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1. Letter to Purushottam D. Saraiya 2. Letter to Valji G

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1. Letter to Purushottam D. Saraiya 2. Letter to Valji G 1. LETTER TO PURUSHOTTAM D. SARAIYA February 10, 1932 CHI. KAKU, I got your letter written in a beautiful hand. You have plenty of things to write about. Even if you give an account of what you did during the last year, you will have enough material. You should regard spinning as yajna and do it regularly. Blessings from BAPU From Gujarati: C.W. 2807. Courtesy: Purushottam D. Saraiya 2. LETTER TO VALJI G. DESAI February 10, 1932 BHAISHRI VALJI, I got the packet sent by you. I will look into the translation at least, as and when I get time and let you know when I finish it. I have already replied1 to your previous letter. Blessings from BAPU From a photostat of the Gujarati: C.W. 7419. Courtesy: Valji G. Desai 3. LETTER TO VANAMALA N. PARIKH February 10, 1932 CHI. VANAMALA, You get five marks for your handwriting. You will get eight if you leave space between the words and use a good pen. Why does man have no root? A man carries his root wherever he goes. A tree has its root under the ground because it comes out of the ground. Man is born from his mother’s body, and his root also comes out with him at the time of his birth. One may say that the navel is his root. If 1Vide “Letter to Valji G. Desai”, 3-2-1932 VOL. 55 : 10 FEBRUARY, 1932 - 15 JUNE, 1932 1 this is not clear to you, show this letter to Premabehn and ask her to explain its meaning to you. Blessings from BAPU From a photostat of the Gujarati: G.N. 5764. Also C.W. 2987. Courtesy: Vanamala M. Desai 4. LETTER TO NARAYAN M. KHARE February 10, 1932 CHI. PANDITJI, I got Barve’s book. I will dip into it when I get time. Your explanation about the first doubt is quite correct. I have felt that that is the implication of Chapter XVII. Ultimately one has to rely on faith. We see again and again that what seems to be the truth to one does not often appear so to others. However, to follow truth as one sees it is like walking on the razor’s edge. Anyone who tries to do so ought to remain wide awake and rigidly follow all the rules and restrictions. The lazy, the licentious, and the hypocrites can claim no right to act according to their view of truth. That privilege belongs only to the sadhak, the seeker after truth. As for the second doubt, I think that the sadhak will not trouble himself with deciding what is and what is not for general good. He would say that he was not interested in the question, and that universal good lay in truth since truth was the supreme Being. While all other names of God suggested only one aspect of His, truth signified His perfect essence, so that a person who opposed truth could never accomplish anybody’s good. Truth necessitates harmony of thought, speech and act. That is, one must follow truth as one sees it and always be faithful to it in thought, speech and action. But a false notion is widely prevalent among us. We are not always bound to answer a question asked by anyone. There is no violation of truth in refraining from giving an answer. To keep silent when it is one’s duty to reply to a question amounts to telling a lie. For example, if my father asked me whether I had stolen a piece of gold, I would be bound to answer the question. However, if even my father asked me whether somebody had stolen a thing, I would not be bound to answer. If, therefore, I did not reply, I would not be telling a lie. I remember the chapter in 2 THE COLLECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI Gitarahasya1. I did not agree with the suggestion in it. If you tell a lie under force of circumstances, you are certainly not telling the truth. There never can be an occasion when one must tell a lie. If there can be such an occasion, then it would follow that the principle of following truth in speech and action wasimperfect. There can be no exception to a principle, and hence there can be no atonement for untruth spoken knowingly. Or the only possible atonement would be never to do so again. Atonement is possible only when some error is committed in ignorance. I think that this answers your second question too. Ask again if anything is still left out. I have not revised this letter. Blessings from BAPU From a photostat of the Gujarati: C.W. 222. Courtesy: Lakshmibehn N. Khare 5. LETTER TO SHARDA C. SHAH February 10, 1932 CHI. SHARDA, What you have written is as good as saying that you like pakodas but not chapatis. But a person whose body acquires such a tendency should be considered diseased. A healthy person will never be able to satisfy his hunger by eating pakodas. He would ask only for bread. The same is true about the Gita. Once your mind has awakened, you are bound to like the Gita. You must think that there is something still lacking so long as you cannot like the Gita. But I, who prepare such recipes, should also be blamed. My prescription of the Gita for you is defective and that is the reason why you are not able to absorb it. What is the remedy? Blessings from BAPU From the Gujarati original: C.W. 9944. Courtesy: Shardabehn G. Chokhawala 1 A commentary on the Gita by B. G. Tilak VOL. 55 : 10 FEBRUARY, 1932 - 15 JUNE, 1932 3 6. LETTER TO MIRABEHN February 11, 1932 CHI. MIRA, I have your letter which consoles me. Those who believe in God’s guidance just do the best they can and never worry. The sun has never been known to have suffered from overstrain and yet who slaves with such unexampled regularity as he! And why should we think that the sun is inanimate? The difference between him and us may bethat he has no choice, we have a margin no matter how precarious it may be. But no more speculation of this sort. Suffice it for us that we have his brilliant example in the matter of tireless energy. If we completely surrender ourselves to His will and really become ciphers, we too voluntarily give up the right of choice and then we need no wear and tear. I have just commenced almond paste instead of milk. I was daily decreasing the quantity of milk because it was not suiting me. It may be that while I am resting, I do not need animal proteid. I am simply trying. Therefore, if you have more almond paste we had in London, please bring the bottles with you. Just now I am flourishing on dates, tomatoes and almond paste, of course with lemon and honey water twice during 24 hours. It is too early yet to say how I shall fare without milk. I shall not do anything consciously to injure my health, much as I would love to give up milk altogether. There may be no time for you to tell me when you come, therefore let me know by letter how you washed the woollen blankets. Did you soak them in cold water or warm and how long? How much Lux did you use, in how much water? I propose to use powdered Apana soap. I am in no hurry. I take it that you share my letters with the Ashram and that you get from the Ashram what may be worth knowing. I had a letter directly from the Privats. They seem to have thoroughly enjoyed their stay and I am glad. Do you ever meet Manilal our host and his wife? If you meet Pyare Ali tell him or send him word not to send any more dates. I have about 20 lb. from Jerajani. Moreover what Pyare Ali gets are old dates and, therefore, they are weevily. 4 THE COLLECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI My love to Damodardas and his people. Love from us both. BAPU [PS.] The accompanying for Nargis. I have heard from Agatha Harrison. She says that Percy Bartlett and Hyam and a university girl are coming.1 I forget the names. But perhaps you have heard from her too. I have Devi West’s letter written to Ba. From a photostat: C.W. 9504, Courtesy: Mirabehn 7. LETTER TO MANU GANDHI February 11, 1932 CHI. MANUDI2, I got your letter. You should serve aunt. You are no longer a child. You are grown-up and can understand things. Aunt has looked after you with great care and shown you much affection too. I would not even know how to show such affection. You should also take care of your [body] and acquire good knowledge. The heap of picture-cards for you is growing bigger. Write to me from time to time. Blessings from BAPU From a photostat of the Gujarati: C.W. 1510. Courtesy: Manubehn Mashruwala 8. LETTER TO MANSHANKAR J. TRIVEDI February 11, 1932 CHI. MANU, I did think of writing to you earlier. But even here I take up some work, and for its sake I postpone doing whatever else I can afford to. I suppose you are thinking hard what you should do but there is 1 These three English Quakers were to visit India “on an independent mission of conciliation”. 2 Daughter of Harilal Gandhi VOL.
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