E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi – His Life & TimesI died as animal and I was man.What should I fear? When was I less by dying?A woman might become a man in the next incarnation, and vice versa. SomeHindus would like to feel that at rebirth they will still be members of the samefamily though their relationship may be altered; a husband and wife may bebrother and sister, for instance, or sister and brother. Men with femininepropensities might turn into women in the coming incarnation; a person who isblood thirsty and vicious may fall to animal status; a spiritual merchant may bereborn a Brahman. A greedy Brahman may be reborn in tbe merchant caste.Thus conduct alters inheritance, but once caste rank is fixed in any oneincarnation it becomes destiny-According to this doctrine, an untouchable is merely doing penance; tointerrupt it by raising his status robs him of a possible ticket to a high caste inthe next incarnation. This prospect reconciles religious untouchables to theircurrent misery.An untouchable is exactly that; he must not touch a caste Hindu or anything acaste Hindu touches. Obviously, he should not enter a Hindu temple, home, orshop. In villages, the untouchables live on the lowest outskirts into which dirtywaters drain; in cities they inhabit the worst sections of the world's worstslums. If, by mischance, a Hindu should come into contact with an untouchableor something touched by an untouchable he must purge himself throughreligiously prescribed ablutions. Indeed, in some areas, this is incumbent uponhim even if the shadow of an untouchable falls on him, for that too pollutes. Onthe Malabar Coast, untouchables are warned by a loud noise to quit the roadand its immediate environs at the approach of a caste Hindu.Hindus are expected to bathe once a day, and water for washing the hands andprivate parts is available in the most primitive toilets. Hindus also take specialpride in the cleanliness of their personal pots, pans and drinking vessels. AHindu will smoke a huka water pipe or a cigarette through his fist withoutletting it touch his lips, and he often pours water into his mouth instead ofsipping it. 'This sense of cleanliness', Nehru notes, 'is not scientific and the manwww.mkgandhi.org Page 160