Gandhi's title

[Comrade BNS]

It just occured to me that both amongst Gandhi's admirers and critics here all seem to refer to him as 'Mahatma' Gandhi, or even Mahatma Gandhiji.

It got me wondering whether or not people actually realised that the title Mahatma and the suffix of 'ji' are actually signs of respect within Sanatana Dhama (Hinduism). Mahatma, means 'one who is in control of their senses' ie. fully awakened to the nature of Sri Krishna as the supreme personality of Godhead, and as Godhead being one and the same. And the suffix 'Ji' was used when referring to the Gopis and other personalities from the Bhagavad-Gita, and is a term of endearment.

So now I ask, in light of that whether many people here shall still refer to Gandhi as Mahatma Gandhi?

I personally whilst not a Hindu respect the terms endeared upon him by his people and his faith. So Mahatma Gandhiji it is!

Comrade BNS

[Knowledge 6 6 6]

'Mahatma' also means great soul...and although Gandhi had a new idea of non-violence, he expected ppl to fall in line.

Do I personally think he was a great soul? I'm not sure...if religion is as dogmatic as many ppl like Gandhi came before and preached, then, I guess so...but if we're in control of our own lives, then he isn't that great. Some ppl just do good outta fear of the afterlife.

I don't think Gandhi falls in this category, but I do think he was a man looking out for himself as the leader, the one everyone followed, etc.

I refuse to believe he's above anyone on earth...and if he truly believed this, he would've rejected the label of 'Mahatma'...but it has been proven otherwise.

[Fidelbrand]

I have a question:
Some people calls him "Mohandas"....... what does that mean?

[BOZG]

I just always thought it was his name (or one of them). :)

[Knowledge 6 6 6]

his full name is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Some close friends called him 'Mohan', but his real name was Mohandas. Not sure the Hindu meaning behind it...if any.

[Fidelbrand]

thanks 666. http://www.morethanwords.it/studenti/calshop/marameo11.gif

[Palmares]

Okay, found this meaning:


"servant of Mohan" in Sanskrit.

And Mohan means:


"bewitching" in Sanskrit. This is another name for the Hindu gods Shiva, Kama and Krishna.

Interesting.

Oh, and I found out Gandhi means 'grocer'. :)

[desdemona_ajax]

Like someone already mentioned mahatma means a great soul and he earned this title after fighting for freedom through non-violence. Mohandas is well his name and Gandhi is his surname, which belongs to a caste called "bania" that generally comprises of grocers. "ji" is just a suffix used by hindus to show respect. hence gandhi-ji.

Well, I am not exactly sure whether he actually deserves the title or not, he is quite a controversial, contradictory and an eccentric figure. Indeed he had a negative side, but his "foolishness" gets eclipsed later by his wisdom. We can either shrugg him off as an erratic saint with romantic notions of pre-industrial life or look at him as a man that reflects a shining set of ideals to emulate - Individual freedom. Political liberty. Social justice. Nonviolent protest. Passive resistance. Religious tolerance. One of the most plaudible quality of gandhi is maybe his ability to harmonize his thoughts and action. He truly practiced what he preached.

I remember reading somewhere that Gandhi slept with young naked women to test his self-discipline. Is that true?

[monkeydust]

I don't know about Gandhi, but I've heard his brother, who was a cloakroom attendent, was called Mahatma Coat.

[PRC-UTE]

His title amongst the Brits, according to Orwell was 'Our Man'.

[Palmares]

Originally posted by [email protected] 26 2004, 04:36 AM
I don't know about Gandhi, but I've heard his brother, who was a cloakroom attendent, was called Mahatma Coat.
What the fuck? :huh:

[RedAnarchist]

Mahatma Coat - my hat my coat. :lol:

[Pete]

A side note, the Gopi's do not appear in the Bhagavad-Gita, but do appear in many other Krishna stories.

[refuse_resist]

Bhagat Singh > Ghandi

[RevolutionarySocialist MadRedDog]

With regard to the respect Gandhi has gotten under his people I will refer to hin as Mahatma Gandhi-ji, and I think he has done great things, like support the struggle of his people against the British.

But once a member of the IST in the Netherlands told me Gandhi also betrayed his people at one time. I wonder if this is true, because traitors don't deserve any respect.

[Knowledge 6 6 6]

Gandhi would call off the independence movement if there were even one act of aggression by Indians towards the British.

Gandhi 'betrayed' alotta ppl in that right...Bhagat Singh saw Gandhi moreso as someone looking for Indian/British relations, instead of complete independence.

HSRA was started by Singh as well. Hindustan Socialist Republican Association.

[Comrade BNS]

But when considering Gandhi and Singh's motives, one must condisder that as a Sikh Singh had a long tradition of fighting for complete independence from all foreign or alien rule.

Look at the history of the Punjab. Guru Gobind Singh, Bhagat Singh and then the slightly *ahem* more extreme Bindrawale.

So in light of the general Sikh attitude it is not historically correct to compare Gandhi and Singh's aspirations in that light.

Comrade BNS

[Knowledge 6 6 6]

Oh but it is...

Both Sikh/non-Sikh Indians were looking to be seperate from the British commonwealth entirely. Gandhi promised this in a shadowed light - independence yet still with British rule.

You are right though, Sikhs have always been seperatist - had Singh led the revolt, it would've been more bloody, and more destructive to humanity. Would it have been done faster? yes. Would it have been necessary? At the time...yes.

The important point to note here is that Gandhi suppressed the Sikhist view....he suppressed it because he was looking for a more Hindu/Christian solution to the independent plight. It involved the Muslims being treated fairly as well, but Sikhs were not on his priority list.

In the end, Gandhi turned out to be a peddler for bourgeois interests...he knew there were class divisions, and he did nothing to stop them, which is evident in his knowledge of Singh's death before he was sentenced.

[themanwhodoesnotexist]

PEACE
i have heard from various sources that Ghandi didn't like black people......and i have read qoutes by him which verify this.......anyone else heard this?

[Knowledge 6 6 6]

yes Gandhi believed Africans were sub-par to Indians. Many said this during his time in South Africa.

A good book you should read is called, 'The Myth of the Mahatma'. Really well done.