Society & Welfare
Indian Thinkers
Mahatma Gandhi: Ahimsa, Satyagraha and the Eleven Vows
Gandhi for CGPSC Mains GS-IV: ahimsa, satyagraha, the eleven vows, ends and means, swaraj, sarvodaya, trusteeship, Nai Talim, the talisman and relevance today.
Prerequisites
- Gandhi’s Rise and the Non-Cooperation Movement — Champaran, Kheda, Ahmedabad: satyagraha in practice.
- Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience in Chhattisgarh — the Kandel satyagraha and Gandhi’s visits of 1920 and 1933.
- Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties — the Gandhian principles written into the Constitution.
The Hook: A Canal, a Fine and a Visitor from Sabarmati
Connect
In 1920 the farmers of Kandel (कंडेल) village near Dhamtari were accused of “stealing” canal water and fined. They refused to pay, without violence, and accepted the consequences. Their protest became so well known that Mahatma Gandhi came to Raipur on 20 December 1920. He returned in November 1933 on his Harijan tour against untouchability.
The farmers of Kandel had no weapons and no money. Their only strength was a refusal to obey an unjust order, combined with a willingness to suffer for it. Gandhi called this satyagraha (सत्याग्रह), “holding firmly to truth”. What exactly did Gandhi mean by ahimsa, satyagraha and the eleven vows he asked his ashram to live by, and can a district officer use them today?
Why it matters: The official GS-IV syllabus names Gandhi’s ahimsa, satyagraha and eleven vows. Expect at least one question that asks you to explain these and judge their relevance. Gandhian ideas also supply the conclusion of almost any ethics answer.
Gandhi in Brief
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Life | 2 October 1869 (Porbandar) – 30 January 1948 (Delhi) |
| South Africa | 1893–1914; satyagraha developed there |
| Return to India | 9 January 1915 |
| Ashrams | Satyagraha Ashram at Kochrab (1915), moved to Sabarmati (1917), Ahmedabad; later Sevagram near Wardha |
| Key writings | Hind Swaraj (1909); Satyagraha in South Africa; An Autobiography, or The Story of My Experiments with Truth; From Yeravda Mandir (ashram observances); Constructive Programme |
| Journals | Indian Opinion (South Africa), Young India, Navajivan, Harijan |
| Influences | The Bhagavad Gita, Jain ideas of non-violence (and his friend Raychandbhai), Tolstoy (The Kingdom of God Is Within You), Ruskin (Unto This Last), Thoreau (Civil Disobedience), the Sermon on the Mount |
1. Truth (सत्य): The Foundation
- Truth is Gandhi’s highest value. He first said “God is Truth” and later reversed it to “Truth is God”, so that even an atheist who seeks truth is included.
- Relative and absolute truth: we see only relative truth, so we must be humble, open to correction and never impose our truth by force. This is why truth leads to non-violence.
- “Ahimsa is the means; Truth is the end.”
2. Ahimsa (अहिंसा): Non-violence
| Aspect | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Negative | Not to injure any living being in thought, word or deed |
| Positive | Active love and goodwill, even towards the wrongdoer: “hate the sin, not the sinner” |
| Of the brave | Non-violence is for the strong. He wrote that where the only choice is between cowardice and violence, he would advise violence; but non-violence is infinitely superior to both |
| Of the weak | Non-violence adopted only because one cannot fight is not true ahimsa |
| Self-suffering | The non-violent person accepts suffering rather than inflicting it, to change the opponent’s heart |
Ahimsa is not passivity
For Gandhi ahimsa is the most active force in the world. It resists evil, but by love and self-suffering, never by hatred or injury. A Mains answer that defines ahimsa only as “not hurting anyone” loses marks.
3. Satyagraha (सत्याग्रह): Truth-force
Origin
- First used in South Africa: at a mass meeting in Johannesburg on 11 September 1906, Indians pledged to resist the Asiatic registration ordinance (the “Black Act”).
- The name was chosen through a contest in Indian Opinion. Maganlal Gandhi suggested sadagraha; Gandhi changed it to satyagraha: satya (truth) + agraha (firmness).
Satyagraha vs passive resistance
| Point | Passive resistance | Satyagraha |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | A weapon of the weak | A weapon of the strong |
| Violence | May use violence when it gets the chance | Never uses violence |
| Attitude to opponent | May hate or harass the opponent | Loves the opponent; aims at a change of heart |
| Suffering | Seeks to make the opponent suffer | Accepts suffering on oneself |
Techniques (in rising order of intensity)
Negotiation and arbitration → appeal to public opinion → hartal and picketing → non-cooperation and boycott → civil disobedience of unjust laws → fasting → hijrat (voluntary migration).
Rules for the satyagrahi
- No hatred or anger towards the opponent; no insults.
- Openness: no secrecy; the authorities are told in advance.
- Willingness to suffer arrest or punishment without resisting.
- Discipline and readiness to call off the struggle if it turns violent (as after Chauri Chaura, 1922).
- Always be ready to negotiate and compromise on non-essentials.
4. The Eleven Vows (एकादश व्रत)
Gandhi set these as the observances of the Satyagraha Ashram (Kochrab 1915, then Sabarmati). In 1930, as a prisoner in Yeravda jail, he explained them in weekly letters in Gujarati to the ashram. These were published in English in 1932 as From Yeravda Mandir.
| # | Vow | Meaning in Gandhi’s sense |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Satya (सत्य) — Truth | Truth in thought, word and deed; Truth is God |
| 2 | Ahimsa (अहिंसा) — Non-violence | Love for all, including the opponent; no injury in thought, word or deed |
| 3 | Brahmacharya (ब्रह्मचर्य) — Self-restraint | Control of all the senses in thought, word and deed, not only sexual restraint |
| 4 | Asteya (अस्तेय) — Non-stealing | Taking or keeping anything you do not need is theft from someone who does |
| 5 | Aparigraha (अपरिग्रह) — Non-possession | Do not hoard; reduce wants; the twin of asteya |
| 6 | Sharirashrama (शरीरश्रम) — Bread labour | Everyone must earn bread by physical labour; dignity of manual work |
| 7 | Aswada (अस्वाद) — Control of the palate | Eat to sustain the body, as one takes medicine, not for taste |
| 8 | Abhaya / Sarvatra bhayavarjana (अभय) — Fearlessness | Freedom from fear of disease, death, loss of property or the displeasure of rulers |
| 9 | Sarva dharma samabhava (सर्वधर्म समभाव) — Equal respect for all religions | Not mere tolerance; all religions are true and all are imperfect |
| 10 | Swadeshi (स्वदेशी) — Duty to the neighbour | Serve and use the products of one’s immediate neighbourhood first |
| 11 | Asprishyata nivaran (अस्पृश्यता निवारण) — Removal of untouchability | Untouchability is a sin; treat all as equals |
How the vows hang together
- Truth is the goal; ahimsa is the means.
- Brahmacharya, asteya, aparigraha and aswada are disciplines of self-control: they free the person from greed and desire.
- Abhaya gives the courage to act.
- Bread labour, swadeshi, equal respect for religions and removal of untouchability turn personal ethics into social ethics.
In From Yeravda Mandir Gandhi also discusses humility, but says it cannot be a separate vow, because humility that is deliberately practised becomes hypocrisy. It must come naturally from the other vows.
The vows and the civil servant
| Vow | Value in public life |
|---|---|
| Satya | Integrity, honesty in reports and records |
| Ahimsa | Compassion, non-coercive conflict resolution |
| Asteya, Aparigraha | Probity: no corruption, no disproportionate assets |
| Brahmacharya, Aswada | Self-discipline, resistance to temptation |
| Abhaya | Courage of conviction, standing up to pressure |
| Sharirashrama | Dignity of labour, empathy for workers |
| Sarva dharma samabhava | Secularism and impartiality |
| Swadeshi | Local solutions, support for local producers |
| Asprishyata nivaran | Social justice, equality |
5. Gandhi’s Other Key Ideas
| Idea | Meaning | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| Ends and means | Means must be as pure as the end: “The means may be likened to a seed, the end to a tree” | Hind Swaraj (1909) |
| Swaraj (स्वराज) | Not just political independence but self-rule over oneself; a critique of modern industrial civilisation | Hind Swaraj, written in Gujarati in 1909 |
| Sarvodaya (सर्वोदय) | “Welfare of all”. Title of his 1908 Gujarati paraphrase of Ruskin’s Unto This Last: the good of the individual lies in the good of all; all useful work has equal value; the life of labour is the life worth living | Later carried on by Vinoba Bhave (Bhoodan) |
| Antyodaya (अंत्योदय) | The welfare of the last person comes first | Basis of the talisman |
| Trusteeship | The rich should hold surplus wealth in trust for society, keeping only what they need; change by persuasion, not expropriation | Alternative to both capitalism and class war |
| Gram swaraj | Self-sufficient, self-governing village republics; decentralisation of power | Panchayati Raj |
| Swadeshi and khadi | Local production, the spinning wheel as a symbol of self-reliance and dignity | Constructive programme |
| Nai Talim (नई तालीम) | Basic education through a productive craft, in the mother tongue, linking head, heart and hand | Wardha education conference, 1937 |
| Seven social sins | Politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice | Published in Young India, 22 October 1925; the list was sent to him by a correspondent (a similar list had appeared earlier in an English sermon) |
| The talisman | “Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest” person you have seen, and ask whether your step will be of any use to him or her | One of his last notes, 1947 |
Gandhi's talisman: the best conclusion for a GS-IV case study
“Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him.” Use it whenever a case study asks you to choose between options that affect the poor.
Analysis: Is Gandhi Relevant Today?
Where Gandhian ideas live in the Constitution and policy
- Directive Principles: Art 40 (village panchayats), Art 43 (cottage industries), Art 46 (weaker sections), Art 47 (prohibition of intoxicating drinks), Art 48 (agriculture and animal husbandry, cow protection).
- Art 17 abolishes untouchability; the 73rd Amendment (1992) gave panchayats constitutional status: gram swaraj in law.
- Corporate social responsibility (Section 135, Companies Act, 2013) echoes trusteeship.
- Swachh Bharat Mission was launched on 2 October 2014, Gandhi’s birth anniversary; the UN observes 2 October as the International Day of Non-Violence.
Relevance
- Ethics in public life: purity of means, truthfulness, simplicity and the talisman as a decision rule.
- Conflict resolution: non-violent protest, dialogue and negotiation; influence on Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.
- Sustainable development: “The earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed” (widely attributed); aparigraha and swadeshi fit responsible consumption.
- Inclusive growth: antyodaya and sarvodaya, decentralised planning.
- Communal harmony: sarva dharma samabhava.
Criticisms
- Ambedkar criticised Gandhi’s defence of varna and his approach to caste as reform from above.
- Distrust of machinery and modern industry seems impractical for a large economy.
- Trusteeship relies on the goodwill of the rich and has no enforcement mechanism.
- Non-violence may not succeed against a ruthless opponent, and mass movements sometimes turned violent.
Balanced conclusion: Gandhi’s specific economic programme may be dated, but his ethical method (truth, non-violence, purity of means, concern for the last person) remains a standard for public life.
Chhattisgarh angle for Mains
- Kandel satyagraha (1920): farmers refused to pay fines for canal water, a classic local satyagraha; Gandhi’s first visit followed on 20 December 1920.
- Harijan tour (22–28 November 1933): Gandhi’s second visit, against untouchability.
- Pt. Sundarlal Sharma, called “Chhattisgarh’s Gandhi”, had campaigned against untouchability and for temple entry before that tour; Gandhi is widely reported to have called him his “guru” in this work.
- The state’s large tribal and rural population makes gram swaraj, PESA and decentralised forest governance a living test of Gandhian ideas.
Memory Tricks
Eleven vows in pairs: 'Truth-Love, Steal-Hoard, Senses-Palate, Fear, Bread, Faiths, Neighbour, Untouchability'
1–2 Satya, Ahimsa (goal and means) · 3–4–5 Brahmacharya, Asteya, Aparigraha (restraint, no stealing, no hoarding) · 6 Sharirashrama (bread labour) · 7 Aswada (palate) · 8 Abhaya (fearless) · 9 Sarva dharma samabhava · 10 Swadeshi · 11 Asprishyata nivaran.
Count check: 5 personal disciplines from the yoga yamas (satya, ahimsa, brahmacharya, asteya, aparigraha) + 6 Gandhi added (bread labour, palate, fearlessness, equal respect, swadeshi, untouchability) = 11.
Seven social sins: 'P-W-P-K-C-S-W'
Politics–principles · Wealth–work · Pleasure–conscience · Knowledge–character · Commerce–morality · Science–humanity · Worship–sacrifice.
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| Satyagraha — strong, loving, never violent | vs | Passive resistance — weapon of the weak, may turn violent |
| Sarvodaya — welfare of all (Ruskin, 1908) | vs | Antyodaya — welfare of the last person first |
| Hind Swaraj (1909) — swaraj, critique of modern civilisation | vs | From Yeravda Mandir (letters 1930; English 1932) — the ashram vows |
| Champaran (Bihar) — Gandhi’s indigo satyagraha, 1917 | vs | Champaran (Chhattisgarh) — Vallabhacharya’s birthplace |
| Gandhi’s first visit — 20 Dec 1920, Kandel | vs | Second visit — 22–28 Nov 1933, Harijan tour |
| Humility — discussed, but not a vow | vs | Abhaya (fearlessness) — one of the eleven vows |
Common Mistakes
Traps to avoid
- “Brahmacharya means only celibacy.” In Gandhi’s sense it means control of all the senses in thought, word and deed.
- “Swadeshi is only a boycott of foreign goods.” It is a duty to serve one’s immediate neighbourhood first; boycott is one application.
- “Gandhi preferred cowardice to violence.” The reverse. He would prefer violence to cowardice, but non-violence to both.
- “Satyagraha began at Champaran.” Champaran (1917) was the first satyagraha in India; satyagraha began in South Africa (1906).
- Listing “humility” or “truthfulness and honesty” as two separate vows to reach eleven. Learn the exact eleven.
Practice
All questions below are original practice questions written in CGPSC style. They are not previous-year questions.
Level 1: Foundation
- Gandhi explained the ashram vows in letters written from ______ jail in 1930.
- “Sarvodaya” was the title of Gandhi’s Gujarati paraphrase of ______ by John Ruskin.
- Complete the social sin: “Commerce without ______”.
Answers
- Yeravda (published as From Yeravda Mandir).
- Unto This Last.
- morality.
Level 2: MCQs (fact drill)
GS-IV is a descriptive paper, but these objective drills fix the facts you will need in answers.
Q1. Consider the following statements about Gandhi’s satyagraha:
- Gandhi distinguished satyagraha from passive resistance, which he called a weapon of the weak.
- A satyagrahi keeps his plans secret from the authorities.
- The term was first used during Gandhi’s struggle in South Africa.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 1 and 3 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
(b) 1 and 3 only. Satyagraha demands openness: the authorities are informed in advance, so statement 2 is wrong. The term arose in South Africa (from 1906), and Gandhi contrasted it with passive resistance.
Q2. Which one of the following is not among Gandhi’s eleven ashram vows?
- (a) Aswada
- (b) Sharirashrama
- (c) Humility
- (d) Swadeshi
Answer and explanation
(c) Humility. Gandhi discussed it in From Yeravda Mandir but held that it cannot be a separate vow, since humility deliberately practised becomes hypocrisy. Aswada (control of palate), sharirashrama (bread labour) and swadeshi are vows.
Q3. Match List I (Idea) with List II (Meaning):
| List I | List II |
|---|---|
| A. Trusteeship | 1. Welfare of the last person first |
| B. Antyodaya | 2. The rich hold surplus wealth for society |
| C. Nai Talim | 3. Equal respect for all religions |
| D. Sarva dharma samabhava | 4. Education through a productive craft |
- (a) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
- (b) A-1, B-2, C-4, D-3
- (c) A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
- (d) A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
Answer and explanation
(a) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3. Trusteeship concerns wealth, antyodaya the last person, Nai Talim craft-centred education (Wardha, 1937), and sarva dharma samabhava equal respect for religions.
Q4. “The means may be likened to a seed, the end to a tree.” This idea is found in:
- (a) Young India, “Seven Social Sins”
- (b) Hind Swaraj
- (c) Unto This Last
- (d) The Kingdom of God Is Within You
Answer and explanation
(b) Hind Swaraj (1909). Options (c) and (d) are books by Ruskin and Tolstoy that influenced Gandhi.
Q5. Which Directive Principle most directly reflects Gandhi’s idea of gram swaraj?
- (a) Article 39(b)
- (b) Article 40
- (c) Article 44
- (d) Article 50
Answer and explanation
(b) Article 40: the State shall organise village panchayats as units of self-government. Article 44 (uniform civil code) and Article 50 (separation of judiciary from executive) are not Gandhian principles in this sense.
Level 3: Mains Answer Writing
Q1. (150–200 words) Explain Gandhi’s eleven vows. How can they guide the conduct of a civil servant?
Model answer outline
- Intro: The eleven vows were the observances of Gandhi’s Satyagraha Ashram, explained in his letters from Yeravda jail (1930), published as From Yeravda Mandir.
- Body (list with one-line meanings):
- Satya and ahimsa: truth as the goal, non-violence as the means.
- Brahmacharya, asteya, aparigraha, aswada: self-control; no theft, no hoarding.
- Abhaya: fearlessness.
- Sharirashrama, swadeshi: dignity of labour; duty to the neighbourhood.
- Sarva dharma samabhava, asprishyata nivaran: equal respect for religions; removal of untouchability.
- Application: integrity (satya), probity and no disproportionate assets (asteya, aparigraha), courage against pressure (abhaya), impartiality and secularism (samabhava), social justice (removing untouchability), empathy for workers (bread labour).
- Chhattisgarh angle: Gandhi’s 1933 Harijan tour of the region and Pt. Sundarlal Sharma’s anti-untouchability work show the vows as social action.
- Conclusion: The vows are a code of character, and a code of conduct for officials works only if it rests on character.
Q2. (250 words) “Ahimsa and satyagraha are more relevant today than in Gandhi’s time.” Critically examine.
Model answer outline
- Intro: Define ahimsa (non-injury plus active love) and satyagraha (truth-force: non-violent resistance with self-suffering).
- Arguments for relevance:
- Democratic protest: dharnas, hunger strikes and peaceful marches are satyagraha’s descendants; constitutional methods over violence.
- Conflict resolution: dialogue in internal conflicts, including peace efforts in Left-Wing-Extremism-affected areas.
- Global influence: King, Mandela; UN International Day of Non-Violence (2 October).
- Ethics of means: in governance, a good end does not justify corrupt or coercive means.
- Environment: aparigraha and swadeshi fit sustainable consumption.
- Limits: misuse of fasts and blockades as coercion, which scholars call “duragraha” (stubborn insistence) as opposed to satyagraha; effectiveness against ruthless or non-state violence; slow results.
- Chhattisgarh angle: the Kandel satyagraha (1920) showed non-violent peasant protest succeeding locally.
- Conclusion: The techniques must adapt, but the principle that means shape ends, and that opponents are to be converted, not destroyed, is timeless.
Quick Revision Table
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Life | 2 Oct 1869 – 30 Jan 1948 |
| Satyagraha begins | Johannesburg, 11 Sep 1906; name via Indian Opinion contest (Maganlal’s sadagraha) |
| Ahimsa | Negative (non-injury) + positive (love); of the brave |
| Satyagraha vs passive resistance | Strong vs weak; never violent vs may be violent |
| Eleven vows | Satya, ahimsa, brahmacharya, asteya, aparigraha, sharirashrama, aswada, abhaya, sarva dharma samabhava, swadeshi, asprishyata nivaran |
| From Yeravda Mandir | Letters from Yeravda jail, 1930 (Gujarati); English 1932 |
| Hind Swaraj | 1909, Gujarati; swaraj; seed-and-tree |
| Sarvodaya | 1908 paraphrase of Ruskin’s Unto This Last |
| Nai Talim | Wardha conference, 1937 |
| Seven social sins | Young India, 22 Oct 1925 |
| Talisman | 1947; “the poorest and the weakest” |
| DPSP | Arts 40, 43, 46, 47, 48 |
| Chhattisgarh visits | 20 Dec 1920 (Kandel); 22–28 Nov 1933 (Harijan tour) |
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
- Truth is the end, ahimsa the means: Gandhi’s whole system follows from this.
- Satyagraha is the active, open, loving resistance of the strong, not passive resistance.
- Learn the eleven vows exactly and link each to a civil-service value.
- Sarvodaya, antyodaya, trusteeship, gram swaraj and Nai Talim carry his ethics into economy and society; several live on in the DPSPs and the 73rd Amendment.
- The talisman is the best single decision rule for GS-IV case studies.
What’s Next
- Indian Thinkers — Quick Revision — all six thinkers on one page
- Western Thinkers — compare Gandhi with Thoreau, Tolstoy and Ruskin’s Western tradition
- Civil Disobedience Movement — satyagraha at its height (Dandi, 1930)
- Panchayati Raj and Local Government in Chhattisgarh — gram swaraj in practice
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