.

2. 2. Non-Violence is not non-resistance born out of cowardice.
3. 3. Non-Violence implies several positive values. These values include
love, active, resistance to injustice, courage in the face of violence,
non-possession, truthfulness and brahmacharya.
4. 4. Non-Violence implies bread-labour, which Gandhi derived from
Ruskin and Tolstoy and ultimately from the Bible. Gandhi defined it
as the ‘Divine Law that man must earn his bread by labouring with
his own hands.’
5. 5. Non-Violence is a higher value than life. Gandhi regarded Non-
Violence to be an ultimate value on three grounds. First, it is
universally applicable. Secondly, it enhances all other values without
detracting from any. Thirdly, it is unlimited in its application.
6. PACIFISM
“Pacifism” is derived from the word “pacific,” which means “peace making” in Latin, paci(from
pax) meaning “peace” and -ficus meaning “making”. Pacifism covers a spectrum of views,
including the belief that disputes can and should be peacefully resolved, calls for the abolition of
the institutions of the military and war, opposition to any organisation of society through
governmental force, rejection of the use of physical violence to obtain political, economic or
social goals, the obliteration of force except in cases where it is absolutely necessary to advance
the cause of peace, and opposition to violence under any circumstance, even defence of self and
others. Pacifism is the broad commitment to making peace.
Pacifism is often construed more broadly as a general nonviolent stance both inwardly, in the
sense of seeking inner peace, as well as outwardly, toward the world and its inhabitants.
Although pacifist teachings have been found in virtually every society with a recorded history,
pacifism as a philosophy or a movement has grown mainly from religion. Adherents of pacifism
disagree about what it actually is. Some would say that any sanction of violence or force negates
a pacifist identity, while others would argue that pacifism is not absolute in its definition, nor
need it be applied to all situations..
Leo Tolstoy was an advocate of pacifism. In one of his latter works, The Kingdom of God is
Within You, Tolstoy provides a detailed history, account and defence of pacifism. The book was
a major early influence on Gandhi. In his book, The End of Faith, Sam Harris argues that
pacifism is a fallacy, combining hesitance with cowardice, in that the social context in which a
pacifist can protest was created by the actions of direct activists. Kant maintains that the first
principle of perpetual peace is that states should not make “secret reservation of the material for
future war”. Michael Doyle has claimed that democracies do not go to war with one another.
John Rawls has explained the stability of well-ordered democratic states as follows: “There is
true peace among them because all societies are satisfied with the status quo for the right
reasons”. In contrast to the just war tradition, pacifism rejects war as an acceptable means for
obtaining peace. Pacifism can also be used to describe a commitment to nonviolence in one’s
personal life that might include the attempt to cultivate pacific virtues such as tolerance, patience,
mercy, forgiveness and love.

Inter-Relationship of Gandhian Approach with Social Work Philosophy and

Practice
Gandhian ideas of social work are the result of the twentieth century. Group living is the
example. To help the penniless, debilitated, and the awful has been the duty of the general
public. Some had a fitness to take up such work. Buddha and Jesus underlined the need of
dealing with the wiped out and destitutes. Mahatma Gandhi similarly stressed the welfare of all
through Sarvodaya (the ascent or arousing of all). Religious establishments created social work as
a component of religion. The thought ew that administration rendered to the group is
administration rendered to God.
Pacifism Leads to One World
Gandhi was an advocate of interstate fellowship and goodwill. The more important of these are
his beliefs in the dharmic law which imposes a moral obligation on states as well as individuals;
his desire to settle disputes at the level of the parties concerned; and his assent to the idea of ‘one
world’ provided it incorporates his concept of ‘truth’ and ‘nonviolence’.
THE BHAGVAD GITA AND PACIFISM

Gandhi drew two lessons from the Bhagavad Gita: to base action on unselfishness and to be
detached from worldly benefits. He did not believe that seeking Indian freedom by wartime service
had been selfish or to be detached means to ignore or shun the profits of action. Gandhi’s moral was
to avoid asking for something, it was not a refusal to accept something good from evil.

15.3.1 Forgive the Opponents

As causes of war, Gandhi named western imperialism and fascism. He also cited
communism as a threat to world peace. His criticism of the three ideologies is qualified
by an ability to forgive opponents and his faith in their reformation. Behind these
political forces he saw man’s economic greed and recourse to violence as deeper sources
of aggression. As remedies he called for economic justice, sovereign equality and
peaceful cooperation among states as requisites for international harmony.
15.3.2 Rejection of Materialism
Gandhi’s solution for a peaceful world received support from his views on economic
grievances, western colonialism and his own philosophy of non-materialism. His
insistence upon the equality of all states as a precondition to peace gained strength from
his backing of the self-determination of the people.

CONCLUSION

The Gandhian movement is becoming stronger in the world today.

We cannot conceive of the modern world without Gandhi and his
thought. To say that "all his ideas are right but he is two hundred
years ahead of his time" is to denigrate both Gandhi and his
Sarvodaya. In fact, Gandhi is more relevant today than ever before.
We have to choose between Atom and Ahimsa, between
nonviolence and non-existence, between Sarvodaya and Sarvanasha
(total annihilation). More than ever before, that too at a time when
humanity is involved in a serious reappraisal in view of the new
challenges, there is now a growing awareness all over the world that
Gandhi's work, teachings, and his thought have greater relevance.
This is what Dr Nelson Mandela said: "Gandhi holds the key to
human progress. "2 It would be no exaggeration to say that
Constructive Programme is the key to the construction of Poorna
Swaraj or complete independence by truthful and honest means and
it has greater relevance today. One Of the best ways to express our
gratitude to the Father of our Nation is to carry out Constructive
Programme in our day-to-day life and to remember as often as
possible the relevance of his thought in our life today. The
Constructive Programme is almost half a century old and, therefore,
in my .view the relevance of Gandhian thought is as old as the
Constructive Programme.

“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind."

REFRENCES
1. M.K. Gandhi, An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth
(Ahmedabad: Navajivan Publishing House, 1954), p. 4-5. ll. Harijan, 22 February 1942
 2. Journal of Conflict Resolution, Published by: http://www.sagepublications.com
3. D. Paul Chowdhry, Introduction to Social Work (Delhi: Atma Ram & Sons, 1992), p. 1
4. M.K. Gandhi, Constructive Programme (Ahmedabad: Navajivan Publishing
House, 1948), p. 7.
5. Gandhi M.K., Young India, Aug.11, 1920, p.3.

"I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and Non-violence are as old as the hills.
All I have done is to try experiments in both on as vast a scale as I could."