E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

118 Contextualising Gandhian Thoughtfact, Gandhi's major contribution was that he proved thevalidity of Truth and Non-violence even in the most mundaneof man's activities, the market-place as well as the force orpolitical or public life. For him political activity thus became aninstrument with which to seek and establish the regime ofTruth.(c) In his Autobiography, Gandhi identifies the goal ofhis life as Moksha, and Dharma as the means to attain it.Moksha is a comprehensive goal. It includes not only liberationfrom the cycle of birth and death, but also life as a free man in afree society, - Swaraj in the spiritual sphere as well as themundane sphere. As true Swaraj was indivisible, so was trueDharma. It was the means that led to Swaraj in both spheres.To Gandhi, therefore, the goal was one and the same-freedom;and the means was one and the same-Dharma, as identified inthe Vratas.True Dharma cannot be compartmentalised. Unless itheld sway, as the law and the guide in all' spheres of mundanelife it was no Dharma. There is no field of man's life that istherefore outside the field of Dharma. "All that I do by way of'speaking and writing, and all my ventures in the political fieldare directed to the same and ..." 3In the case of Dharma, Gandhi holds that (1) TrueDharma is that which is equally applicable to all activities oflife; (2) what claims to be Dharma - but ignores or shies awayfrom everyday life and its relentless situations and activities isno Dharma at all; (3) A man who lives the life of Dharma andseeks Moksha has no escape from political activity. His aimshould 'be to 'spiritualise politics'; and one cannot spiritualisepolitics by treating it 'as too unholy to be touched, or by stayingout of it, and praying.Now let us look at each of these statements:(1) "I believe that from its very nature religion