Prabhudas Gandhi : Audio - Images - Video 

• Jivannu Parodh (literally: Dawn of Life, My Childhood With Mahatma Gandhi) is a book in Gujarati Language on the memoirs of Phoenix Ashram. The book was awarded the Narmad Gold Medal (Narmad Suvarna Chandrak) in 1952 (1948?). Abridged versions have been published in Hindi (Jeevan Prabhat) and English, 1957.

Moreover, the following books have been published:

• Rural Economics on rural development through khadi
• Ootabapa no Vadlo (literally:  Ootabapa's Banyan Tree, The History of the Gandhi Family) incl. a family tree with 1500 members of the Gandhi family, 1972. This is the only comprehensive genealogical book in India listing also female family members! 
• Ashram Bhajano no Swadhyaya, 1978
• Bapu na Jugatrambhai about Gandhi's relation with the Gujarati sarvodaya worker Jugatram Dave
• Gita ka Samajdharma transforms the spiritual teachings of the Gita into a practical ethic for building a just, nonviolent, and selfless society. It's an attempt to apply spiritual principles to social and political issues.

Translated the autobiography of Rajendra Prasad (Mari Jivankatha) into Gujarati, 1950.

Numerous articles were published in different periodicals and newspapers.

The following manuscripts are still unpublished:

• Life sketch of Harilal Gandhi
• Life sketch of Maganlal Gandhi
• Shrimad Bhagawad Gita Bhashya

Read also:

Prabhudas Gandhi's Life with Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa by Yogesh Goda

           Gandhi and I by Peter Rühe

The letters from Mahatma Gandhi to his great-nephew Prabhudas Gandhi reveal a relationship that was part familial, part mentor-disciple, and part spiritual guide. Gandhi was deeply involved in Prabhudas's personal development, health, and work, offering advice, guidance, and unwavering support.

Guidance on Health and Personal Growth

A central theme in the letters is Gandhi's concern for Prabhudas's health, particularly his struggles with tuberculosis. Gandhi repeatedly advises him to prioritize his well-being, suggesting that improving his health is his primary duty. He recommends moving to hill stations like Almora for a change of climate, which Prabhudas did. Gandhi also offers a mix of spiritual and practical advice on health, urging him to stop worrying, saying, "Worrying even about one’s health is a sin". Gandhi sees a person's health as a trust and believes that a sound body is a means to realize the atman or self. He encourages him to practice pranayama and rely on faith and Ramanama to combat his physical and mental distress.

Spiritual and Moral Mentorship

Gandhi acts as a spiritual and moral guide, discussing complex topics like truth, devotion, and the nature of God. He teaches Prabhudas the importance of living a truthful life where thought, speech, and action are in unity. He explains that true devotion is not about ritual but about a deeper faith, stating that a person with faith in the name of God, even if the name itself has no meaning, can achieve spiritual awakening. He challenges Prabhudas to look inward and overcome his weaknesses, including impure thoughts, and to be honest with himself. Gandhi's letters demonstrate a profound understanding of Prabhudas's inner struggles and an unwavering belief in his potential for purity and growth.

Practical and Political Advice

Beyond spiritual matters, Gandhi provides practical counsel on Prabhudas's work. He encourages him to continue his work on the Magan spinning-wheel, a device he named in his uncle's honor, despite acknowledging its limitations. Gandhi himself experiments with the charkha, providing feedback and ideas for improvements. He advises Prabhudas on managing the Ashram, urging him to stay within the budget and to avoid building "castles in the air". He also guides him on his participation in the independence movement, cautioning him against being overly eager to court imprisonment but affirming that physical illness is no impediment to serving the cause.

Overall, the correspondence reveals a deeply affectionate, patient, and instructive relationship. Gandhi's tone is one of a caring elder who is both a teacher and a friend. He sees Prabhudas as a devoted worker and trusts his intentions, even while correcting his mistakes and pushing him towards a higher ideal.

All letters have been translated from Gujarati. Originals can be found in the Gujarati edition of the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi.

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, January 18, 1918:

"There is much in the Ashram even without me. I should like you to discover it. It is an unfortunate position if people feel that there is life in the Ashram only when I am physically present there. For, the body is bound to perish sooner or later. If you feel the need for the presence of my spirit, it is always present there. The more we give up our attachment to the physical presence of the one whom we love, the purer and wider our love becomes. If we ourselves cultivate the spirit which we are all trying to create in the Ashram, we would not only not feel a void in the Ashram but the social spirit also would be created so much the earlier. Inadvertently, I have written a letter which will be difficult for you to understand. Ask Chhaganlal to explain what you do not understand in it. Show it to the others also since it is likely to do good to all. Preserve it and read it over and over again and try to understand every word of it. The cordial atmosphere which should prevail in the Ashram and among the inmates of the Ashram will then already be created."

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, July 4, 1918:

“I find no immodesty in it. The language is courteous and graced with the spirit of independence and very sweet to me on that account. The letter shows your fearlessness.  I was ignorant of some of the things and had a vague idea about the others that you mention. You have given me a clearer picture. I did not know enough to be able to set matters right. I shall be able to do so in the light of what you have said My being deceived does no harm to us. For instance, your character or your studies have not been affected if we ourselves stick to our high ideal, no harm results. If one keeps one’s house clean, neither the plague nor any other infection can ever enter it. Even if it does, it cannot stay there long. Similarly, as long as we remain pure, the plague of wickedness, even if it should ever infect our family, cannot possess it for long. You must have observed that persons who have come in contact with me had their vices discovered sooner or later. With your permission, I wish to show your letter to all concerned. They will not be angry with you they ought not to be. In the Ashram, we want that you and others should express openly whatever you think at any time. If possible, I shall be in the Ashram for two nights and will return by the morning train on the following day, so that we may have an evening at our disposal.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, April 15, 1920:

“It will not do if both of you fall ill there. Get lost in the scenery there: sing, play and improve your health. I will soon reach there if I do not go to England. Mahadevbhai too will come.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, April 20, 1920:

“On reaching Bombay today, I received your letter. Whether or not we should go to England will be decided today. I expect that it will be cancelled and then hope to be certainly there. Fatima’s wedding is on the 26th. It seems I will be able to come only after the wedding is over. Both of you should just enjoy yourselves. In case I go to England, I will call you here to meet me. Smt. Sarladevi and Panditji are here.” 

LETTER BY PRABHUDAS GANDHI TO MAHATMA GANDHI, May 19, 1920:

Summary: "It is nearly one and a half months since I have been staying here: I do not want to stay here for long. At best, I may be here for 15-20 days more: Mahadevbhai has gone to Belgaum. Deepak and Balkoba  (Bhave) also want to leave this place now. It would have been better if you had stayed here a little longer to take rest."

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, May 25, 1920:

“I liked it very much indeed. I will certainly furnish you all the means for finding your path. The path is quite easy for persons like you. You may imbibe all the zest you can from Vinoba, but what you are seeking, you will not get from anything outside of yourself but only from within yourself. However, Vinoba will help you to scrape out the crusts that may have grown over your mind. Do not be impatient. Repeat to yourself again and again that compassion is the root of dharma. Understand what is real compassion and you will get everything else. It is the effort to understand the real meaning of compassion and truth that wearies us. It is only through experience that we understand their meaning. I will be returning after about fifteen days. See that instead of going after this thing or that, you cling to the study of Sanskrit alone. Music, of course, is there. If you do this, you will feel no burden on your brain. Learn other things which you may in the ordinary course of things. You have lost nothing by going to Sinhagad. It would indeed have been better if I could have stayed on. If, however, your health improves, the other things will follow without any effort on your part. But worrying even about one’s health is a sin. If we are able to preserve the body, we will be able to find the means of realizing the atman while still alive. If we fail, we will get another, better than the present one. It is Tulsidas who has taught us the truth that it is the body which is the source of the sense of ‘I’ but as it is also a means of realizing the self, we may try to improve its condition, and you are doing that in Sinhagad.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, October 1920:

“Now you are nineteen years old. You must get well now. I keep getting information about you. Tell Vinoba that he should not worry for your health. Next year, if you are ready, I will again send you with him.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, About October 1920:

“I always keep thinking of you but am not able to write to you. Someone or other keeps me informed about your health. I was never apprehensive about your recovery. But whatever suffering you are destined to undergo, you will have to. At such times, pondering over the shlokas of the Gita which are recited daily, with their meaning, will give you solace. If you find that difficult, ponder over such bhajans as “Sukh dukh manma na aniye” but never think of disease or pain.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, May 23, 1921:

“I see no harm in your having written about Ghanshyamdas. Who is he? Write and tell me who has engaged him. I cannot even recall his face. What place does he belong to? I would most certainly welcome your acquiring proficiency in spinning and if it does not affect your heart, also in carding. I hope you are keeping quite fit. I see and am pleased to see that your Gujarati is very good and is continually improving. I should like you to read as many Gujarati books as you can manage as for Kavyadohan, you must chew and digest it. What Akho, Narasinh, Shamal Bhatt, Dayaram and Pritam have said in their poems and songs, deserves to be pondered over repeatedly. It is desirable to have a look at the works of modern writers, too. As against them, I wish that you should read Tulsidas as often as you can.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, February 12, 1922:

“I have embarked on a fast from today for Gorakhpur’s sin. It will end on Friday. This was the least I ought to have done. The civil disobedience has been suspended for the present.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, September 27 1924:

“I am the leader of the Ashram, that is, its teacher. I know at least how difficult it is to be a teacher. When I remember my student days, I realize that the life of a student is a thousand times easier. In the life of a student action and worship, that is, devotion, are predominant and they shall be predominant. Impatience and lack of faith are at the root of the desire to solve too many problems at the same time. My advice to students is that they should engage themselves in action with patience and faith and believe that they will get everything out of it.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, 1924:

“Now you must get into the habit of writing short letters. One can make a point in one sentence. Arrange your thoughts and then write them down. Arrange what you have written. Write it out again. Condense it by combining a number of arguments and then reconstruct the sentences in a way that they include all arguments. While doing so, many problems will be resolved on their own. Work, work, and work mean constant activity. Writing accounts, reading books and cleaning toilets can be called work or no work. To a great extent, cleaning toilets is work for us because we dislike doing it. So, another definition of ‘work’ is engaging in an activity which we dislike. This definition is relevant at the moment. One must have time for individual as well as social ‘work’. One need not have to look for it. The organization of the society should be such that everyone gets such work. But it is not so. Primarily, it is my responsibility and then that of Maganlal. I have realized the problem; the cure will be found. We are not competent enough to take in students. Our experiment is such that there is little possibility of other students joining us. Do not call those who are teaching there ‘teachers’. They too are students but a little more literate. They should teach the illiterates and in turn gain practical knowledge and learn to discipline their body, mind and speech. All of us are both teachers as well as students. No one has any right here to keep personal money. I have not made any distinction between the Ashram inmates and the teachers. But still the distinction is there and it is intentional. Otherwise we could not have brought together even the teachers who are here and who know English, etc.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, March 8, 1925:

“I am able to reply to your questions today at Cochin. There is no harm in printing my speeches. Do not mind if same errors remain in what you print. Surely we do not want to print anything about Chhotam. I see no harm in startling the Ashram inmates. If they oppose anything, drop the matter. If our activities outside the Ashram are good, you should take as much notice of them as you can. You should also certainly take notice of the activities of the Ashram inmates who are outside the Ashram for the time being. The reason for Chhotam’s seems to be all right. My only fear is that in trying to make that more attractive, other essential matters might get neglected.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, August 17, 1925:

“Do not mind having made it a long one. It seems to me that you are harming your health by being somewhat hasty. I may not have as much faith in Hakimji as you have but that does not mean you should give up his treatment. Despair is a witch. Drive her out. Do not mind if your efforts bear no fruit. Exert yourself only within the limits of your strength. As regards your mental condition too, instead of lamenting over it, you should go on trying to overcome it. You need not at all worry about Kaka. He is strong enough to look after himself. He will not be disheartened by differences of opinion. How can we bring all people to look at a thing from the same point of view? The opposition of students will subside when they face him. And, finally, why grieve what is inevitable? If I can, I will look into the Phoenix matter. About the Tolstoy Farm, I wrote as and when I remembered the incidents. It is possible that I may have been ignorant of some things.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, September 11, 1925:

“I understand your suffering and appreciate your arguments. But even so, it seems to me that you should certainly take an injection and even after doing so; try to control your impure thoughts. Be constantly alert for that purpose. There will be no difficulty in sending you to a place like Almora. But that will be considered later. For the present, watch the effect of the injection and avoid fatiguing exertion. In fact, if you can make yourself completely free from impure thoughts, you will not need even the chiretta. All of us should try to attain that state. Surely one of us will succeed in it. Rarely do we find anyone in the world who is pure even in his thoughts. Nothing is impossible for such a person.”

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, February 17, 1926:

“You should stay there only on condition that your health improves, even if slowly. You should not be greedy to acquire knowledge of merely external things. It is desirable to be content with what one learns in the ordinary course of things. If we do not do that, so wide is the extent of such knowledge that it would take your whole life-time and you would be able to do no service, let alone realize the self.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, March 5, 1926:

“According to the size of your body, your weight should not be less than 120 pounds. But as far as I am concerned, I do not lay emphasis on weight. You should have a well-built body. I had tried grape-seeds. I do not know whether they have any purgative value. I do not even know whether they have been analyzed. However, powder of the seeds might be having the wave effect as sand. That is to say if a man takes two to four grains of sand, his intestines develop a kind of irritation because of which irritation, he passes stools. But this remedy should not be tried regularly. It might be effective if tried occasionally. But it will definitely harm those who have delicate intestines. So, I do not recommend grape-seeds for you. You may try them if Kuvalayanandji knows of their analysis and if he knows from his personal experience of their having a light purgative value, and advises you to take them. But do tell him what I have written to you about the seeds. Tell him also that I feel they are best discarded if you can pass stools without them. Even after reading this, if he insists on your taking the seeds, try them by chewing them well. You will know their effect within two or three days. Beetroot contains a kind of sugar and, therefore, to some extent it is healthy. It has a purgative value too. Beetroot has to be boiled well. It is a false notion that the vegetables and fruits which are red in colour have rajoguna. Onions inspite of being pure white definitely have rajoguna. Tomatoes, melons, red grapes, in spite of being red are satvik. If those who practice yoga hold contrary views, I would like to know the reasons. What is said about millet could possibly be true. The bad qualities it has are not due to its colour but due to certain substances it contains and the lack of certain others. A person, who does not have sufficient physical exercise and has to do a lot of mental work, is not able to digest it. For that reason, it is considered to have rajoguna and wheat is said to be satvik. Milk in comparison to meat is satvik. Compared to fruit, etc., it certainly has rajoguna. But do not go into such details. For you at the moment, milk, wheat, fruit and green vegetables are the things worth taking. Do not hesitate to ask me any question you feel the need to ask. Sooner or later, I will certainly answer them. The best service you can render is to make yourself fit so that I can take any work I like from you. Improving health means achieving equilibrium of body, mind and spirit. If you feel like rendering more service, propagate khadi whenever you get an occasion. Persuade the non-wearers to wear it. Whenever it becomes necessary, do argue in its favour without getting excited. Do these work only if you can do it as fun? There is no need to ride two horses at a time. It is enough if you pay attention to your health.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, March 27, 1926:

“Now she can leave as soon as you are ready. But no accommodation has been arranged yet, as I learned on enquiry today. They have yet to fill in the application form and other things. To whom is the application to be sent? We shall act promptly if you let us know the name and address of the person who is authorized to allot the accommodation. I had an impression that Swami had taken everything upon himself and all we have to do was to leave this place. You are not to bother yourself regarding this; I mean not at the cost of your health. Let us have as much information as you can send from there and the rest of it we shall manage here.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, March 30, 1926:

“I would desire to see that nervousness when it is there. Therefore, do not make the least attempt to conceal it. I certainly saw more of it in your other letters. But, then, do I not know your nature? I myself am not therefore likely to be upset by your nervousness. But if I know, I can suggest some remedy. The only remedy just now is that Kashi should go there. She will go as soon as the arrangement for a house has been completed. I have been discussing the matter with Swami.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, before December 9, 1926:

“I found it rather hard to come away leaving you behind. Your unsteady mind also is responsible for your ill health. It is to one’s advantage to let the mind become a little insensitive. Thinking overmuch is not a good sign. Just as it is a sign of disease if the heart-beat is too slow or too fast, so is it with the mind. To be equimindedness, one has to avoid being both. It is a rather unusual state of mind. Lacking a word to describe it, we speak of it as something which means that one is neither too sensitive nor too insensitive, but that is not so.”

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, After April 30, 1927:

“I have got your point for not coming to Nandi. My objection to your going to Almora was for want of a man. Now Jethalal is coming and if he keeps good health, you can go without any compunction.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, June 20, 1927:

“You, me and everyone else would have been put to shame if, after having gone there, you had missed home as Shanti did. We have been taught to feel at home wherever we are. Since you have liked the place, your health should improve there. Do not move about more than you can endure. What do you do for your food? Where do you bring it from? What fruits do you get? And what is the arrangement for milk? Let me also know with whom you keep company there and about all other things that may occur to you. Just as it is useless to think about the past, it is useless to think of the future. ‘One step enough for me’ is an advice based on experience. What shall we gain by knowing the future? In other words, why do we not merge the future and the past in the present? The present, after all, is nothing but an extension of the past. To think of the distant future when at every minute changes are unfolding before our eyes, is like building castles in the air and only fools build castles in the air. The present means our duty of the moment. If we know what our duty of the moment is and direct all our efforts to its fulfillment, it is the highest form of valour. Unhappiness is born out of imagining a rosy future and lamenting about the past.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, April 8, 1928:

“I am dictating immediately after the morning prayers. I have got the shawl sent by you and when the time comes, I shall certainly use it. But in this season, the occasion will never come. I am getting fully acquainted with your activities and am pleased with them. I even rejoice in them. But do remember that you are not to pursue any activity at the cost of your health for, your first duty in going there lies in improving your health. However, if you can make use of your activities in improving it, I do not have to warn you. Do not have so much attachment for the activities that they ruin your health, and in order to regain it, you have to sacrifice your activities. It is like a saint losing both the worlds. Remember that the efforts to improve your health are also meant to excel in devotion to your duty. Nothing has yet been decided about my going to Europe. It has been left to me to decide but I do not have the confidence to take a decision in this matter. I do not know what is good. I do not at all like going there, but in a week or two, I will decide this way or that. You are dreaming of paying a visit here. Forget about it. It is attachment. You are not fully aware of our wish to rub shoulders with the crores of suffering and half-starved people. Before spending each rupee, you must reckon that with that money, sixty-four persons can comfortably have their second meal. Moreover there is no need to risk your health by coming here in this weather. We meet through letters; that is no less grace of God. You are inviting Kashi. The above argument applies in her case also. Only warm climate suits Kashi. The cold climate which you enjoy, which gives you strength, enfeebles Kashi. As far as service to her is concerned, there is hardly anything you could do. Besides, you The Ashram may not even be able to do that, and for one’s own help, one cannot call one’s parents. Moreover, you have made that relation virtuous.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI May 1, 1928:

“I do not have the courage to let you come here. Nor is it necessary for you to come. I have suggested to Devdas that he should go and be with you. If you send me a specimen of your model of the spinning-wheel, I will ask someone here to work it. I will obtain Keshu’s report. Lakshmidas, who also is here now, may also see it. I may suffer your coming here when the weather is colder. Do come in the winter. Besides, Chhaganlal is there, and even for his sake, it is essential that you remain there. I certainly cannot let Chhaganlal come here. When his health is completely restored, he will of course come.”

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, After November 4, 1928:

“However, the step that has been taken is worthy of our vow of truth. We have no right to retain the name which we cannot live up to. We need not blame anyone for not being worthy of the name, or rather, I should be blamed first and then the others. Everybody tried to give his or her best, but even then they could not live up to the name. Who, then, could be blamed? We will be able to justify the name ‘Udyog Mandir’. My unsteadiness is the cause of my growth. According to me, it is not unsteadiness but rather different responses of my inner voice to changing circumstances. If that is how I view myself, I must view in the same manner the institution of which I am the moving spirit. Necessary changes in the imperfect creations of imperfect men are both a cause and a sign of their growth. You should do your work there unhurriedly."

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, November 12, 1928:

“One’s body endures only as long as the sense of ‘I’ lasts. That sense of ‘I’ is bound to remain so long as the body lives. We have to get out of this state and learn to rid ourselves of the sense of ‘I’. Whatever we have done so far with the sense of ‘I’ is done but no more of it now. Live in Tadikhet reducing yourself to zero and go on doing daily whatever work comes to hand or you can think of. Do not build castles in the air. Ponder over ‘One step enough for me’. Go on praying, ‘The night is dark and I cannot see my way. Guard your child.’ Instead of being angry or unhappy when somebody insults you, you should rather be pleased. Your duty to Shantilal is simple. If you have not bound yourself to keep him for one year, you should not let him remain for a year. It is obvious that in Tadikhet, you cannot afford to keep him that long. The lesson to be drawn from this is that an agreement even with a friend should be reduced to writing, not because we do not trust him but because memory is a tricky affair.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, After November 1928:

“As long as you keep yourself within the amount sanctioned by the Managing Board for the expense, you should continue to carry on that same activity in the manner you think fit. I am of the opinion that you do not need the Board’s legal consent for that. Even so, I will place your letter before the Board. However, if you can immediately proceed to Bageshwar, you should do so. I see no difficulty in your doing so. Do not do anything in haste. If necessary, you may lend up to Rs. 200 for completing the construction of the building. Keep in mind the idea of buying some land in Bijoria as a branch of the Ashram and putting up buildings on it, but first test it on the anvil of experience and determine whether it is sound or unsound. You will be able to decide more easily after you have settled down at Bageshwar and, if you remain firm in that idea, I will consider it and have it considered by others also. I will of course not worry about your health, but at the same time, I will be apprehensive that you might not steadily cling to your work. You can remove that fear only by convincing me by your conduct. However, do not sacrifice your health by being over enthusiastic for, if you do so, it will harm your work and we should regard that consideration as more important than the question of your health. The point is that one should look upon one’s health as a trust and take as much care of it as possible. You have done well to tell me in your letter that the cow is being neglected for the sake of the pine-tree gum. I will have to think over it. You, on your part, should forget about such things after you have passed them on to me and, regarding them beyond your field of work, not let them weigh on your mind. God has not given the necessary strength to any individual or organization to fight all injustice. If He were to do so, He would Himself have produced His rival. We should believe that He is not as stupid as all that and dance in our own circle. One more storm is raging in the Ashram these days. But it is through such storms that it is purified. I am therefore calm. I do not have the time to give you a description of it.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, March 5, 1929:

“I am going to entrust to Kaka the job of revising your translation. I had wanted to compare your virgin pure style of language with our style, particularly with my adulterated style. That has been done. You have not been able to achieve as natural a style of language as I had expected you would. Maybe your being over-careful has made the language artificial or perhaps it only seems so to me. I am now thinking of entrusting to you a job of quite a contrary nature. The purpose is to see how much you can improve my translation from the point of view of language: 1. The Gita does not follow the present style of writing. We find in it one and the same thing elaborated in all the chapters in different ways. Out of all that, we may accept what appeals to our heart. This much, at least, is clear that the first thing is to attain a state of actionlessness, and then faith in knowledge. The state of actionlessness bears fruit in the heart opening to knowledge. But even when we have attained both, if there is any trace in us of ‘I-consciousness’, that state would not be of complete self-surrender to God. A Rasik may work without attachments but even a particle of knowledge may not touch his heart. One may have both knowledge and non-attachment in action, but if one does not at all have faith in something Divine, the sense of ‘I’ will certainly not disappear. Have you not observed anyone with such a condition of mind? This question of the sense of ‘I’ is quite relevant here. Ultimately, everything has to be given up. How, then, can we avoid bringing it in? It is our intellect which makes the distinction between a last and a first step. That is the cause of lack of utmost purity in us, and that is the reason why we are unable to reduce ourselves to a zero. Such a state cannot be cultivated by an intellectual effort. This applies to you. But you should not make yourself unhappy by so applying it to yourself. “Learn it by worshiping the feet of the teacher and questioning him again and again and by service. Anyone who wearies of again and again asking till he has thoroughly understood will be so much the loser. ‘Will be lost’ means ‘will lose both the worlds’. 4 But being unable to describe God’s ways, man resorted to words like ‘delusion’ and ‘maya’, etc., and that seems right. He, who acts under a delusion, does not believe that he is deluded. If Arjuna had acted in conformity with his nature, he could not have been described as acting under delusion, but if he had acted contrary to his nature, he could have been so described. Mirabai let herself be ruled by God and therefore sang ‘I let myself be pulled as He wills’. Arjuna resisted Shri Krishna for a while and therefore believed that he was being misled. What else could Shri Krishna do but threaten him [that he would be lost? I see nothing wrong in the meanings you have given to the terms abhakta and bhakta. Those meanings would not have occurred to me. I like what you have written regarding prayer because I see from it that you do not wish to deceive either me or yourself. I also see that you have still not understood the meaning of prayer. But it is in no way your fault. Even we elders have barely begun to understand it, that is, if we have understood it at all. Though senior most among the elders, I certainly do not understand its full meaning. What I have is the greatest faith in it, and hence I cannot have the least doubt about its usefulness. Without mentioning your name, merely on the basis of your question, I explained the meaning of prayer during the two days I spent in the Ashram. Prayer saves you from impure thoughts; that is no small benefit of prayer. But that is only the first step. It is not that while praying one has to remain absorbed only in the meaning of the prayer for, when one is really absorbed in the prayer, one is not conscious of its meaning. In a state of purest prayerfulness, we are in a state which is beyond meaning. In that state, we are aware only of God. Language becomes an obstacle at such a time. I am unable to describe this state of mind. The purpose of prayer is to be single-minded in devotion. The purpose of collective prayer is to be single-minded in devotion collectively and the individual has to lose himself in the group. The individual loses himself or herself in the group and the group loses itself in God. What is the meaning of reciting of Aum or Ramanama? The shlokas and other verses we recite at prayer time have the same meaning as Aum and Ramanama. I have not the shadow of a doubt that those who recite the prayer in this spirit will attain the supreme state of peace. He, who lives in the social group, must have no aversion to social work, that is, collective prayer. He, who loses himself in God, sees the whole world as God. It may be said that collective prayer is the first step in social work for attaining such a state of mind. From the Negroes to the Christians of Europe, from the Muslims of Arabia to the Hindus of Bharatvarsha, none of them has been able to do without prayer. If the churches, the mosques and the temples were to be demolished, the society, too, would go down with them. Divine music is going on all the time where God is and we can only imagine what it is like. Collective prayer is a rationally inexplicable attempt to join in that music, and he who joins in that music is forever in a state of bliss. I take it that you will be able to deduce the rest from this. If you cannot do so and doubts remain, go on asking me again and again. I understand what you say about your health. If it is completely restored, we will have all that we can wish for. You are doing a good job in trying to make a spinning-wheel.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, May 3, 1929:

“I will not write more about Chhaganlal. You may ask me about him when we meet. I have not abandoned Chhaganlal. I wish to bring him back to the Ashram. He has gone there of his own accord. I will not be able to take goat’s milk there. I cannot decide right now who and how many will accompany me. Do you wish that there should be as few as possible? I would not wish to be a burden on anyone. Write to me and let me know if the facilities there are inadequate. You need not wire. Most probably Mirabehn will be accompanying me. If Jawaharlal or you do not dissuade me, I will certainly come. If you can easily free me from the engagement, I should certainly like to be free for, I very much want to remain in the Ashram but not at all by disappointing you people there. All will bring their own requirement of clothing and covering.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, May 13, 1929:

“If my health permits, I will keep the date. Be assured of that. Mirabehn will certainly be with me. Have I written that? Will there be difficulty if there are more persons? Are there good facilities for staying, etc.? Are there places cheap enough for persons to stay on their own? Write to me if you want minimum number of persons to accompany me. What Kishorelal writes about Chhaganlal is surprising. There is nothing wrong in your letter. You have not been hasty. Even the letter I have sent is not meant as criticism of Chhaganlal. I do not know that Narandas has interpreted it that way. Narandas has said that Chhaganlal left because of his weakness. I suggested to him to stay here on rent. So, he decided to call back his luggage which had been sent to the station and stayed on. I do not know anything about Jamnadas. But do not worry. I do not see much difficulty if Chhaganlal comes there. The article in Navajivan had not been written when I had raised a strong objection.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, About May 13, 1929:

“Can all the persons accompanying me be accommodated in the Prema Vidyalaya? As far as I can see today, the following at least will be accompanying me: Mirabehn, Khurshedbehn, Kusumbehn Desai, Ba, Pyarelal, Subbiah, Jamnadas, Purshottam and Prithuraj. This is but a rough guess. It may perhaps be too much of a burden to take all of them with me wherever I go. My own inclination is to bring as few as possible. But I will see what can be done. What were the points left unanswered in your previous letter? I tore it up. It will, of course, be good if you can tempt Devdas to go to Rajkot. You should go on writing to Chhaganlal that he should go to the Ashram. You need to have self-confidence, that is, confidence in the rightness of what you have decided to do. Even if the whole world were to tell you that the letter you wrote was improper, you should cling to your own view. That does not mean that you should cling to an error even when you have recognized it as such. If your elders think that what you did was not right, you should certainly consider their opinion and respect it. But then, we should not hastily form an opinion that if even one elder disapproves of it, it deserves to be condemned. Unless you acquire such firmness, you will make no progress.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, Before June 18, 1929:

“Though aware of Chhaganlal’s failings, all of you, including Maganlal, kept them to yourselves and, in doing so, you did the greatest injustice, first to Chhaganlal himself, then to me and then to the Ashram. But that chapter is over now. All have learnt a lesson or should learn a lesson from this. My writing on the subject in Navajivan was a wise thing to do. You need not be nervous now. Instead you have to become still purer and be more devoted to duty. I have wired today regarding my visit to Almora. Though I am very keen to be in the Ashram in June, I shall be willing to go to Almora. I hope it will not be raining there at the time.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, September 14, 1929:

“There can be no comparison between Godhra and Tadikhet. Mama’s complaint is meaningless, but I understand Kakasaheb’s inability to find a Principal. Krishnadas arrived yesterday. I have wired Chhotelal today to come over. I am thinking of putting both of them there and thereby release Uttamchand. If the Kashi Vidyapeeth can send over a Principal, I would immediately free myself, but that seems to be beyond its capacity for the present. Your weight must increase and it will, if you are not worrying.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, September 30, 1929:

“Look upon your ailment as a trustee of your body and doing what you can about it, stop worrying. Give up your desire to get better in Gujarat itself. You have set up home in Almora. There, too, you are doing service. God will take service from wherever He wishes. It may be generally assumed that He does not want you to serve at a particular place if you do not keep well at that place. The rule that, despite illness, one should go on doing one’s best at a place where it is one’s special duty to serve, does not apply to you. It was so for Maganlal in regard to the Ashram. It was his dharma to die serving the Ashram, which he fulfilled to perfection and I believe that, in that way, he in a large measure gave new life to the example of Bharat. If such a time comes for you, we will consider what you should do.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, October 13, 1929:

“I will be reaching Mussoorie on the 17th. So it is best that you plan to come there. You know of course how you can reach that place From Kalol to Mehsana, and from there to Delhi on the meter gauge line; from there to Dehra Dun and then to Mussoorie in motor-car. You may have to hire a litter or pony or rickshaw for two or three miles if you cannot walk that much distance.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, November 9, 1929:

“For the present, you ought to write to me twice a week at least. Fix Mondays and Thursdays for doing so. It will do even if it is only a postcard. You ought to give me an account of the state of your body and mind. You should also tell me what your present diet is. Moreover, you should also give me some idea of the experiences you have had at that place.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, November 13, 1929:

“I understand about Prem Vidyalaya. I will take care of it. I have written to Bhagirathji. Your going there at this time would have been improper. Keep on writing to me regularly. Your health should not deteriorate there. If there is the slightest chance of it, you are not going to stay there.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, November 23, 1929:

“It is about ten o’clock just now, but before I leave this place tomorrow, I thought I would dictate this postcard for you. I will write to Chhotelal. At the moment, I do not at all feel inclined to send you to Almora. We will think about it later. I must solve some of the difficulties without your help and I think I will be able to do so gradually one after another. Govind Vallabh also met me in Allahabad. I could give him only two or three minutes. I have advised him too, to go to Tadikhet. The Vijapur problem too will be solved in the same way. I see now no reason for worrying. You at any rate, have no reason at all to worry. You will be going when and where I suggest that you should go, or alternatively somewhere else. All you need to do is to keep me informed about your health. What is the name of the dentist? I think in this case, it was like a thief turning round and accusing the police constable. He has charged you two rupees extra for his inefficiency as a dentist.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, November 26, 1929:

“I did not wish to suggest that one should not write long letters even on one’s birthday. Your letter is all right. I do send you my blessings. The pain is deep. But Ramanama is not meant for a boil, which can be cured with poultice. Ramanama is meant for making a bridge across the sea, for making paper boats sail, for turning stone into water and water into stone. So, you cling to it with faith and devotion. Do not worry if you can see no results on the surface. You will triumph in the end. Your letter is torn. I do not remember the questions. You find your own answers or ask again. The paper should be such that it does not get torn. I do remember one question. While uttering Ramanama, I do not concentrate on any idol. I do not worship Rama as an idol. Have you not seen that we worship the name? Tulsidas has said that the name of Rama is greater than Rama himself. In other words, the indescribable element which is beyond physical existence is greater than what resides in the body. Utter the name of God kind and do charitable deeds. The significance is not of Rama the king but of the name of Rama. Have you not seen my definition of God? Usually I had been saying and writing that God is Truth. In the new manual I have deliberately improved upon that definition and I now say Truth is God. I am here thinking of that Truth which transcends even God. It is not only at prayer time that I have this realization. I may say it is in me while eating and drinking, evacuating, reading, writing this, writing other things, delivering speeches it is there every moment. In spite of that, there is no limit to my imperfections, because the realization is only awareness; it has not permeated my being. That may not even happen during this life. However, why should I worry about it? It is within my power to make an effort. The result is in the hands of Satyanarayana. This does not give you the complete answer. No matter what lustful thoughts come, it is sufficient if you do not succumb to them and are not defeated.”

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, January 8, 1930:

“How did you manage to fall ill? You must have of course known that I was opposed to your going to Lahore. You should for the present avoid going after new adventures and even resist the temptation of seeing new places. Your duty is to be content with what you can think and do without moving about and to live according to a fixed schedule.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, About January 8, 1930:

“I did not like it. You cannot be considered fit for a pilgrimage to Badrinarayan. Though I have sentShantilal to be your companion, it does not mean that he should spend his time in sight-seeing. A man, who loves work, will engage himself in some work anyhow. It would be proper for him to help in the weaving work or some other similar work. If you also wish to take up some responsible work, I should like you not to think of going to Badrinath, etc. It would be another matter if you thought of the pilgrimage when a suitable occasion arose, provided that your health was good enough and provided also that your work there had been properly set going. Or, again, there would be no harm in going to Badrinath if you had stayed on their purely for the sake of your health and had taken up no responsible work. Moreover, I am not at all certain that a trip to Badrinath will not harm your health. It would be better to be content with the improvement in your health which has already taken place. I am of opinion that, for the present, you should hold back your desire for sight-seeing.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, January 18, 1930:

“Now build up your body and make it quite sturdy. I, on my part, had written to you advising you to go to Vijapur at the earliest but you did not get the letter in time. It was good that you came over. Ramdas wants Nimu to be sent over soon. You also must have received a similar letter. We have here somebody who can escort her. You may therefore write and suggest to me if Nimu can come here by herself, you would let her do so, or you would arrange for somebody to accompany her here or, whether Manilal should be sent from here to bring her.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, January 23, 1930:

“Chhaganlal and Ramniklal are immediately leaving the Ashram because of the new rules. I do not want to go deep into the reasons for their leaving as I do not have the time. I have received your letter regarding Chandradutt. He is not at all ready to go to Vijapur. He started crying when I talked to him about it. What was the use of sending him against his wishes? So I am keeping him here. I will see what I can do. I am unable to look after him. From what you write, it seems that the situation is difficult.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, January 30, 1930:

“Your criticism of the poet’s praise of the wicked has not appealed to me. It is an expression not of Tulsidas’s charity but his satire. It is a condemnation of the wicked. It commends the company of the good and non-co-operation with the wicked. This is shown by every quatrain and every couplet of this group of verses. The one on meeting causes great pain. The other on parting takes away one’s life.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, February 8, 1930:

“There is no need to be humble in the criticism of the wicked. In such criticism, you criticize wickedness, not the wicked. We speak ill of the British many a time but we never wish them ill. From that, we can claim that the criticism is of wickedness and not that of the wicked. In fact, the word ‘criticism’ is wrongly used here. Calling a crow black is not criticism of the crow but calling a swan black, is criticism. It is not a criticism of Yudhisthir when we say that he lied once in his life, but to call him a coward because he did not rescue Draupadi when she was being derobed, is his criticism. It is ignorance. What I want to say will be clear to you if you understand the difference. Praise of saints and Satan alike can be considered criticism of the 16th chapter of the Gita. But in order to bring out fully, the meaning of a divine temperament, and to lend it importance, it was necessary to describe the qualities of the Satan.”

LETTER BY PRABHUDAS GANDHI TO MAHATMA GANDHI, February 20, 1930:

Summary: Supplying necessary health news; begs to enroll his name as an Ashram Volunteer for the ensuing Civil disobedience campaign.

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, February 22, 1930:

“Keep me informed about the effect of the injections. I had told Narandas about your budget for the spinning wheel. I will note down your name. In the Satyagraha movement, physical illness is no impediment. Even though Kishorelal is bedridden, he goes on sending his own and Gomatibehn’s names. And I have also entered them. This of course does not mean that all are to be sent to jail. But it does mean that they will take up whatever duties relating to the struggle are assigned to them by me or by those who remain behind after I am arrested.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, February 26, 1930:

“You ought to complete the course of injections which you have commenced. If necessary, therefore, you should stay either in the Vidyapeeth or the Ashram for that purpose. I believe the Ashram air to be very bad these days. Small-pox is widespread.”

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, March 25, 1930:

“Your anger is meaningless. The Gita teaches us restraint. At the same time, it says that it is not possible for a man to change his nature. So far as possible, restrain your temper and be satisfied with that. It is enough if you never try to deceive yourself. If you can master your health you will be able to do so many other things. You have done the right thing in holding the children’s’ prayer in a separate courtyard. I had sent you that information while I was on tour of U.P. and therefore have nothing to say against it. There are two advantages in having separate prayers for the children. The prayers of the grown-ups can be conducted with more seriousness and we will be able to pay more attention to the prayer for the children.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, April 17, 1930:

“Now it is about 11 at night. So, 1 will not be able to write much. Give up worrying about the struggle. There are persons to guide you, aren’t there? Do what they say. You cannot go to Delhi but it is sufficient that Krishna has reached there.”

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, July 18, 1930:

“Stop worrying about your health. It will be as God has ordained. Worrying about health will not improve it. We may try our best. This is my emphatic advice. You should go away purely for the sake of your health to some hill station where you can stay comfortably. You may do there whatever khadi work in cotton or wool you can. Live as if the fight was not going on at all. If this advice does not appeal to you or is rejected by Chhaganlal or Kashi, do as they advise you. You should not decide on your own because just now, it is beyond your capacity to do so. You may, if you wish, consult the Vaidyaraj at Morbi. I insist on one thing only. I cannot order you from here. Do as Chhaganlal and Kashi advise you after reading this letter. Regard their advice as an order. If Narandas has any suggestion to make in this matter, listen to him. I have not shown this to Kakasaheb. If his view is different from mine, I will include it in this letter. Kakasaheb has not yet gone through what you have written about the Ramayana. I will let you know his opinion after he has done so. Go on doing what you have been doing by yourself. What you say about prayer is quite right. All our undertakings are in the experimental stage. None among us is omniscient. All of us are blind, but some of us who have more knowledge than the others, are trying to find remedies for the blindness and to employ them. That being so, how can it be otherwise than that our prayer should be imperfect? If Narandas has the time to do so, I have suggested to him to introduce whatever reforms are possible. The prayer ultimately is a matter of faith.

We have to bring ourselves to take sufficient interest in prayer to keep up that faith. After all, if you go in the mornings and join the prayer group in that spirit, it will be sufficient prayer for you, no matter in what language the prayer is offered. The practice of collective silent prayer also is prevalent in the world. Devout men and women among the Roman Catholics can sit for hours together, absorbed in silent prayer. Our aim is somehow to find peace of mind. You need to cultivate the habit of reading with proper attention whatever you read. It can be cultivated by practice. Even in this, however, if thinking too much confuses your mind, then give up the effort to think. Do not be overeager in this matter either. We have clung to the practice of prayer all these years with a pure motive. We are therefore sure to discover the right key some day. Till then, be content with the fact that the people have begun coming. For some things, time is the only remedy. The more we think about it, the worse the thing gets but if we wait in patience, we will discover the remedy. This is not likely to give much satisfaction to one like you. But just now I cannot think of anything more satisfying than this. It is therefore best to endure what cannot be cured. I understand what you say about the spinning-wheel. Insist that all the girls who are carrying on the experiment clean their spinning-wheels properly.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, July 26, 1930:

“Do not at all hesitate to write to me a long letter. I like your letters and for you that is a kind of consolation. I have already written to you about your health last week. It is better for you to go somewhere on the hills. Your decision regarding Chandradutt and Devidutt is correct. Pampering them is a sin. If we let them go, they will learn and when they get tired, they will come back. At that time, we should welcome them. I do not think there is any responsibility on you and if there is, it is only one of improving your health. However, you should not consider that as a responsibility.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, About July 26, 1930:

“It seems that you have come to the Ashram to fall ill. Only yesterday I came to know from Krishnadas’s letter that your health has again deteriorated. So far, I have not received a telegram from you and therefore believe that the illness is not serious. Why did you leave Ravana? If your health is not improving there, would not it be better to return to Ravana?” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, August 11, 1930:

“Kakasaheb has liked your translation of the sthitaprajna. I had expected something different. I cannot of course make any corrections from here and send the thing back to you. For the present, therefore, the translation will remain with me. Your effort is certainly very good. Continue learning in that manner. It will be good if now you go to Almora as early as possible. Let me caution you somewhat regarding your model of the spinning-wheel. I am of no use and you may take it that Kakasaheb is of no use either, nor Vinoba. Our reasons for desiring that you should study the matter are different from one another’s. But from your point of view, it is sufficient that we are useless for your purpose. Your reasoning does not seem to be correct. The experiences which you have gathered through others convincingly show that there will not be much increase in speed, nor will the yarn spun be even. The fact is that your model of the spinning-wheel follows the model in use at present, that is, it is not purely a machine. A machine is that which requires no intelligence or dexterity. Plying the spinning-wheel is an art and it can, therefore, be mastered only by one who has the required skill. You should copy the Singer [sewing-machine] or the spinning-jenny but you are not such an expert mechanic.

It seems that a spinning-wheel on which the speed can be increased only with great difficulty and which moreover is costly has no place in our programme. Have I been able to make this quite clear to you? If not, write to me again. It will be a different matter if, though you have understood what I have said, you think that my reasoning is faulty. I have not written all this to dishearten you, but only to suggest that you should not lose your head over this particular model of the spinning-wheel. You have many other things to do in that direction. Try to understand what I have been saying about the takli. I do not propose the takli as a substitute for the spinning-wheel but the takli can enter a field where the spinning-wheel cannot. The whole plan of spinning depends upon the number of people who take it up. If merely a handful of us had occupied this vast country, spinning would have had no place here. If a small number of people occupy a large area, that small number has to be violent by nature. Of what use is the takli or the spinning-wheel to them as a symbol of ahimsa? The takli or the spinning-wheel is a tool to man as man destroys the very basis of competition. We must not think of either of them from the present day commercial point of view. Rather, they imply the transformation of the commercial point of view itself. In Almora, therefore, you should pursue your work in regard to wool from this point of view and not from the point of view of Kashmir. If you give more and more importance to the principle that one should wear cloth made from yarn spun by one, you will have no cause to be disappointed, and will readily appreciate the great value of the takli. Yes, if you can make suitable changes in the spinning-wheel so that wool can be spun on it, do so. That is done even in this jail. With but a few changes, even the spinning-wheels in current use will permit the spinning of wool and will produce more yarn than the takli. However, for the roaming tribes of cowherds and shepherds, etc., the takli will certainly remain. In that way, on the whole, the takli will be found superior from the point of view of numbers.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, August 29, 1930:

“Both of us feel that you should take with you both Dhiru and Rambhau if they are willing to go. In each other’s company, they will stay there longer and you will have less to worry about. With either Dhiru or Rambhau alone, you will have to go out of way to give him company. At present, I would not like you to be in that predicament. I had forgotten about Damodardas and therefore wrote nothing about him. I would not have seen any harm if he had come, and you had accompanied him. But I like the present arrangement more. I understand what you say about the spinning-wheel. My argument was altogether different. I appreciate that it does not bother you. May your faith be rewarded? You have mentioned the right shlokas. If you have the self-confidence demanded by the shloka, if you are hard-working and if your idealism is based on reality, you will certainly find the rest of the means and will also acquire the required knowledge. So, I have no objection at all if you intend to persist in your efforts. The only condition is that you are not to do it at the cost of your health. If your health had reached beyond recovery stage, I would not have allowed you to go to the hills.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, October 13, 1930:

“Inspire Dhiru and Rambhau to write to me. Walk slowly. Do not take upon yourself much work. I liked your having gone away from Almora. Do not take upon yourself any big responsibility. Teach those who come. Remain satisfied with what the three of you can do. Who are the persons now in Almora whom I know? Is Mrs. Cook there? Where is Mohan Joshi? Has Shantilal recovered completely? What do you do about milk there? What is the expense incurred? Write to me regularly. For the time being, Kakasaheb has suggested Savyasachi as the name for your spinning-wheel and it seems to be good.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, November 9, 1930:

“Go and see Devakinandan’s spinning-wheel. The name Savyasachi is of course too high-sounding for your spinning-wheel. ‘Bharat’ will not do either. Since, however, you reminded me of Maganlal, I have suggested his name for your spinning-wheel. It was he who transformed spinning-work into a science. That name, therefore, is not improper for your spinning wheel. ‘Magan’ means ‘roominess’ and also ‘pleasure’. It is your claim that your spinning-wheel gives people pleasure. And finally, Maganlal had the virtues of Bharat and Bharat was his ideal. Your purpose also will therefore be served. After this, you may adopt whatever name you like.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, December 12, 1930:

“If one does not like a particular name, he should himself suggest a better one. If Dhiru suggests a better one, we will keep it. As far as I am concerned, I like the name ‘Magan’ for your spinning-wheel. The three reasons given by you are even more appropriate. Do not at all think about how long you will have to stay in Almora. You know of my desire of setting up an ashram there. Just take it that you are running an ashram on a rented place. A person who runs an ashram is not different from others. Any place where the rules of an ashram are followed is like an ashram. You are a society of eight persons. You have with you there the Gita, the Ramayana and the spinning-wheel. What more do you want? For running the ashram, it is necessary to have some persons. Just take it that you three are the ones sent there for the purpose. Devotion of Tulsidas was the devotion of the future generation. Rama in a human form did not exist in Tulsidas’s time. His utterances are imaginary . . .1 even if Rama in a human form did exist in his time, his origin as God in human form took place in a later period. Compare the seventh chapter of the Gita, to the grief of Rama. “I am the Creator of all the three qualities.” Wherever we find deceit and fault in God, we need not accept Tulsidas’s saying that God has no faults and that we should not do as He does. We have to observe the rules of proper conduct.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, December 30, 1930:

“For want of time, only this much now. I have understood your problem with the takli. Do you have that problem with the bamboo one or the iron takli? Your faith will produce the right means even in material things for you. Hence, be patient. For the present, keep a watch on how much yarn the Magan spinning-wheel, in its existing form, gives. You should not have any problem when a devotee of the Magan spinning-wheel, i.e. Dhiru, is with you. If the takli has started giving 330 rounds of yarn per hour, why cannot the Magan-wheel give 3330 rounds per hour? Do not be alarmed by it. Initially, the takli gave only 30 rounds, now it easily gives ten times more. It is not impossible to produce on Magan wheel ten times more than the takli.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, January 16, 1931:

“You are fortunate to have Vallabhdas’s company. Without being impatient, do what you can with readily available means. Cultivate the attitude of detachment even while doing such good work. It was a wise statement of Raychandbhai based on his own experience that one should cultivate equimindedness even in one’s striving for moksha. To say that I have been trying to invent a new model of spinning- wheel is an exaggeration, if not an untruth. I know my limitations fully well. I have no skill at all for inventing a new model of the spinning-wheel. What I am trying to do is to effect some improvements in the Gandiva model. But even in that, there is some element of imitation of the Jivanchakra model. Even so, the information you give me will help me in effecting even the modest improvement I am trying to bring about. I see some difficulty in adopting the ‘V’ shape pulley. The one I have has a shape between that of ‘V’ and ‘U’. I have felt no necessity at all for a ball bearing. I therefore like its design. The takli will be a child’s play for you if you wish to try the experiment. But you may forget about it. The one object of your devoted effort is your spinning-wheel. Rambhau’s foot must have got all right. Do not get tired of him. Be content with what he does. Keep reminding him of his duty and that too by mere hints. What ‘You’ or ‘I’ cannot do, ‘He’ will do. Who is this ‘He’? ‘He’ means ‘Time’ which has arisen to destroy the peoples. Their destruction includes destruction of their bad habits, too. Good habits even Time cannot destroy, for they are sat. That which is sat, can never cease to exist. But let us leave alone such learned talk. In Rambhau’s case, forbearance is the only remedy.

These forces are operative in everyone’s life the tendencies acquired in one’s previous existence, the present environment and one’s own effort. The answer to your question why two persons of opposite characters are found born in the same family, is that we do not know all the good and bad qualities in the characters of Panditji and Lakshmibehn and their forbears, and therefore do not have sufficient material to base our decision on. We should not even wish to have such knowledge. We will have sufficient explanation if we accept the law of karma. You are unnecessarily making yourself unhappy regarding Chandradutta. It is not incumbent on you to give up anything. If an ant aspires to kill an elephant, it is a form of pride. You were impelled by your nature to do some service to Chandradutta. He accepted from you what he could. You may write to him if you can do so gently but at the same time intelligently. Otherwise give up the thought of even writing to him. “What you have written to me is not proper. If it is proper God will make me see my error. It is not right for you to do what an unhealthy man like me does. But since you no longer have the loving faith in me, I cannot guide you. God will make somebody else the instrument of guiding you. Meanwhile you do what you think proper. God is looking after you and me. We are but perishable creatures.” Write to Chandradutta this or something to this effect and then stop thinking about him. If you have not followed what I have written, ask me to explain. Devdas’s interpretation of the verse ‘Tena Tyakten Bhunjithah’ can by analogy be applied to this case. ‘Renounce it and then enjoy it’. So, we can enjoy all this that belongs to God, can we? From the point of view of grammar, the meaning I have given to the verse will appeal to those whose knowledge is imperfect.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, April 13, 1931:

“It was not possible to reply to that. Today I have received your second letter. Let Dhiru stay there as long as he can. It would be better to send back Rambhau if he is not doing any work there and wishes to return. You alone can take this decision. The takli has great potential; there is not a trace of doubt about it. How does the Magan spinning-wheel fare? Is your mind at rest now? I may have to go to Nainital in the beginning of the next month. If that happens, I take it for granted that you will see me. Do not make this information public as it is not yet decided. Can you not write a familiarization note on stars and planets in such a way that a person like me understands? Do not write if it would take up days. I want it only if you can write it within one or two hours. I would certainly want the pictures of the stars.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, April 29, 1931:

“My desire of setting up an ashram in Almora still persists. I believe we can pay up to Rs. 15,000/- if we get a good house. Write to me if you come across a good place at a reasonable price. I may like to buy it. I would certainly need a person to run this ashram. At present, I have only you in mind. You must decide to stay there. Finding fault with others is a great sin and leads to self-deception. One should not vie with others. You should utilize whatever you have received as your share and derive pleasure out of it. I have not received your. If it is in the Ashram, I will have it sent to me. Many improvements have been made in “my” spinning-wheel. Let there be more and call for the sample then. Two persons are behind it Lakshmidas and Keshu. I find your budget for the Magan spinning-wheel all right. Draw that much money if Chhaganlal and Narandas sanction it. Even if they do not, send me your spinning-wheel if you want to. I will try to learn from Padma or anyone who knows how to ply it. Your khadi scheme is no doubt impracticable. Its conditions are very difficult. Give it up for the time being. Do whatever you can by raising men and money there. These are my views. I am sending this letter to Chhaganlal. He will send it to you after reading it. Let me know if he has made any changes.”

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, January 25, 1932:

“It is good you have come on a short visit. As soon as the hot days begin, rush back to the hills. I do have it in mind to write a history of the Ashram. But we have to see whether I will get the necessary time for it and also whether I will be strong enough. I doubt whether my right hand will be sufficiently strong for me to write with. Though I have let it rest for four months, it cannot be said to have improved. Let us see what happens. You may ask any questions you wish to. You have said nothing in your letter about the Magan spinning-wheel. About Almora, send me your questions so that it may be easier for me to reply.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, January 28, 1932:

“I like the views of Krishnadas. I would like him to stay with you. But the occasion is inopportune. The dissociation of Krishnadas from Wardha is looked upon by official guests, viz., Jamnalal, Vinoba and others as a betrayal of trust. I believe that he cannot give up the work he has undertaken unless he can do so in normal course. Ultimately, his inner self will help him get peace of mind. He would not get that by change of work. My advice therefore is let Krishnadas stick to his views, but he should not put them in practice. It seldom happens that what we like is also good for us. I feel it is true in the case of Krishnadas but such opportunity should be welcomed when it comes in the normal course. I am of the opinion that at present we cannot even ask Jamnalal and Vinoba and cause them inconvenience.

I have formed my opinion according to my understanding of the situation based on the facts you have put before me. Let me know if there is a misunderstanding on my part or some facts are left out. If there is no misunderstanding, send this reply to Krishnadas. If the misunderstanding persists, ask me again. We can ask Jamnalal or Mathuradas for the money for Almora. We should wind it up if we can. And if it is better to postpone it, you may do that. I cannot give any definite decision from here. You will have to run away when the summer comes. We will incur expenses but that cannot be helped. You are rendering whatever service you can. We should put up with it when the public malign us but have to be very cautious when our own heart takes exception to it. I understand about the other answers. You are disappointed with yourself, I am not. I believe things have not gone out of our hands as long as you can prevent yourself from putting your views into practice. There is no scope for pessimism as long as we refuse to entertain such thoughts and keep on fighting them.”

LETTER BY PRABHUDAS GANDHI TO MAHATMA GANDHI, April 28, 1932:

Summary: Prabhudas Gandhi, who had been imprisoned in Hindalga prison, Belgaum, writes to Gandhiji, who was at Yeravda prison, Poona. Prabhudas discusses Magan Charka, etc. He also has a mentioned few things for his father, Chhaganlal Gandhi. He seeks some guidance from Gandhiji about things he is not able to understand. The jail authorities allowed him to write this letter after three months. He had only three sheets of paper and many things to write and hence he had written the entire letter in very small letters.

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, Before May 20, 1932:

“Your health must return to normal. Where does Krishnadas live in Kadi? Who is in Vijapur? I feel that you can also ply takli the same way as I do. Sitting on a chair with the hand straight and not raising it higher, is not tiring at all. If possible, I will write something which the children can understand, about the shloka pertaining to sthitaprajya. I will not get your spinning-wheel here as my stay here is uncertain and also I have no time. There is no time today for writing anything more.”

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, May 20, 1932:

“I was keenly waiting for your letter. Ultimately it arrived. Dhiru had come to see me and left behind the Magan spinning-wheel. I observed him drawing yarn on it for a minute. From the very next day, I started spinning on it. I had to face a lot of difficulties but I cannot say that the written suggestions sent to me by Padma were of any help. You had assessed the qualities of a learner and a stupid learner, and according to that estimate, I stand nowhere even near the stupid learner. I wasted quite a large number of slivers while plying it, sometimes for four hours, sometimes for five hours and sometimes for three hours. Now I can say that I have acquired sufficient mastery over it. Today, I spun 183 rounds of yarn in about one and a half hours. When the switch which gives direction to the wheel does not arrive and stop at the right place, the wheel requires pushing by hand. The directions for the difficulties I encountered are not mentioned in your list of suggestions. From that, I have come to the conclusion that my difficulties are unusual.

If that is a fact, it is not surprising. An old man’s organs do not co-operate with each other promptly. So I took time in bringing about co-ordination between my hand and fingers. I could not work on two spindles because of pain in my left wrist. The doctors believe that the pain will not go unless I give my left wrist complete rest. So the biggest utility of the Magan spinning-wheel for me is that because of it I am able to continue spinning. I have started hoping that gradually I will be able to achieve my normal speed on the Magan spinning-wheel. Al one time I feared that I would not be able to spin on it at all. But I did not want to accept defeat and therefore worked hard on it. I do not find spinning on it at all difficult. Initially I used to get tired but now I do not. Today is the fourteenth day of my spinning. I like my devices. It is good. The spinning-wheel is cheap and there is scope for making it still cheaper. Some modifications occur to me but I will take some time to carry those out. I cannot say just now that I have so much mastery over the spinning-wheel as to make modifications in it. It is plied with both hands that are no doubt a clear advantage. An efficient spinner would spin either twice or one and a half times or one and two-third times more with two hands than he would with one hand. I can think of other reasons too, for producing more yarn on it. I may be wrong. You will immediately gain one or two seers of weight if you personally see the interest I am taking in your spinning-wheel. You will be very happy. I had decided to experiment with your spinning-wheel at a time when I had no problem with my wrist. Now I have to do that under compulsion. Either I give up spinning or spin on the same spinning-wheel. Just as a person who is in difficulty thinks of new tricks to save him, I will keep on thinking about new techniques of improving my speed on the Magan spinning-wheel. And if you are released, and I am allowed visitors at the time, come and see me and teach me some new tricks. And when you say that you would not allow anyone to depend on you, then on whose strength are you going to buy the land?

How then can you insist on buying the land? One of the conditions of buying the land was that you would stay on it as a guard. You violate that condition and suggest buying the land how are both things possible. It does not matter if you violate the conditions because as long as the land is not bought, you have to some extent a right to change your opinion. But the moment you absolve yourself from that condition, you lose the right to suggest buying of land. Not only that. The land will be bought under new conditions in case it is bought. And as you say, the talk you had with the seller was final. Then you cannot absolve yourself from the commitment. I do not analyze all these to bind you but to show you what difficult predicament you are in. I understand you. I do not want to criticize you in any way. One need not bind a devoted worker like you. No person, however respected he is, can absolve others from their moral obligations. Everyone has to define his or her own moral obligations himself. As long as you do not have trust in yourself, you should not even accept for yourself any moral obligation. If you compel yourself, you will possibly impede your progress. It is all right if you rise gradually. No doubt you are going to rise because your intentions are pure, you are hard working, you want to help others to the best of your ability and you do not want to deceive yourself. However, you will come across many moral dilemmas. Do not worry about them. They will help you to become a matured person. ‘Matparah’ means ‘devotion to truth’. ‘Charan Padma’ means ‘lotus feet of Satyanarayan’. By using the word ‘Lotus feet’, a devotee has personified truth. Truth is formless and so people imagine it in the form they like. In spite of knowing that it is imagination, different persons conceive different images. As long as the imagination lasts, the images are true; the devotees ascribe whatever they want, to those images.

In fact, Vishnu, Maheshwar, Brahma, Bhagwan, Ishwar, etc. are all meaningless names or are wanting in meaning. But truth conveys full meaning. A person who says that he will die for God would not be able to explain what he meant by that and the listener, too, would hardly grasp the meaning of what is told to him. But a person, who says that he would die for truth, knows what he had said and the listener would also most probably grasp the meaning of it. You ask me, “What does Rama mean?” It is almost meaningless to worship Him after I explain to you the meaning. But if you worship Rama with the realization that one whom you wanted to worship was Him, only then will he be a Kamadhenus to you. If you recite the name of Rama with that faith, is it a parrot-like recitation, you will transcend the material world. The difference is that you recite the name of Rama with faith in Him which a parrot certainly does not have. A parrot is devoid of faith and will therefore feel tired and give up, or, if he worshipped God in pursuit of self-interest. He will keep quiet after collecting enough grains for himself. From this point of view, you do not need a symbol. Tulsidas has given more importance to the name of Rama than to Rama, the man. That is to say, he has suggested that the name need not have any meaning. A devotee will create the necessary meaning later on according to the nature and quality of his faith in Him. That is the beauty of the practice of such worship, otherwise it cannot be proved how even the dullest of men can enjoy spiritual awakening. The only condition is that the name of God should not be taken to impress others or to deceive others. As I have suggested, if a man worships God with faith in Him and never tires of doing so, for him He becomes a Kalpataru. I have no doubt about it. Men so inclined can prove this for themselves. Initially, their mind, while worshiping God, will wander for days together, in some cases for years; they will become restless, feel sleepy, even more than that, they might have some tragic experience, but even then if they keep on worshipping God, their devotion will pay. I have no doubt about it. An inanimate thing like a spinning-wheel comes under control only after giving us a lot of trouble. Other things which are more difficult give us more trouble before we achieve them. What can we do for a person who wants to achieve the best but does not take the medicines prescribed for it patiently for a long time and gets disappointed? I feel that the above covers answers to all your questions; after these there remains nothing for you to ask.

If you can develop faith, go on repeating His name while doing your work eating, drinking, sitting or sleeping. Even if you have to devote your whole life, you are not going to accept defeat. If you do this, no doubt, you will be more and more at peace with yourself with each passing day. Do only as much writing and reading as you can without straining yourself. There is no need to tire out yourself by drawing up a big programme of writing and reading or getting disappointed if you are not able to keep it up. I will see what I can do for Devidutt and Chandradutt’s sister Lakshmi. I believe Chhaganlal will take care of inspection and checking of trivial things about which you have written. Dhiru has lost a lot of weight and so he has gone to Ravana. Kusum has also gone as she too keeps indifferent health. Padma has not recovered from her illness, so I need not expect much from her. The three of us are still together and are keeping good health. I am writing on Aparigraha for the Ashram somewhat on the lines you wanted me to write. I do not get much time as I am occupied these days with Magan spinning-wheel and the increased correspondence. And for that reason . . .2 is lying unfinished. I will certainly not draft trivial rules. I neither have the inclination nor is it good to draft such trivial rules. With the change of place and time, new sub-rules will emerge from great principles. At the same time, some rules will become obsolete while new ones will come in force. If you have a thorough understanding of the basic principles, then you would know the source of the sub-principles and be able to draft the rules easily just as a person who knows the derivation of the principles of geometry is able to find the correct time. Totaramji’s wife, Gangadevi was conscious till the last moment. She died while reciting the Ramanama. A few hours before her death, she knew that she was going to die. She had warned others and was herself very cheerful. Totaramji was also quite composed. Gangadevi brought credit to the Ashram in her life and in her death.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, July 24, 1932:

“I have nothing to say about truth. It is difficult to define God. The definition of truth is enshrined in everyone’s heart. Whatever you believe at present to be true is truth and that is your God. If one lives in accordance with this truth felt in one’s heart, one is bound to reach the ultimate and pure truth, and that is Paramatman. I am at present reading selections from the Vedas and there the same idea occurs. According to me, so long as we do not learn to live a truthful life, all reading is fruitless. Such a life has no room for anything which is not spontaneous. The votary of truth will appear as he is. There will be unity in his thought, speech and action. We learn this sooner if we regard God as truth. In order to live such a truthful life, we do not need to read many books. Everything depends on us. Reflect over this mantra: The face of truth is covered by a golden lid. O sun, remove that so that I may see the Law of Truth.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, August 4, 1932:

“I had been waiting for it. You must not feel distressed that you could not meet anyone. It is a mercy that even letters are permitted, for how can a prisoner expect to be permitted to receive letters? Preserve the health with which you have come out. Pranayama does benefit, particularly persons with a lung disease. It must be remembered that pranayama is not to be done in a hurry. How was the behaviour of the jail officials? Was it courteous? I have already conveyed to you that I have given up the Magan charkha for the present. I could not go beyond 20 counts. I am not able to use both my hands. I cannot draw the yarn with my left hand. I can therefore try only the right hand. I have got adjusted to it. But since I have been permitted to turn the Gandiva wheel with the left hand, I felt that I ought to change over to it. I have acquired wonderful control over it. Even on this I draw the yarn with the right-hand and have gone up to 35 counts. I am also picking up speed, though it is still quite slow. It is around one hundred rounds, but I am satisfied. There is very little wastage and even in such as takes place, I am making small improvements. I have thus had to postpone the Magan charkha experiment for the present. I will of course not give it up completely. I enjoy spinning on that too. Cling to the Divine Name like one possessed. When you have no help from anywhere else, you will get it from the Name. May your ambition of improving the Magan charkha be fulfilled? Do go to Almora. All of us agree with your idea of not giving a big name to the Ashram at present. You may therefore call it shail Ashram. Of the five names all the three of us liked that the best.

We did not waste our time in thinking of another name. Ultimately we are concerned with the work, not with the name. The Ashram is certainly not to be filled only with invalids. Some of course are bound to come. If Padma comes, she must be received. You should get separate expenses for any such persons who may come. There would of course be a budget for the Ashram. I will not decide the figure for it. You may settle it with Narandas. It is proper that the expenditure on you, too, should be counted separately. This would be convenient for you. What you write about your work there is also correct. You should not take up too many things just now. You should proceed slowly and only as much as your health permits. For the present you should do only what you can on your own responsibility. I would be happy if you could tempt Balkrishna. He would be very good company for you. He may also improve in health and the Ashram would gain in dignity. If Dhiru desires to join, it should be with a firm resolve to be steady there.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, August 28, 1932:

“I have been able to go up to 30 counts on the Magan charkha up to now. I shall be satisfied if I go up to 40 counts. The speed is very slow. It does not go beyond a hundred rounds an hour. It may go beyond that if I draw thick yarn. But I do not wish to do so. The cause of the noise that the wheel was making was discovered. Mahadev guessed it. The rod under the plate was broken and when the plate stopped functioning altogether the defect was discovered. On the rod being replaced the noise stopped and the plate also started functioning perfectly. I, too, believe with you that there is much room for improvement. None has occurred to me yet. I have got a box fixed on the plant, in which I keep the tools, spindle, etc. I do not consider this an improvement. For fine yarn we must have fine spring and fine spindle. But I doubt if a fine spindle would work. In the Ashram there is a spinning-wheel received from Darjeeling which can be worked with the foot. Examine it. It would be sufficient if you named the Almora Ashram just Shail Ashram. The word Ashram itself carries a religious meaning and religion includes service. Janasthan sounds pompous. Kinkarashram is all right but does not sound pleasant. You can call it Shail Udyog Mandir. But I favour Shail Ashram. Devaki Nandan uses the word Sevashram and so it is clear that you cannot use it. It is well that you paid a visit to Rajkot.

It would be good if you rushed to Almora now. It is desirable that you should go there in good health. You may then devote yourself wholly to building the Ashram there as your only duty without having to worry about your health. After going there do not build castles in the air; but having formed a particular plan resolve not to go beyond it, nor even to think of doing so. As for writing, complete the work on the Ramayana, etc., if possible. Concentration on improving the Magan charkha, spinning and weaving the local cotton and wool and the necessary carpentry connected with it these should be enough work. Since there is land it will certainly be possible to grow vegetables and fruit trees. Keep an account of every pie. Never go beyond the budget.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, September 7, 1932:

“What you want cannot be sent for Rentia Baras. How do you forget that we are prisoners? But you may imagine that our yarn is there. Mahadev draws yarn of about hundred counts from Keshu’s slivers. If there is a proper spindle, it would not take much to draw a thinner yarn. I spin a yarn of 40 counts on Magan spinning-wheel. It takes about three hours to spin 250 rounds of yarn. It takes much of my time. But as long as my hand gives work, I will stick to it. This time, I do not have with me the right mechanic. Otherwise, I would have got the alterations made. Whatever changes you make, do not sacrifice the simplicity of the spinning-wheel. In order to draw fine yarn, I feel the distance between the spindle and the tip should be reduced. There are more chances of fine yarn getting snapped if drawn long. The spindle should be shorter and thinner than it is. This is only my thinking. That you have set up a limit of work is more than enough. Do not be impatient. Do not build castles in the air.”

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, October 21, 1932:

“I have resumed the Magan Charkha because the pain in the left elbow started again. I have made one improvement. I changed your spindle-frame and fixed that of the Gandiva Charkha in its place. I therefore introduced a spring. The result was that yarn was easily drawn fine. I used to spin yarn of twenty counts with great difficulty and then had made some progress. Now I can easily spin yarn of thirty counts. The speed is still the same, that is, a hundred rounds per hour. Even a little more at times. I may be able to increase the speed as also the count. The spindle-frame still needs some changes. But I have now no carpenter. The carpenter prisoners have been released on the completion of their terms. You seem to have lost control over your expenditure and seem to be asking for money as you please. This is not right. You have vowed to keep within your budget. You must not go beyond that. You must always keep this in mind and consult the statement before asking even for one extra rupee. If it does not provide for any particular amount, you should not ask for it no matter how big the temptation before you. If there is something very important, you must take prior permission and should not, if you do not get it, feel peeved even inwardly but remain undisturbed. If you do not maintain such firmness, the work will come to a stop. Narandas must be having the budget which I had sent to you, and you also must have kept a copy. If you have not, send for one. Do not work beyond your strength. Be satisfied with a little. I have almost regained my previous strength.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, November 21, 1932:

“I am writing this on a silence day after the Morning Prayer. The correspondence about Harijans take so much time that I can hardly write other letters. Hence only this to you, that you should stop all thinking and do what work you can. When a question of incurring expenditure beyond your budget arises, your duty in this: If you feel that the expenditure is absolutely necessary, you may put the matter before Narandas and press him to permit it. If the item of expenditure is such that it makes no difference whether or not it is incurred, you should not write for it at all. In other words, what would you do if you were in N.’s place? Once the budget is prepared no additional item of expenditure should be allowed to be brought up.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, December 11, 1932:

“I have had talks with Sarojinidevi and Padma. It is not permissible to see Sitala Sahai and so I have not met him. I have the impression that unknowingly you have yielded to impure thoughts about Padma. The impurity can be clearly seen in your letter. It is not possible for a man to conceal his impure thoughts. The behaviour of you two towards each other was not that of a brother and sister. The scandals that were doing the rounds were justified. Still, I do not wish to blame you. There was no end to your foolishness. I should not have allowed any girl to come into contact with you. Now that my eyes have been opened, I will make some other arrangement for Padma. She has understood. As for Sitala Sahai, he is extremely unhappy. I have consoled him. Marriage is the best remedy for you. By all means get married. It will be better if you find a widow as your partner. If that is not possible in any circumstances, you may do as you wish. Whomsoever you choose to marry, tell her all the facts about your body. If you thus marry, the question will arise as to what will happen to the Ashram which you will have left. At the moment, I can say without thinking over the matter further that there will be no harm if you stay on for the present. We can consider later what should be done. If you do this, a salary can be fixed for you with which you may meet your household expenses and may also attend to khadi and other work. If you give the Khali to somebody, you will get money for that. Do not in any way feel helpless. I am not accusing you of anything. It is only recognition of the true situation. If you wish to suggest any change in this, write and let me know. If you wish to see me, you may come and meet me. Let me know if you have a girl in mind. I have sent Chhaganlal an account of the matter. Padma has asked to be permitted to write to you. I have given her the permission to do so through me. It has not finally been decided what should be done about her. I have no fears on your account. In the end, all will certainly be well with you. I have not lost my faith in you. We are quite happy. Chhaganlal Joshi is here.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, January 14, 1933:

“It seems to me improper that you should have written directly to Nanabhai. Kakasaheb may write if he wishes to. And it would be unreasonable for me to burden him with responsibility. We may keep in mind the conditions you have stipulated but we cannot put them down on paper. It would be altogether unbecoming to do so. Discuss with Kakasaheb all that you have written to me and do as he suggests. I can understand your impatience. Once you have decided to marry, it is best that you should do so as soon as possible. However, some time is bound to elapse. Or, perhaps it may not be so. Certainly the best course is that you yourself should look for a girl concurrently with the work you are doing and Kakasaheb and others also may be on the lookout at the same time. Do not worry about what Vinoba will think. His blessings will always be with you. You cannot have a girl from the Ashram, for it would be improper to arouse the least trace of such a feeling in any girl in the Ashram. Even indirectly, such a feeling should not be encouraged. Hence you should also not think of selecting any of the girls who have newly joined the Ashram. What you say about Padma in your letter shows how dangerous was the close association of you two. Both of you were forcing yourselves to behave as brother and sister, while deep down in your hearts you felt yourselves to be husband and wife. But that is an old story now. Padma will of course know the fact when you get married, but it is too much to expect her to find a girl for you. It is beyond her capacity, but even if it was within her capacity, it would be undesirable to do so.

We just cannot burden her with such a responsibility. You have no reason whatever to feel helpless. Write to me without hesitation any foolish or silly idea that may occur to you. I will not misunderstand what you say, for, I have faith in you and even blind love for you. I believe that you will never deceive me. I am not in the least unhappy at your simplicity of mind. If your simplicity is a cause of fear for you, it also acts as a shield for me. You yourself may tell G. V. Pant, Harivallabh or any other of your acquaintances in Almora to guide and help you. Do not think of the high or low social status of the girl concerned, consider only her character. Write to Devdas. He may possibly have some girl in view. It would be good if you spend about a month in Kosamba and learn the harmless method of extracting honey. The whole course takes a month and a half to complete. But really speaking, it should not require even that much time. I am firmly of the view that for industrious people like us, a week or fifteen days at the most are sufficient. There is no need at all for you to go out of your way to see Sarojinidevi, nor to satisfy her with an explanation. If she has indulged in an exaggeration, it cannot be undone now. Our own way of looking at things should be such that if we ourselves have committed a little wrong, it should appear to us big as mountain, so that if the world regards it as such, we are not shocked. The man who looks upon his failings as if they were diamonds and pearls and weighs their value as we do that of diamonds and pearls, is certain to commit big sins and he who looks upon the smallest sin as if it was the biggest, would certainly be saved from big sins. I would see nothing wrong if you happen to meet Sarojinidevi by chance and the matter comes up for discussion but there is no need at all to open the subject intentionally.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, February 12, 1933:

“It does not matter whether you stay in Khali or outside but it seems proper to me that you should so live that you spend only what is necessary for you alone. It will be more convenient if you live in the Ashram. Gomatibehn has in view a girl of twenty-two. But the fact that she belongs to the Bania caste, does present a difficulty. However if the girl is agreeable, all the conditions stipulated by you will be fulfilled. If, therefore, you think you can marry her, I would advise you to get married immediately. Everybody will be pleased. If you wish, you may come and see me. Have you calmed down now?” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, February 24, 1933:

“Narandas says that you have become very restless. How is that? If you have faith in me, you can have no reason to be restless. You must joyously do what you are asked. Have you heard or sung the bhajan: “I will dance singing praises of the Lord”? Devotion to duty is singing praises of the Lord. To do as asked by a person in whom one has faith is also singing praises of the Lord Hence the need for careful thinking before putting one’s faith in anyone. Why don’t you write to me, Stop thinking about your marriage? You may marry if you happen to come across a suitable girl. Jamnalalji says that he will try to find a match as soon as he is released. He is certain to succeed. He has now three or four months of his sentence left. As for work, do what Narandas assigns to you. But I will not mind even if you are not able to do that. It will be sufficient if you can live at Almora and look after yourself. I will not expect anything more from you at present. It will be enough if you build up your health.”

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, March 6, 1933:

“I understand what you say about the girl. I am not likely to be satisfied with any sort of girl for you. Gomati had approved of her. She believed that the girl did not belong to the modh sub-caste. The only point was that if an educated girl is desirable for a match, though rather grown-up, she should be accepted and the objection on the ground of her being a Gujarati or belonging to the Bania caste should be waived. I have no intention whatever of doing anything without your approval. You have not said in your letter anything about honey or the school. Do they make honey there? From what do they make it? What is the quality of teaching? Who are the people who are learning? I hope you have not completely given up your writing work or your study, have you? I do not want to burden you with any responsibility in Almora. Let the Shail Ashram remain just a dharmashala for the present. We will see later what should be done. I, too, would welcome keeping the Chandradutta brothers. If they are good men, no harm will be done. It would of course be good if Mahavirprasad accepts them. I think it would not be proper to give a big salary for the care of the Shail Ashram. But in this matter, too, Narandas will know better. If you trust his decision, you will be at peace and so will I.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, March 14, 1933:

“Why are you frightened? I have not at all changed towards you, nor lost my faith in you. You are the same today as you were before. It is my duty to guide you. Whenever you make a mistake, I will correct you. I wrote about Jamnalalji to reassure you. Go on with your search within the limits of propriety. It will please me if you get married before Jamnalalji comes out. Do not let even Narandas’s warning upset you. I both understand and fail to understand your partiality for Gujarat. Surely I can have no aversion to a Gujarati girl. It will therefore be quite good if you can find a suitable Gujarati girl. There will be nothing to object in the girl you ultimately get since we do not wish to form an unsuitable connection. Your being easy in mind makes me so, too. Now it is indeed time for you to leave for Almora. Even so, I leave it to you when to go. You have not even told me Motiba’s name. To whom should I address the letter? However, I have managed somehow.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, March 20, 1933:

“I have written to Shantilal that I like the idea. Let the bungalow go. The rest of the land may be kept and huts built on it in which occasional visitors may stay. To what extent this will be practicable, what arrangement can be made for water, whether occasional visitors can stay in this way and from where they will buy provisions, all this is for Shantilal and you to consider. May be the idea is impractical.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, April 27, 1933:

“You kept me waiting a long time for your letter which I have now received. You do not seem to have had any letter from Satyavati. Do not be impatient. I hope you have realized that even if your parents give their consent to your proposal for marriage I will have to obtain permission. If I do not get such permission, the wedding ceremony cannot be performed here. But you may of course come to ask for my blessings. If Chaturbhai comes along, I will certainly see him. If Devidutt etc. are there, they as well as you should tell any guests who may arrive that no provision has been made by the Ashram for the necessary expenditure on the facilities to be provided to guests. So, everyone who comes will have to meet his or her own expense of staying, or will have to get the required amount from the Ashram. We have no right to stay in any way other than that. We cannot lead a pure life in any other way. Even if a person like Pantji sends anyone, you may ask him, too, whether or not he or she will bear his or her own expense. Just now, you have to learn the art of living within the limit of your estimated expense and cultivate the habit of plain speaking for that purpose.

We are beggars and not rich people; servants and not masters. The Devidutt Brothers have no right to ask for Rs. 60 from us if they cannot get that much from elsewhere. The people who live with us should be persons of abstemious habits. They should, therefore, be content with less from us than what they would get elsewhere. If they get more elsewhere, by all means they should go there. You see the truth of this, don’t you? You will certainly get servants to help you in your work. They will look after the Ashram and also cultivate the land. It is necessary to be moderate in spending money even in the field of service. I think you are not at present keeping good health to be able to take up the secretaryship of the Harijan Sevak Sangh. Be content with what you can do without taking it up. Let me know how you are keeping. We will consider other things later. It will also have to be seen how you keep after your marriage. For the present, it is advisable that you have all your time to yourself. I have not the least desire to dispose of the Ashram lands. However, if the Ashram buildings become too costly to keep, we may sell them off and put up huts on the remaining land. Jamnalalji is now out of prison. Do as he advises. Give up your rather fond desire to call over Ramdas there. If he comes of his own accord, it would be a different matter. Does the Bengali gentleman live there at his own expense? It is good that Navin feels at home there. He does not work beyond his strength, does he? I do have a machine for shredding vegetables in mind. As for a machine for grinding groundnut, we do have one. However, I would not think of spending money on buying such things.

If, however, the expense can be incurred without inconvenience, I would not deliberately avoid buying them. Inter-dining and inter-marriage is not an essential part of varnashrama. It is and has always been a subject unconnected with varnashrama. One is not bound to eat or marry where one does not wish to. However, one does not violate one’s dharma merely by eating where it is convenient for him or her to do so or by entering into a marriage relationship which he or she chooses as suitable for himself or herself; nor does he or she violate the principle of the Varna system. This is all that I mean. There is no doubt that in practice more people limit themselves to eating and entering into marriage relationship with persons belonging to the same Varna. It is quite right to say that Varna has no place in a sannyasi’s dharma. Do not be tardy in writing to me.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, May 2, 1933:

“If your betrothal with S. has not been broken off, you may certainly marry. I will approve of your doing so even during the fast. You will continue to serve even after you get married. After marriage try to observe as much self-control as you can. Continue to write to me. You should not grieve if I die. The ‘I’ will not die. What will it matter if the body perishes?” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, May 2, 1933:

“You should be happy about my fast. Keep on doing your work. If your betrothal with Satyavati has not been broken off, you may certainly marry. I will approve of your doing so even during the fast. You will continue to serve even after you get married. After marriage, try to observe as much self-control as you can. Continue to write to me. You should not grieve if I die. The ‘I’ will not die. What will it matter if the body perishes?” 

LETTER TO KASHI GANDHI, August 31, 1933:

“We have to forget all talk about Satyavati for Prabhudas. I am looking for some other girl. It will be as his fate decides for him. I do not think lack of money comes in Prabhudas’s way. What come in his way are his age and the ill reputation he has for his health. Another reason is that as Prabhudas has always lived by himself, he has not come into contact with anybody. Whatever the reason, we have to make the effort and then acquiesce in whatever result God brings about.”

THE BOMBAY CHRONICLE, 19-10-1933:

“At the conclusion of the ceremony addressing the couple Gandhiji said that this was an inter-provincial marriage and not an inter-caste one. He had no hesitation in advocating inter-caste marriages under well-defined limitations, for he believed that there was no Varna or division in the original sense of the term and that limiting marriage to the same division or Varna was never its distinguishing feature. He drew the attention of the couple to the fact that marriage was not intended to indulge in one’s passions but to impose a restraint upon them. He hoped that both of them would make service of the country their mission in life and then they would find that their joint life would be one of happiness, contentment and increasing self-restraint. It gave him much pleasure to find that the bride came from an Arya Samajist family. His relations with the Arya Samajists, he continued, had always been intimate, although they knew that there were honest differences between them. This marriage had brought them nearer.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, October 11, 1934:

“I will check the figures and if they are useful, I will publish them in Harijan. Is it not true that if we buy the same quantity of Japanese cloth, it will be costlier than khadi? We have to examine our case as critics. You have given up the Magan spinning-wheel, have you not? I have examined the results of Vinoba’s modifications in the method of plying takli. In one hour, 500 rounds of yarn on takli are not that wonderful? In competition with it, the charkha will most often lose. I do not have to say anything if you take care of your health.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, November 19, 1934:

“The pipal tree will get cut down when the right time arrives. You should go on with your work. Vinoba has carefully gone through the article you sent me. I, of course had read it. All of us feel that your figures are exaggerated. You state that foreign cloth costs four annas a yard, swadeshi three annas a yard and that khadi is even cheaper than that. How can that be? Think over this. Moreover, you say that khadi is more durable. Is this true? Also, is it true that foreign cloth is less durable than the swadeshi mill-cloth? Think over all this.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, April 16, 1935:

“You should make it a rule always to write your address at the top of the letter. The paper on which you have written your letter is of the finest quality. It cannot be hand-made paper. Go and see for yourself and assure yourself whether it is so or not. Let me know its price, size, etc. Who makes that paper? What daily wage does he get for the work and similar details? I have still not received the ink-and-pen-stand. What do you do for your share of milk?”

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, April 29, 1935:

“I did get the figures about jaggery and sugar sent by you. I have found no exaggeration in them. They lie buried in other papers. I will look for them today. If no paper is available there, it might perhaps be unnecessary to order new paper to be made. Where such paper cannot be procured at all, I would not consider it right for a poor man to get it from outside and use it. That you are able to get milk is welcome news. If despite your effort, you cannot obtain cow’s milk, use goats.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, July 29, 1935:

“I liked the charkha made by you and therefore tried hard and have mastered it. I even made some improvements in it which occurred to me. But I could not pass your budget. How can I find two persons? It may be possible if you can persuade Maruti or Lakshmidas. But, as the saying is, one cannot go to heaven without oneself dying. I, therefore, feel that you will have to rely on yourself. I will do what I can. Your sphere of work has been fixed and you cannot, therefore, leave Gularia. Do what you can there. I will show your letter to Ishwarlal, Vinoba and Kaka. Let this, however, not upset you in any way. My figures regarding spinning seem all right. You are completely mistaken about village industries. Even if you were to list twice as many industries as you have done, you will still not be able to show that the variation in wage follows any fixed rule. The disparity is as between men and women and does not follow the principle that the greater the risk the higher the wage. Nature has lain it down that all have equal needs. Indeed all the workers should be paid at the same rate. You have seen equality in inequality here, but that is fallacy. Think over the matter again. I agree that those who are receiving more wages today will not agree to accept less. That does not worry me. I shall be satisfied if those who are getting less receive justice. If all people become wise or good, they would accept equal payment for every work. Work will then become yajna. But that time is far away. It will be enough if we progress towards it. I will go through Gopinathji’s article when I get it and send it back to you. I do not know how far you are right in praising it. I had heard something to the contrary. However, I paid no attention to it.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, October 24, 1935:

“Do not mind it being so long. I am sending a copy of it to Shankerlal. I would not at any time advice either you or Amba to leave Guleria. I would regard it as humiliating for you to do so. Your description of the three circumstances there is correct. Till a person has spent ten years in the same village, nothing can be said as to whether he has succeeded or failed. I simply do not believe that your stay in Guleria is failing in its purpose. I have such blind faith in your uprightness that I have never believed that you have failed in your purpose in staying there. Nor do I believe that you have lost anything yourself by staying there. I am trying to get the Magan spinning-wheel. Only if I do not get it from anywhere will I send for it from you. I am ready to buy ten thousand rupees worth of jaggery. I will pay even a higher price. But you should have the price fixed in advance before proceeding in the matter. Some limit must be fixed for the price. Unless that is done, the business cannot be carried on. The total quantity may be divided into cubes of one pound each and the cubes may be wrapped in paper of good quality. Do not mind if doing so increases the labour charges. I will certainly be able to obtain for it a price up to a certain limit. I understand what you say regarding the saree. I will try to get some tamarind from the market and make the experiment.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, August 19, 1936:

“You should have written earlier but better late than never. You seem to have made yourself unhappy for some things without any reason. But what wisdom can I give you from this distance? For, you showed wisdom in not calling over Kashi. Our family is where we live. We should be content with what help they give. I still advise you not to work beyond your strength. We are not omnipotent like God that we can help all people in all their troubles. We may go only as far as our strength permits. The baby is not likely to derive much benefit from glucose. As for cod-liver oil, I do not like it at all. If, however, you are very keen on it, you also may do as others do. You yourself have taken it. So have Kusum and Navin. It may possibly help.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, December 14, 1936:

“I do hear about you but it is good that you yourself wrote. It is indeed welcome news to me that you are getting steadier in mind and that all three of you keep quite well. May all your noble aspirations be fulfilled? Those who have grown up in the Ashram or have been supported by it are for the present at any rate abandoning the Ashram ideals. I feel very good when at such a time I find anyone clinging to those ideals. You seem to have greatly improved your handwriting.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, March 22, 1940

“I have gone through your long letter regarding the idea I put forward at Malikanda. There seems to have been some misunderstanding. If possible, I wish to give a daily wage of eight annas right from today. However, what should we do if those who will wear the cloth cannot afford the resulting price? Crores of people will have to purchase the khadi which they wear. Only if khadi is thus purchased and worn by people, will the sisters who spin may earn a living. If everybody were to spin the yarn required for his clothes himself, spinning as a profession would cease. The spinner would be unable to make a living. That would be the situation. I am asking Krishnadas to think over all these problems. You need to go deeper into the matter. I will try to solve your difficulty through correspondence. If you wish, you may come over when you get the time to do so. You had placed on my table some figures related to spinning. I do not find them. Send me the figures again.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, March 22, 1940:

“I have gone through your long letter regarding the idea I put forward at Malikanda. There seems to have been some misunderstanding. If possible, I wish to give a daily wage of eight annas right from today. However, what should we do if those who will wear the cloth cannot afford the resulting price? Crores of people will have to purchase the khadi which they wear. Only if khadi is thus purchased and worn by people, will the sisters who spin may earn a living. If everybody were to spin the yarn required for his clothes himself, spinning as a profession would cease. The spinner would be unable to make a living. That would be the situation. I am asking Krishnadas to think over all these problems. You need to go deeper into the matter. I will try to solve your difficulty through correspondence. If you wish, you may come over when you get the time to do so. You had placed on my table some figures related to spinning. I do not find them. Send me the figures again.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, May 25, 1940:

“You may come whenever you wish to. Accommodation will be found for you. A number of buildings have now been put up the rest when we meet or, in case you do not come, when the question is decided. Krishna is still at Nasik.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, June 12, 1940:

“You do not seem to have received the letter I wrote to you in reply to yours. Hence I repeat here what I said in that letter. Come over here for some days. You have even expressed your desire that Vinoba should explain your idea to me in detail. Krishnadas will be arriving here before the 15th. It is not right that you should fall ill so often. It is not necessary to eat like a labourer in order to live as he does. If the body consents, one must eat. I will see about. I will have to find.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, December 4, 1940:

“You are unnecessarily crying your heart out. The success or otherwise of one’s life is measured not by the result but by the motive. The world will always see the result. To God, result is nothing because He himself is its master. It is sufficient that you have tried and are still trying. I am not writing separately to Kashi. That Amba had a safe delivery is welcome news. Indira’s progress appears to be good. I will not write separately to them either. Manojna’s Bachu also was operated upon at the same time. The operation was wholly successful. I had a letter saying that he keeps quite cheerful. Take care of your health. You need not be in a hurry to court imprisonment. There is no special merit in it, though I do not rule out the idea altogether. Explain to me further why you wish to court imprisonment. If Kashi keeps good health, she may certainly go. If you wish that she does so from there, let it be so.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, October 15, 1944:

“I read your letter written on the Rentia Baras day and also read the one written by Chi. Amba alias Sujata. Why should we fear death when we know that wherever we are we are dancing in the jaws of death and they may close any moment to swallow us? Why should we worry about it? One day we have to leave this world, then why not today? We are also aware that death is not the end of the atman. What Tulsiramji says is true but we should not regard it as a rigid law. In the prevailing circumstances your taking a lawyer’s help or writing yourself whatever you wish to write is certainly proper. It may also be your duty. I was glad to read your syllabus. You should not give up your study of Urdu. You will progress even if you devote half an hour or 15 minutes to it every day.”

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, May 22, 1945:

“I saw your note at the bottom of the letter from Kailas. Mridulabehn is still here. A few days back I received your letter to Bapa and also that of Chimanlal. Both the letters are good. There is a different version also. I have already received it. If I have the time, I shall find out more. I have noted your programme. You have made the right decision. Amba will like it there and only there will she be able to look after her health. You will shine wherever you go and you will be in demand. So your place is wherever there is work. However, you should think about your family also.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, November 17, 1947:

“I admit it is my failure that I could not write to you in my own hand. But these days there are a great many instances of such failure on my part. Strength is limited and work is heavy. Today is silence-day and I am therefore able to write this letter, though, to be sure, the shoulder is feeling the strain now. I am sad that you have fallen ill again. But one must pay the penalty demanded of the body. You did well in going to Calcutta again. I hope they will carry out a successful operation now. Janakibehn had exactly the same trouble. As a last resort you have Ramanama. But its success depends on one condition being fulfilled, like the success of any other experiment. Ramanama has its full effect only when it proceeds from the heart. The habit of mechanical repetition must of course be formed in any case. From the lips it may by and by sink into the heart. That is why we pray aloud.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, Phagun Sudi 11:

“If you do not find it strenuous, make it a rule to write at least once a week. You have asked four questions but all of them seem to originate from one issue and that has arisen either due to misunderstanding or loss of memory. I have not commented on your reading Tulsidas, Akho, etc., but you had expressed a desire to learn geology also, and that I had criticized a little. I regard it as superficial knowledge. It is not that this desire is base. The only thing is that even if a person strives to imbibe such knowledge, he will gain very little. My intention was only to say that one should be satisfied with what he easily gets. Reading from Tulsidas cannot be considered pursuit of superficial knowledge. It is only an external means of gaining knowledge of the self. But study of geology, etc., is superficial knowledge. It is a different thing if it helps someone in acquiring knowledge of the self. I did not want to go so deep into the subject, nor did I want you to do that. In youth, everyone feels like gaining knowledge of such science. That’s justified too. The intention of my criticism was to reduce the intensity of such desire. However, I will not have any objection if you can easily find a person who has a thorough knowledge of geology and from whom you can easily learn. I will not consider such knowledge useless. One who has given his heart to God will use even that knowledge in praise of Him. Now, I hope I do not have to clarify the difference between true knowledge and superficial knowledge. Should I assume from your letter that there is a slight improvement in your health?” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, Saturday:

“There is a difference between thoughts and fancies. Man falls through fancies and becomes a prey to worrying, thoughts mature him. In the sentence, ‘This man is ever thinking’, ‘thinking’ means ‘worrying’. You should give that up. But it is essential that we use our judgement and discriminate between our good and bad tendencies. By thinking systematically in this matter, we become mature. You should not worry or indulge in fancies while plying the spinning-wheel. If impure thoughts forcibly invade your mind, you should, with equal energy, force yourself to think differently. He, who is devoted to his work, has no time to indulge in useless thoughts. Always remember that there is One Witness to all our thoughts. How can we entertain impure thoughts in the presence of that Witness? Take this to be the meaning of the verse, ‘It ceases when the Supreme is seen’. Who, after seeing the Supreme, can take pleasure in the objects of the senses? We do not know the atman. That is why we commit sins every day. If we but know that He sees our thoughts also, then, just as we are ashamed to commit any sin in the presence of our dearest friend, we would, if we are definitely convinced that our atman always stands there as a witness, be ashamed of thinking impure thoughts or doing impure things. How, then, can hypocrisy remain in us? Lakshmidas and Velanbehn are generous. They will certainly forgive you. But it is your atman’s forgiveness that you really need. Once you have become pure, you will as a matter of course is forgiven. It is not in the nature of the atman to be impure. So, if the impurity has left you, it has left you for good. When even the worst of sinners becomes clean, he can stand on a footing of equality with one who has committed no sin at any time. There is no distinction of high and low in the state of moksha. When that one indescribable state is attained, it is the same for all. All of us commit sins. But manliness lies in seeing and recognizing them and then destroying them. You committed sins. But you need not feel frightened for that reason. If you do not desist from sins even after knowing that they are sins, then indeed you will have great reason to feel frightened. But now you know that they were sins. Having known that, why need you fear? Be alert and suppress that disturbing impulse.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI, Silence day:

“May you live long and succeed in realizing your ambitions. I consider plying of the spinning-wheel the best activity if it does not affect your health. Whatever one does cheerfully is good for health. It would be a big achievement if spinning-wheel becomes successful. Even if it does not succeed, I consider some such experiment on a limited scale worth doing. I will consider it a significant change if you have understood the importance of prayer and it becomes a regular feature. Write to me about the students whenever you wish to. I hope to reach Madras on the 23rd. Ba has gone to Bombay for the sake of Devdas. Can you give some weaving assignment to Chhotelal? He would not go to a place where there is no weaving work.” 

LETTER TO PRABHUDAS GANDHI:

“It has made me very happy. Do not worry and improve your health. That even in illness, you have not lost your calm is no mean achievement. Now, I want you to observe complete self-control in building up your body. After recovering from illness, the mind craves for food. Do not listen to the doctors. It is better to eat only as much as you can digest. Even in the matter of exercise, do only as much as you easily can. It is better for a person who knows his own strength to depend less on what others say. Get up only when you can. Do not force yourself into any activity. Keep on writing to me from time to time.”