Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography Sathiya Sodhani is one book which guides you as to what is right and wrong. Most importantly, the author should have experienced all these. The original was in Gujarati, and was later translated into English and other Indian languages. The book is in five parts, beginning with his birth, up until the year 1921. In the last chapter he writes, "My life from this point onward has been so public that there is hardly anything about it that people do not know...."
The introduction reads, "What I want to achieve - what I have been striving and pining to achieve these thirty years - is self-realization, to see God face to face, to attain Moksha. I live and move and have my being in pursuit of this goal."
The paper back edition of the book costs Rs. 30 being subsidized by the Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad.
On my relief from war-duty I felt that my work was no longer in South
Africa but in India. Not that there was nothing to be done in South
Africa, but I was afraid that my main business might become merely
money-making.
Friends at home were also pressing me to return, and I
felt that I should be of more service in India. And for the work
in South Africa, there were, of course, Messrs Khan and Mansukhlal
Naazar. So I requested my co-workers to relieve me. After very great
difficulty my request was conditionally accepted, the condition
being that I should be ready to go back to South Africa if, within a
year, the community should need me. I thought it was a difficult
condition but the love that bound me to the community made me accept
it.
The Lord has bound me
With the cotton-thread of love,
I am His bondslave,
sang Mirabai. And for me, too, the cotton-thread of love that bound me to the community was too strong to break. The voice of the people is the voice of God, and here the voice of friends was too real to be rejected. I accepted the condition and got their permission to go.
At this time I was intimately connected only with Natal. The Natal
Indians bathed me with the nectar of love. Farewell meetings were
arranged at every place, and costly gifts were presented to me.
Gifts had been bestowed on me before when I returned to India in
1899, but this time the farewell was overwhelming. The gifts of
course included things in gold and silver, but there were articles
of costly diamond as well.
What right had I to accept all these gifts? Accepting them, how
could I persuade myself that I was serving the community without
remuneration? A11 the gifts, excepting a few from my clients, were
purely for my service to the community, and I could make no
difference between my clients and co-workers; for the clients also
helped me in my public work.
One of the gifts was a gold necklace worth fifty guineas, meant for
my wife. But even that gift was given because of my public work, and
so it could not be separated from the rest.
The evening I was presented with the bulk of these things I had a
sleepless night. I walked up and down my room deeply agitated, but
could find no solution. It was difficult for me to forego gifts
worth hundreds, it was more difficult to keep them.
And even if I could keep them, what about my children? What about
my wife? They were being trained to a life of service and to an
understanding that service was its own reward.
I had no costly ornaments in the house. We had been fast simplifying
our life How then could we afford to have gold watches? How could we
afford to wear gold chains and diamond rings? Even then I was
exhorting people to conquer the infatuation for jewellery. What was
I now to do with the jewellery that had come upon me?
I decided that I could not keep these things. I drafted a letter,
creating a trust of them in favour of the community and appointing
Parsi Rustomji and other trustees. In the morning I held a
consultation with my wife and children and finally go rid of the
heavy incubus.
I knew that I should have some difficulty in persuading my wife, and
I was sure that I should have none so far as the children were
concerned. So I decided to constitute them my attorneys.
The children readily agreed to my proposal. 'We do not need these costly
presents, we must return them to the community, and should we ever
need them, we could easily purchase them,' they said.
I was delighted. 'Then you will plead with mother won't you?' I
asked them.
'Certainly', said they. 'That is our business. She does not need to
wear the ornaments. She would want to keep them for us, and if we
don't want them, why should she not agree to part with them?'
But it was easier said than done.
'You may not need them', said my wife. 'Your children may not need
them. Cajoled, they will dance to your tune. I can understand your
not permitting me to wear them. But what about my daughters-in-law?
They will be sure to need them. And who knows what will happen
tomorrow? I would be the last person to part with gifts so lovingly
given.'
And thus the torrent of argument went on, reinforced, in the end, by
tears. But the children were adamant. And I was unmoved.
I mildly put in: 'The children have yet to get married. We do not
want to see them married young. When they are grown up, they can
take care of themselves. And surely we shall not have, for our sons,
brides who are fond of ornaments. And if after all, we need to
provide them with ornaments, I am there. You will ask me then.'
'Ask you? I know you by this time. You deprived me of my ornaments, you
would not leave me in peace with them. Fancy you offering to get
ornaments for the daughters-in-law! You who are trying to make
sadhus of my boys from today! No, the ornaments will not be returned. And
pray what right have you to my necklace?'
'But', I rejoined, 'is the necklace given you for your service or
for my service?'
'I agree. But service rendered by you is as good as rendered by me.
I have toiled and moiled for you day and night. Is that no service?
You forced all and sundry on me, making me weep bitter tears, and I
slaved for them!'
These were pointed thrusts, and some of them went home. But I was
determined to return the ornaments. I somehow succeeded in extorting
a consent from her. The gifts received in 1896 and 1901 were all
returned. A trust-deed was prepared, and they were deposited with a
bank, to be used for the service of the community, according to my
wishes or to those of the trustees.
Often, when I was in need of funds for public purposes, and felt
that I must draw upon the trust, I have been able to raise the
requisite amount, leaving the trust money intact. The fund is still
there, being operated upon in times of need, and it has regularly
accumulated.
I have never since regretted the step, and as the years have gone
by, my wife has also seen its wisdom. It has saved us from many
temptations.
I am definitely of opinion that a public worker should accept no
costly gifts.