E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

Five Fallacies … 119(Dharma) embraces economic, political and otherproblems." (2) "The Dharma which is opposed to trueeconomics is no religion - nor that which is opposed to truepolitics. Economics devoid of religion should be shunned, andpolitical power uninformed with the spirit of Dharma issatanic. There is no such thing as Dharma unrelated toeconomic and other activities. Individuals and society bothsurvive through Dharma, and perish without it." (3) To aperson whose life is dedicated to Dharma, politics, economics,etc. are all aspects of Dharma, and he cannot leave out any ofthem. …It is therefore inconceivable to me that I might someday give up politics, social service etc. for the sake ofDharma." 4 Thus, Gandhi says that a man of Dharma cannotexclude political activity. He himself had entered politics tomake it "Dharmamaya". He said to Lord Montague, that “hecould not lead a religious life unless he identified himself withthe whole of mankind, and that he could not do unless he tookpart in politics."In fact, he went further and said that a man of Dharma,was better fitted to take part in political activity because of hisselflessness and fearlessness; and he, therefore argued thatpolitical activity was an essential duty of the Sadhu."If the Sanyasins of old did not seem to bother theirheads about the political life of society, it was because societywas differently constructed. But politics, properly so called,rule every detail of our lives today. We come in touch, that is tosay, with the State, on hundreds of occasions whether we willor no. The State affects our moral being. A Sanyasin, therefore,being a well-wisher and servant par excellence of society, mustconcern himself with the relations of the people with the state;that is to say, he must 'show the way to the people to attainSwaraj. Thus conceived, Swaraj is not a false goal for anyone.A Sanyasin having attained Swaraj in his own person is thefittest to show us the way. A Sanyasin is in the world, but he is