Truth, Non-violence and Satyagraha
Domain 2: Truth, Non-violence and Satyagraha
This domain tests the conceptual distinction between satya and ahimsa, the satyagraha method, and the qualifications of a satyagrahi. Expect case-based questions.
Core rules
- Truth: Gandhi's 'Truth is God' (he later preferred this to 'God is Truth') means truth is not merely factual accuracy but moral integrity.
- Ahimsa: positive goodwill, not mere non-killing; it forbids exploitation, humiliation, and coercion.
- Satyagraha: 'holding fast to truth'; soul-force; the satyagrahi must be willing to suffer, not inflict suffering.
- Means: dialogue, arbitration, non-cooperation, civil disobedience, fasting, and constructive work. Fasting is legitimate only when it is self-purification and the opponent remains free to respond; it becomes coercion if used to force a decision.
- Qualifications: truthfulness, fearlessness, self-control, faith in human goodness, and readiness to accept penalty.
Worked example
A college abruptly doubles fees without consultation. A Gandhian response: verify the budget facts; seek a meeting; propose alternatives; if refused, organize a silent refusal to pay the unjust portion while continuing classes; accept disciplinary penalty; publicize only verified facts; keep channels open. Reasoning: the aim is to convert the management, not defeat it; coercion, boycotting individuals, or damaging property would violate ahimsa and destroy the moral advantage.
Traps
- Equating satyagraha with any protest or boycott.
- Treating ahimsa as cowardice; Gandhi distinguished the non-violence of the weak from the non-violence of the strong.
- Saying fasting is always Gandhian; it requires consent, purity, and a clear moral issue.
- Confusing satyagraha with passive resistance, which Gandhi saw as a weaker, expedient strategy.