Question

Mahatma Gandhi on Satyagraha It is said of “passive resistance” that it is the weapon of the weak, but the power which is the subject of this article can be used only by the strong. This power is not passive resistance; indeed it calls for intense activity. The movement in South Africa was not passive but active... Satyagraha is not physical force. A satyagrahi does not inflict pain on the adversary; he does not seek his destruction... In the use of satyagraha, there is no ill-will whatever. Satyagraha is pure soul-force. Truth is the very substance of the soul. That is why this force is called satyagraha. The soul is informed with knowledge. In it burns the flame of love... Nonviolence is the supreme dharma... ‘It is certain that India cannot rival Britain or Europe in force of arms. The British worship the war-god and they can all of them become, as they are becoming, bearers of arms. The hundreds of millions in India can never carry arms. They have made the religion of non-violence their own...’

Read the text carefully. What did Mahatma Gandhi mean when he said satyagraha is active resistance?

Answer 1

1. Satyagraha does not mean inflicting pain on the adversary; rather, it refers to the source of the soul.
2. Truth is the substance of the soul, and it is also the substance of Satyagraha.
3. It does not mean destruction, but rather clearing adversaries’ minds and converting negative thoughts into constructive ones by demonstrating love, compassion, and truth.