Satyagraha
Satyagraha is a principle of nonviolent resistance developed by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, emphasizing the power of truth and the strength found in nonviolence. The term itself combines "satya" (truth) and "agraha" (holding onto), reflecting a commitment to truth as a means to address injustice. This philosophy emerged during the struggles against oppressive regimes in the early 20th century, notably in British-ruled India and apartheid South Africa, where Gandhi first applied these ideas. Satyagraha encourages practitioners, known as Satyagrahis, to pursue justice through methods such as civil disobedience, fasting, and noncooperation, while maintaining a stance of moral integrity and mental strength.
The approach is characterized by a belief in the transformation of both the oppressor and the oppressed through love and understanding, rather than animosity. Training in Satyagraha is essential, fostering self-reliance and adherence to its principles, and practitioners are taught to switch between cooperation and noncooperation based on the context. Satyagraha extends beyond mere tactics; it is a way of life where individuals strive for simplicity, high character, and compassion for all beings. This doctrine advocates that true strength lies in the conviction to resist injustice peacefully, making it a significant historical and cultural movement with lasting implications for social change and activism worldwide.
Satyagraha
Coined by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869–1948), the father of the Republic of India, the term Satyagraha is a compound word derived from satya (truth) and agraha (hold on to), thus it literally means "hold onto truth." Gandhi stated that the power of truth and nonviolence are the life force of Satyagraha, which he described as "love-force," "truth-force," and "soul-force." Gandhi not only preached Satyagraha, but he also practiced it during his social and political life. Many conceptual meanings evolved from Satyagraha, including a technique of soul change, a way of life, and a philosophy of life and action.
Background
During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, humankind witnessed the destructive and exploitative outcomes of political and social ideologies such as Nazism, Fascism, communism, and colonialism. However, the twentieth century also saw the evolution of nonviolent ideologies when violent doctrines resulted in mass destruction. Gandhi first practiced this nonviolent resistance technique in South Africa against the retrogressive Asiatic Law Amendment Ordinance, initially imposed by the Transvaal Legislative Council in 1906, and he employed it again against belligerent British misrule in India.
Since the English translation of the word Satyagraha to "passive resistance" created confusion while defining this innovative doctrine, American political scientist Joan Bondurant (1918–2006) used the descriptive method to characterize Satyagraha as Gandhi's method of nonviolence for resistance and the common welfare, using techniques such as truth, dignity of labour, nonviolence, fasting, and land gifts to the landless poor. Gopal Krishna Gokhale, a champion of self-rule and social reform during the British Colonial Raj, praised this nonviolent technique and stated that Satyagraha is essentially defensive in nature and can be used as a moral and spiritual weapon for fighting against injustice, untruth, and violence.
The practitioner of Satyagraha (Satyagrahi) uses the truth force against the untruth, divine against the darkness, and self-suffering against the oppression of others. For fighting injustice and wrong, Satyagrahi employ successive phases to overcome the adversary: first through persuasion and later through self-imposed personal suffering (such as hunger strike or noncooperation). The main aim of a Satyagrahi is to attract the attention of the opponent toward prejudiced and wrong judgment and to encourage judgments based on reason. Gandhi claimed that Satyagraha is not limited to certain contexts but is applicable to every situation across cultures.
Physical suffering makes Satyagrahi mentally strong, and this self-imposed physical suffering may be stretched to the extent of imprisonment and death by fasting. A Satyagrahi does not consider physical suffering to be a burden, but a relief. The popular forms of Satyagraha include nonviolence, civil disobedience, noncooperation, fasting, and silence. Though Gandhi propounded this noble doctrine, he borrowed some principles and beliefs from the philosophies of the American essayist Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) and Russian writer Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910). He converted the theoretical framework of these two thinkers into a practical formula. And there is a consensus that civil disobedience as championed in twentieth-century India was one of the largest such exercises in the history of humankind.
Overview
Satyagraha is a developed doctrine with systematic principles for the practitioners. First, a novice is made convinced of the peaceful campaign and then receives training in the basic principles of Satyagraha. It has been observed that a novice mostly questions how the opponent can be defeated through nonviolent methods. To a Satyagrahi, only strict adherence to the principles of Satyagraha results in a peaceful resolution of conflicts. Therefore, training is an essential and integral part of Satyagraha.
Good training makes a practitioner self-reliant. Satyagrahi are not dependent upon others but rely on the conviction that holding to truth and nonviolence is a more effective technique for defeating opponents than using violent reaction. Though Satyagrahi are self-reliant, they do not oppose accepting outside support and assistance, unless such outside support employs violent methods. Since the method of resistance against violence is nonviolence, mental strength is considered more important than physical strength for the practitioner. One who is unprincipled and mentally weak can never follow the strict principles of Satyagraha. This doctrine advocates peaceful and civilized methods of resistance, and the goal is to subdue the violent and the evil.
During a fight against unjust, a Satyagrahi does not fall for a bargain or barter. The utmost care and caution is made that any negotiation should not lead to a compromise of principles of this noble doctrine. If any peaceful resolution results in damage to the fundamental tenets of this ideology, then such attempts are to be abandoned altogether. Although Satyagrahi practice noncooperation during resistance, if the opponents are in need of support, then practitioners should assist and cooperate with them so that their hearts might be changed. Good Satyagrahi switches between the channels of cooperation and noncooperation, as the practitioner never hates the opponent and always tries to establish a rapport and conciliatory attitude for solving conflicts.
During a peaceful protest, a Satyagrahi does not refrain from arrests and does not use abusive language against their opponents. Satyagraha commends strict refusal to surrender and submission to harsh and unjust orders, such as monetary fines, penalties, or laws. Even if their lives are in danger, a Satyagrahi does not succumb to violent acts and insults. Leadership is considered important, and a volunteer must follow the orders of the Satyagraha leader, but if serious differences of opinion arise, then practitioners may follow their hearts and the basic tenets of the doctrine.
Besides this, a Satyagrahi should be a person of character who believes in simple living and high thinking. Satyagrahi should believe in God and love humankind and all living beings, practicing truth, nonviolence, kindness, and love for others. Gandhi advocated that Satyagrahi should wear khadi, spin cotton, have a clear vision, and not use alcohol or other intoxicants.
Bibliography
Bondurant, Joan V. Conquest of Violence: The Gandhian Philosophy of Conflict. New rev. ed., Princeton UP, 1988.
Chakrabarty, Bidyut. Nonviolence. Oxford UP, 2014.
Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand. Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha), edited by Bharatan Kumarappa, Digireads Publishing, 2015.
Gokhale, Gopal K. Treatment of Indians by the Boers, and Treatment of the Low Castes in India by Their Own Countrymen: A Speech. The Christian Literature Society for India, 1903.
King, Mary E. Gandhian Nonviolent Struggle and Untouchability in South India: The 1924–25 Vykom Satyagraha and the Mechanisms of Change. Oxford UP, 2015.
Kurlansky, Mark. Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea. Foreword by the Dalai Lama, Modern Library, 2008.
Milligan, Tony. "Gandhi and Satyagraha." Civil Disobedience: Protest, Justification and the Law. Bloomsbury, 2013.
Parel, Anthony J. Pax Gandhiana: The Political Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi. Oxford UP, 2016.
"What Is Satyagraha?" Mahatma Gandhi, www.mkgandhi.org/faq/q17.php. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.