The most comm.on academic interest in Mahatma Gandhi centers around the theory and practice of Satyagraha. This thesis departs, in part, from this because it focuses upon the Satyagrahi. Every Satyagraha presupposes a Satyagrahi. Mahatma Gandhi was a Satyagrahi -a being in quest of truth. This quest consisted of two major components: the experiential and the existential. Ethics formed the basis of Gandhi's experiential quest, while political existence provided the forum in which he could experiment with his beliefs and convictions. Satyagraha was, therefore, a direct consequence of this intimate relationship between experience and existence. What is significant about Gandhi is that he did not dissociate his spiritual search from the struggle for political justice. He aimed at harmonizing the two seemingly opposite but complementary aspects of life into a meaningful whole -the ideal with the practical, the rational with the emotional and the religious with the secular.
This study emphasizes the qualities of a disciplined Satyagrahi rather than the techniques of Satyagraha because the essence of the Satyagrahic struggle is rooted in the nature of the Satyagrahi. In effect, this thesis argues that all revolutions rest fundamentally on the quality of the revolutionary since the nature of any protest is bound to be determined by those who wage it. This is more acute in Satyagraha because it is the true expression of a conscious being. A Satyagrahi is a conscious entity in the highest sense. The unity of his life and thought conditions the purity of his means. Whereas most revolutionaries aim at transforming the "outer", a Satyagrahi concentrates on the "inner" in the hope of bringing about change through "self" transformation. No such change can be possible unless the Satyagrahi himself transcends the narrow limits of cognition -the exoteric and the esoteric aspects of experience. Chapter I and II are devoted to exploring the metaphysical foundations of Gandhi's tradition. They elaborate upon those aspects of the philosophical thought of India which are relevant to a Satyagrahi's understanding. Chapter III discusses and analyses the two complementary components of Satyagraha -the experiential and the existential. Chapter IV examines the way Gandhi's contemporaries viewed him. It outlines and interprets some basic tenets of his philosophy. Finally, Chapter V summarizes the relationship between the act and the actor, Satyagraha and the satyagrahi~and ends with an assessment.
In emphasizing the role of the Satyagrahi in the context of the ethical experience, this thesis seeks to shift the emphasis in Gandhiana scholarship from Satyagraha to Satyagrahi. It argues that there is a need for critical re-evaluation of the relationship between Satyagraha and the Satyagrahi. That need has to do with the experiential aspect of realization. It is not enough to initiate a Satyagraha. It is of crucial importance to provide a milieu which would foster the virtues of ethical living and inculcate a "wholistic" view of life, in harmony with the 'self' and 'others'. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/15713 |
| Date | 08 1900 |
| Creators | Rathor, Pushpa Devi |
| Contributors | Aster, H., None |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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