Vinoba Bhave
Bhoodan Movement | |
---|---|
Honours | Ramon Magsaysay Award (1958) Bharat Ratna (1983) |
Website | vinobabhave |
Vinayak Narahari Bhave, also known as Vinoba Bhave (
Early life and background
Vinayak Narahari Bhave was born on 11 September 1895 in a small village called Gagoji (present-day Gagode Budruk) in
A report in the newspapers about Gandhi's speech at the newly founded
Bhave went to
Bhave was arrested several times during the 1920s and 1930s and served a five-year jail sentence in the 1940s for leading non-violent resistance to
Career
Freedom struggle
He was associated with Mahatma Gandhi in the Indian independence movement. He stayed for some time at Gandhi's Sabarmati ashram in a cottage that was named after him, 'Vinoba Kutir'. He gave talks on the Bhagavad Gita in Marathi to his fellow ashramites. These were later published in book form, as Talks on the Gita, and it has been translated into many languages both in India and elsewhere. Bhave felt that the source of these talks was something from above and he believed that its influence would endure even if his other works were forgotten.
In the year 1940, he was chosen by Gandhi to be the first individual Satyagrahi (an individual standing up for Truth instead of a collective action) against the British rule.[8] It is said that Gandhi envied and respected Bhave's celibacy, a vow he made in his adolescence, in fitting with his belief in the Brahmacharya principle. Bhave also participated in the Quit India Movement.
Religious and social work
Bhave's religious outlook was very broad and it synthesized the truths of many religions. This can be seen in one of his hymns "Om Tat Sat" which contains symbols of many religions. His slogan "जय जगत्" (Jay Jagat) i.e. "victory to the world" finds reflection in his views about the world as a whole.
Bhave 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
Bhave said, "I have walked all over India for 13 years. In the backdrop of the enduring perpetuity of my life's work, I have established 6 ashrams."
Brahma Vidya Mandir
The Brahma Vidya Mandir was founded in 1959 in Paunar, Maharashtra and is one of the ashrams established by Bhave. It was created for women to become self-sufficient and practice non-violence within the community. They used Gandhi's beliefs, which was heavily influenced by the Bhagavad-Gita, to aid in agricultural practices that were non-violent and produce sustainable food. The community performed prayers as a group every day, reciting from the Isha Upanishad at dawn, the Vishnu Sahasranama at mid-morning, and the Bhagavad-Gita in the evening. As of today, there are around 25 women who are members of the community and several men have also been allowed to join the community.[9]
BVM's existence demonstrates how a self sufficient community can apply non-violence and radical democracy to their own social and geographic context in food production. One mainstream narrative is that large-scale agriculture is "inevitable, necessary, and the sole possibility of feeding the world" and relies on expensive technology. However, BVM rejects this narrative and continues to use Gandhian principles in agriculture such as nonviolence. Unfortunately, BVM is a small community in India and does not hold much power to promote its beliefs and practices in the mainstream. Most agricultural practices in India has adopted US-style consumerism. BMV is still important as its ideals can help shape agriculture for the better and focus less on profit.[9]
Literary career
Vinoba Bhave was a scholar, thinker, and writer who produced numerous books. He was a translator who made Sanskrit texts accessible to the common man. He was also an orator and linguist with an excellent command of several languages (Marathi, Kannada, Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, English, and Sanskrit).
Bhave was an innovative social reformer. He called "Kannada" script the "Queen of World Scripts" (Vishwa Lipigala Raani).. His views of Dnyaneshwar's poetry and works by other Marathi saints are pretty brilliant and a testimony to the breadth of his intellect.
Bhave had translated the Bhagavad Gita into Marathi. He was deeply influenced by the Gita and attempted to imbibe its teachings into his life, often stating that "The Gita is my life's breath".[12]
Vinoba Bhave University, located in Hazaribagh district in the state of Jharkhand, is named after him.
Vinoba Bhave and Land Donation Movement
On 18 April 1951,
Later life and death
Bhave spent the later part of his life at his Brahma Vidya Mandir ashram in Paunar in Wardha district of Maharashtra. He died on 15 November 1982 after refusing food and medicine for a few days by accepting "Samadhi Maran" / "Santhara" as described in Jainism.[16] Then the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, who was visiting Moscow to attend the funeral of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, cut short her visit to be at the Bhave's funeral.[17]
Criticism
Awards and recognition
In 1958 Bhave was the first recipient of the international Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership.[19] He was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1983.[20]
Vinoba Bhave, The Man, a documentary film on the social-reformer directed by
Select bibliography
- — (1957). Bhoodan Yajna: Land-Gifts Mission. Navajivan Publ. House. OCLC 917003189.
- — (1969). The Essence of the Christian Teachings. Sangh. OCLC 916980559.
- — (1972). The Third Power. Sangh. OCLC 916982570.
- — (1973). Swaraj Sastra: The Principles of A Non-Violent Political Order. Sangh. OCLC 916982656.
- — (1977). Democratic Values and the Practice of Citizenship: Selections from the Addresses of Vinoba Bhave, 1951-1960. Sarva Seva Sangh Prakashan. OCLC 312995346.
- — (1977). Dharma Samanvaya (in Hindi). Naī Dillī; Gāṃdhī Śānti Pratiṣṭhāna. OCLC 314472587.
- — (1978). The Essence of the Quran. Sangh. OCLC 916980560.
- — (1982). Talks on the Gita (8th ed.). Sarva-Seva-Sangh-Prakashan. OCLC 20472526.
- — (1982). Women's Power. Sangh. OCLC 916980145.
- — (1985). Thoughts on Education. Sarva Seva Sangh Prakashan. OCLC 311456183.
- — (2006). Moved By Love. Translated by Sykes, Marjorie. P. Cholkar. OCLC 875768248.
See also
- List of peace activists
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
- Gandhism
- Lanza del Vasto
- Shakuntala Choudhary
References
- ^ Umarji, Vinay (13 June 2016), "Know Your Smart City: Gujarat", Business Standard
- ^ "Geetai".
- ISBN 9788128017506.
- ^ Kumarappa B. ed. (1954) Gandhi M. Nature cure. Navajivan Publishing House.
- ^ "The Nisargopachar Ashram – Naturopathic Centre Urulikanchan, Pune". aarogya.com.
- ^ "Desai, Manibhai Bhimbhai". rmaf.org.ph.
- ISBN 978-8132105572.
- ISBN 978-0-7148-4103-8.
- ^ S2CID 144900086.
- ^ "Kannada Language: Check These 7 Amazing Facts About The Queen of Languages!". Jagranjosh.com. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ Chai, The Masala (3 June 2021). "Kannada Is Known As The 'Queen of World Scripts': Vinoba Bhave". Masala Chai Media. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-88706-298-8
- ^ www.mkgandhi.org
- ^ The Un-Gandhian Gandhi: The Life and Afterlife of Mahatma – By Claude Markovits
- ^ "The King of Kindness: Vinoba Bhave and His Nonviolent Revolution". Markshep.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-7914-3261-7.
- OCLC 751652796.
- ISBN 9788177643411.
- ^ Biography of Vinoba Bhave. rmaf.org.ph
- ^ List of Bharat Ratna Awardees recipients accessed in January 2010
- ^ "Vinoba Bhave The Man - Films Division". Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
- ISBN 9780851706696. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
Further reading
- Vinoba Bhave: The Man and His Mission, by P. D. Tandon. Published by Vora, 1954.
- India's Walking Saint: The Story of Vinoba Bhave, by Hallam Tennyson. Published by Doubleday, 1955.
- Acharya Vinoba Bhave, by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India, Published by Publications Division, Government of India, 1955.
- India's Social Miracle: The Story of Acharya Vinoba Bhave and His Movement for Social Justice and Cooperation, Along with a Key to America's Future and the Way for Harmony Between Man, Nature, and God, by Daniel P. Hoffman. He is published by Naturegraph Co., 1961.
- Sarvodaya Ideology & Acharya Vinoba Bhave, by V. Narayan Karan Reddy. Published by Andhra Pradesh Sarvodaya Mandal, 1963.
- Vinoba Bhave on self-rule & representative democracy, by Michael W. Sonnleitner. Published by Promilla & Co., 1988. ISBN 978-81-85002-10-1.
- Struggle for Independence : Vinoba Bhave, by Shiri Ram Bakshi. Published by Anmol Publications, 1989.
- Philosophy of Vinoba Bhave: A New Perspective in Gandhian Thought, by Geeta S. Mehta. Published by Himalaya Pub. House, 1995. ISBN 978-81-7493-054-5.
- Vinoba Bhave – Vyakti Ani Vichar (a book in Marathi) by Dr Anant D. Adawadkar, Published by Jayashri Prakashan, Nagpur.
- Vinoba Darshan – a pictorial biography with philosophical views
External links
- Vinoba Bhave's Geetai Audio Book
- Vinoba Bhave's Geetai PDF
- Website to spread the thoughts, philosophy and works of Vinoba Bhave
- The King of Kindness: Vinoba Bhave and His Nonviolent Revolution Archived 14 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- Citation for 1958 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership
- Vinoba Bahve – his work on leprosy (with photo 1979)
- A Man on Foot – Time magazine cover page article dated Monday, 11 May 1953