Vinoba on Gandhi

by Kantilal Shah (Ed.) and J.P. Uniyal (Tr.)

Among Gandhiji’s colleagues and associates, Vinoba’s place has been indisputably unique, both personally as well as ideologically. It is therefore but natural that the present generation, to whom Gandhi is fast becoming a figure in history, may feel curious to know how the greatest of his apostles, who is still living and moving in their midst, viewed his Great Master. So a humble attempt has been made here to present comprehensively before the reader what Vinoba has to say about Gandhi. This small volume tries to give in Vinoba’s own words an overall picture of Gandhi as viewed and interpreted by him.

This compilation represents gleanings from about 300 speches and writings of Vinoba, edited and classified subjectwise under various chapters.

About the Author:

Vinoba Bhave was one of the great spiritual leaders and social reformers of modern India, whose work and personal example moved the heart of all Indians, from Prime Ministers to the poor. Born in 1895, at the age of ten he took a vow of lifelong celibacy and service to others. Searching for a way of life that would embody both spiritual truth and practical action, he discovered Gandhi and joined in his work for the regeneration of India.

Vinoba participated in Gandhi’s non-violent resistance (satyagraha) to the British Raj. Later, after independence had been achieved, Vinoba started out on his extraordinary bhoodan (Land Gift) movement. Over a period of twenty years, Vinoba walked the length and breath of India, persuading landlords to give to their poor neighbors a total of over four million aces of land.

Vinoba’s social activism was founded on a lifetime’s study of the spiritual traditions of India, and also of the other major world religions. These memories reveal both the inner and outer life of a great man who has an unwavering commitment to the practice of non-violence, to an engaged spirituality, and to the power of love.