Selected Letters of Gandhi : Part-2

A collection of Mahatma Gandhi letters.

Mahatma Gandhi

SELECTED LETTERS
Part-2

Table of Contents

  1. Faith In God
  2. Death
  3. Learn To Forget
  4. The Ashram Girl and Her Hair
  5. Degrading Exhibitions
  6. Growing Beard
  7. Means and Ends
  8. Satyagrahi in Prison
  9. Knowing God
  10. Who Is a Knight?
  11. Skill In Action
  12. The Gita Doctrine
  13. Fountain Pen, Asking Questions
  14. Prayer
  15. Judge Not
  16. Common Cold
  17. Education, Itch
  18. Sleep Under The Sky
  19. Perfect Food
  20. Fasting
  21. Real Prayer
  22. Four Laws
  23. Advice To A Patient
  24. Occult Sciences
  25. On Death
  26. Idol Worship
  27. Being Good
  28. Practicing Medicine
  29. Bad Dreams
  30. All Men Are Good
  31. Faith in Prayer
  32. Sorrow
  33. Untouchability
  34. Shed All Care
  35. Retirement, Honey
  36. Equimindedness
  37. Buddhism
  38. Publicity
  39. Brother Ass
  40. Varna And Caste
  41. Harijan Service
  42. Interpreting Scriptures
  43. Primus Stove
  44. Free Will, Village Work
  45. Good Wishes For The New Year
  46. Fitness For Fasting
  47. Silence
  48. Status of Scripture
  49. Birth and Death
  50. What A Boy Can Do?
  51. Khadi vs. Mill Cloth
  52. The Takli
  53. Gita Doctrine
  54. God Is
  55. Love Helps Lift Burden
  56. Fasting and Prayer
  57. Hinduism
  58. Key To Gandhiji’s Activity
  59. Bad Dreams
  60. Bangles For Girls
  61. Indebtedness
  62. Education

About This Book

Chosen & translated by :Valji Govindji Desai
First Edition : 1962
Printed and Published by :
Jitendra T. Desai
Navajivan Publishing House,
Ahemadabad-380014
India
©Navajivan Trust, 1927

Chapter-8: Satyagrahi in Prison

To the same in prison

I hold that a Satyagrahi prisoner will never quarrel with the authorities as regards his food. He will take what food he gets and thank God for it.
The master of a prisoner’s body is the jailer. Therefore so long as food is served politely and is clean and not uneatable, he will accept it and eat it if it is digestible. If it is not, he will throw it away. If he has not touch it with his hands, he will send it back to the kitchen. In recent times rules of health and hygiene are observed to some extent in selecting food for prisoners. But what if they give us only bread and water?
This subject may be discussed with the official in a courteous manner, but we may not fight over it. We could get many things by unjustified fighting but we may not include in it.
I therefore am of opinion that there should not be any dispute about the vegetable cooked for you. Those who like it may eat it; those who don’t may give it back. We should be thankful to God that we get even bread and dal (pulse).

Written in Yeravda prison on May 4, 1932; translated from Gujarati.