A respectful homage to Vonoba Bhave as flashed on the f.b. on Feb.15,2011.

Bishwa Nath Singh


Let us not forget one who was an ardent disciple of Mahatma Gandhi and founder of Sarvodaya and Bhoodan movements, a great thinker and writer, linguist and propagator of peace, who had led a life of absolute celibacy who was born on September 11,1895 and had passed away on November 17, 1982. and was posthumously honored with the Country’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna in 1983. ! He was none else than Acharya Vinoba Bhave.Let us have glimpse of his life in brief and pay our respectful homage to him!

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(Photo of Vonoba Bhave)

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Bishwa Nath Singh :
Vinayak Narahari Bhave, popularly known as Acharya Vinoba Bhave was born at Gagoda, in the Kolaba district of Maharashtra on September 11,1895, who was deeply attached to his mother, Rukminibai, inherited her austerity, asceticism and a...ltruism and whereas his father, Narahari Shambhurao, was an ardent advocate of western learning and science. He was a brilliant student. He studied Sanskrit and became proficient in all Hindu scriptural books. He was a self-taught multilinguist. He was drawn to Mahatma Gandhi and his unique weaponless war as a youth. Before Vinoba came into contact with Gandhiji, the perusal of the Dasabodh of Swami Ramdas and Tilak’s writings in Kesari made him resolve to dedicate himself to the service of the country. At Sabarmati he began to expound the Bhagavad Gita. About the Gita, Vinoba said, "In all my actions, Gita has been my guide". Like Mahatmaji, Vinobaji also was very much ahead of his time. His Bhoodan (Gift of Land), Sampattidan (Gift of Wealth), Jeevadan (Gift of Life) and other movements are logical extensions of Gandhiji's program of national reconstruction. Hei was one of the greatest scholar-saints thrown up by the modern Indian renaissance. His talks on the Bhagvad Gita delivered in jail are innovative and inspiring. Though he had a marvelous memory and was a student by nature, he had devoted the largest part of his time to spinning in which he specialized. He believed in universal spinning being the central activity which would remove the poverty in the villages. He abolished every trace of untouchability from his heart. He believed in communal amity. In order to know the best mind of Islam he gave one year to the study of Koran in the original. He, therefore, learnt Arabic. He found this study necessary for cultivating contact with the Muslims living in the neighborhood. The Padayatra (journey) of Vinobaji, which was part of his Bhoodan movement now belongs to history. It was a demonstration of Gandhian doctrine of Trusteeship. Of the many teachings of the Gita which Vinobaji highlighted in his talks, one of the most important was the role of self-help. "The Gita is prepared to go to the lowest, the weakest and the least cultured of men. And it goes to him not to keep him where he is, but to grasp him by the hand and lift him up. The Gita wishes that man should make his action pure and attain the highest state." Acharya Vinoba Bhave was in true sense a great scholar, saint, man of God, moral tribune, a beacon of hope and solace to millions in India and abroad. He was Mahatma Gandhi's spiritual successor. Once he became an ardent follower of the eleven vows, included in Gandhiji's daily prayer, Vinoba shed the last trace of untouchability left in him. One day he consigned to the flames his sacred thread, which signified Brahmin superiority. In his famous Bhoodan campaign, Harijans had a special consideration. As most of them were landless, he decided to distribute one-third of his land gains among Harijans. His aim was to make universal brotherhood a living reality for the rich and the poor alike. He was one of the moving spirits behind the Nagpur Flag Satyagraha. In 1930 he was arrested and sent to prison for participating in the Dandi march. In prison Vinoba dictated his Maxims of Independence. The Sevagram School was the first experimental base for Gandhiji’s educational ideas, which he had translated into practice. After India became free he started the Sarvodaya movement for the establishment of equality Mahatma Gandhi had very rightly said once of Vinoba Ji that he is one of the Ashram’s rare pearls—one of those who have come not to be blessed but to bless, not to receive but to give. He was also a scholar of many languages. Vinoba observed the life of the average Indian living in a village and tried to find solutions for the problems he faced with a firm spiritual foundation. This formed the core of his Sarvodaya meaning awakening of all potentials movement. Another example of this is the Bhoodhan (land gift) movement. He walked all across India asking people with land to consider him as one of their sons and so give him a portion of their land which he then distributed to landless poor. Nonviolence and compassion being a hallmark of his philosophy, he also campaigned against the slaughtering of cows. Vinoba spent the later part of his life at his ashram in Paunar in Maharashtra State of India. He had backed the controversially Indian Emergency imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, calling it Anushasana Parva that is time for discipline. Vinoba Bhave created a very great movement. He walked all over the country for almost twelve or thirteen years, and he created the idea in the mind of the people that this was real revolution, because he was asking from the landlords.... Eighty percent of India is in the villages, and eighty percent of its poor people are in the villages. So Vinoba Bhave would approach the village, sing devotional songs, his disciples would sing devotional songs... and he was considered to be Mahatma Gandhi's spiritual successor, almost a "mini-mahatma."So people would gather, the landlords would gather, and he would talk about our ancient epics Vedas and Upanishads -- which are appealing to the people -- he would talk about Ramayana, to impress the audience wherever he visited on foot. Later on, he would ask, after he had talked to people, that "Those who have lands -- if you have five children, let me be your sixth child. Give me the sixth part of your land and I will distribute it to the poor." And he collected millions of acres of land and got them distributed under the banner of Bhoodan Yagya. Vinoba Bhave created a very great movement. He walked all over the country for almost twelve or thirteen years, and he created the idea in the mind of the people that this was real revolution, because he was asking from the landlords.. Eighty percent of India is in the villages, and eighty percent of its poor people are in the villages. So Vinoba Bhave would approach the village, sing devotional songs, his disciples would sing devotional songs... and he was considered to be Mahatma Gandhi's spiritual successor, almost a "mini-mahatma."So people would gather, the landlords would gather, and he would talk about Vedas and Upanishads -- which are appealing to the people -- he would talk about Ramayana, and give interpretations which are absolutely wrong, but appealing to the people. And he would ask, after he had talked to people, that "Those who have lands -- if you have five children let me be your sixth child. Give me the sixth part of your land and I will distribute it to the poor." And he collected millions of acres of land that were distributed amongst poor and downtrodden People for cultivating that land. He died on November 15, 1982 at the age of eighty seven after refusing food and medicine few days earlier. Some Indians have identified this as an act of a great saga. He was honored with Our Country India’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1983 for being social reformer and independence activist during his life time.Let us join to pay our humble obeisance to the lotus feet of Acharya Vinoba Bhave and respectful homage to him and seek his bliss to give us wisdom and passion to carry out his legacy very truthfully to serve human-being for cause of humanity!

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.Like: 3 people. You, Vandana Kumar Seth and Anil Kumar like this..

Anil Kumar I pay my all respect & homage to the great saint Vinoba ji.

Jed Zimmerman thanks for sharing

Ajay Tiwari Truly great saint ,paying respevc and homage.

Like · 3 people. You, Anand Prakash Singh and Anirudha Mohanta like this..
 
 
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f.b.
Feb.15,2011