Satyagraha

Satyagraha means the “Firmness of Truth” or "Truth-Force"

 

Satya the Sanskrit word for “truth”; agraha means "firmness". Thus combined Satyagraha means "the firmness of truth”.

 

Gandhi's impact on Indian independance has been exagerated and romanticised by western academics and idealic biographers. The sacrifices made by Bhagat Singh, Udham Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru,  Bagaha Jatin, Veer Savarkar, Tilak, Rabingdranath Tagore and Neaji Subhash Chandra Bose had a far more profound imapct on the British than Gandhi alone.

 

Nevertheless, the Mahatma did have an inspiring influence, he charmed not only the British out of their divide and rule commercial and imperialistic brutality, but has had an untold and personally acknowledged influence on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

 

Gandhi's greatest strength was his wit and wisdom in knowing how to manage and put the use of mass media to his own pragmatic use.

 

Gandhi went out of his way to clarify precisely what he meant by non violence, "passive resistance" or Satyagraha.

 

Mahatma Gandhi was concerned that the media and governments both in the east and west did not understand his phrase "passive resistance". They kept confusing it for "passive agressive" behaviour or simply doing nothing.

 

Gandhi drew his inspiration for Satyagraha from Baba Ram Singh, who lead the Kuka Movement in the Punjab. Here in Mahatma Gandhi's own words is a vivid description of what Satyagraha meant to him, and it is in the same stroke quite self explanatory as to why it is important for us:  

 

"I have drawn the distinction between passive resistance as understood and practiced in the West . I often used “passive resistance” and “satyagraha” as synonymous terms: but as the doctrine of satyagraha developed, the expression “passive resistance” ceases even to be synonymous, as passive resistance is a quiet admission of violence, it should be universally acknowledged to be a weapon of the weak"

 

"Passive resistance does not involve complete adherence to truth under every circumstance. Therefore it is different from satyagraha in three essentials:

 

1.     Satyagraha is a weapon of the strong

2.     It admits of no violence under any circumstance whatever

3.     It always insists upon truth.

 

Satyagraha means truth-force

 

Satyagraha is a relentless search for truth and a determination to search truth.

 

Every truth is self-acting and possesses inherent strength.

 

Passive resistance should not be confused passive aggression, the two are opposites. Satyagraha is a pure soul-force of truth.

 

The truth is by its very nature non-resistant because it cannot be moved, the truth cannot be destroyed.

 

A Satyagrahi has infinite patience in the truth.  

 

Satyagraha abhors cowardice, and he who preaches it with any selfishness about him.

 

The fight of Satyagraha is for the strong in spirit, not the doubter or the timid.

 

Satyagraha teaches us the art of living as well as dying.

 

Satyagraha is a method of carrying conviction and of converting by an appeal to reason and to the sympathetic chord in human beings.

 

Satyagraha is a process of educating public opinion, such that it covers all the elements of the society and makes itself irresistible.

 

Satyagraha is self- dependent. It does not require the assent of the opponent before it can be brought into play. Indeed, it shines out most when the opponent resists. It is, therefore, irresistible.-

 

Satyagraha is an attribute of the spirit within. Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

 

Satyagraha is a method of carrying conviction and of converting by an appeal to reason and to the sympathetic chord in human beings. It relies upon the ultimate good in every human beings.

 

A satyagrahi turns the searchlight inward relentlessly to weed out all the defects that may be lying hidden there still.

 

Satyagraha has been designed as an effective substitute for violence.

 

The fight of Satyagraha is for the strong in spirit, not the doubter or the timid.

 

In the dictionary of satyagraha, there is no enemy. A genuine satyagraha should never excite contempt in the opponent even when it fails to command regard or respect.

 

A clear victory of satyagraha is impossible so long as there is ill-will.

 

Satyagraha does not depend on the outside for help; it derives all its strength from within.

 

The method of Satyagraha requires that the Satyagrahi should never lose hope, so long as there is the slightest ground left for it.

 

Jesus Christ, Daniel, and Socrates represented the purest form of passive resistance or soul force.

 

A Satyagrahi has infinite patience, abundant faith in others, and ample hope. A Satyagrahi cannot go to law for a personal wrong.

 

In the code of the Satyagrahi, there is no such thing as surrender to brute force"

 

 

"Truth is truth to the end of reckoning"

Measure for Measure: Act V, scene 1.