The Biography of Famous Personalities of India will tell you about the controversies, the dark sides of a person that you may have never heard of.
Acharya Vinoba Bhave Life of Devotion
If a man achieves victory over this body, who in the world can exercise power over him? He who rules himself rules over the whole world.
Vinoba Bhave’s whole life was an utter surrender to God whom he saw in the smallest particle as also in the poorest and most downtrodden in the land.
Like the steady and incessant current of gushing stream Vinoba was always vigorous, fresh and new. Right thought was his constant companion. The development of the two— the thought and man with it—went together and one helped the other in ascending to higher and still higher altitudes.
A born Satyagrahi as he was, Vinoba’s Paunar experiment of Kanchan-mukti was a robust, though silent, physical manifestation of the disciplined expression of his evergrowing personality eager to empty itself of all desires and non-desires, to impart Satyagrahi aroma to the new freedom- air of the country and to make Swarajya a living reality with the teeming millions. He proceeded to materialise his dream with the twin weapons of love and bodily labour. It was, as it were, during his self-sought quest of a medium for its complete fulfilment that the concept of Bhoodan Yagna flashed across his mind.
Immediately after independence, in a morbid state of affairs, there seemed to be in our country but one man who, unmoved by the dazzling expanse of money or machine, untouched by the excitement and passion for pleasure or speed, undisturbed by the dark rage and fear of power or pomp, was devoted to his duty with a spirit content in itself, with an intelligence stable and settled, and with an ardour deep and sublime. For more than three decades past, he had been humbly consuming himself at the altar of the nation’s real liberty.
When the British departed from the Indian political stage he was, as ever before, carrying on at Paunar in Wardha district his silent constructive activities which included clearing latrines and lanes of a village. Soon after departed Gandhiji under whose spiritual shadow he had grown all these years. A voice from within exhorted him to enlarge the physical domain of the field of his work and render it vast and sweeping in consonance with its far-spreading social, mental and moral empire. Accordingly, Vinoba, as he was known, came out of his voluntary seclusion. Within six years he had developed into India’s most popular character, almost a legend. Vinoba Bhave set up six Ashrams in different parts of India.
Three of them are in the north, east and south India. The other three are in central India.
1. Samanvaya Ashram, Bodhgaya, Bihar :
It was established in 1954. The Ashram stands right opposite the Buddha Mandir, on land given to Vinoba by the Shankar Math of Bodhgaya. The aim of Samanvaya Ashram is to bring about synthesis, through a study various schools of thought, experiments in practical living based on love towards all living creatures.
2. Brahmavidya Mandir, Paunar:
It was set up in 1959. It is a small community for women that was created in order for them to become self-sufficient and non¬violence in a community. This group farms to get their own food, but uses Gandhi’s beliefs about food production, which include sustainability and social justice, as a guide. This community, like Gandhi and Bhave, has been influenced greatly by the Bhagavad- Gita and that is also used to determine their practices.
3. Prasthan Ashram, Pathankot, Punjab :
It was established in 1959. This is the starting point for journeys to Pakistan, Punjab and Kashmir, hence the name. Vinoba desired the Ashram to be a centre for Shanti Sena.
4. Visarjan Ashram, Indore, Madhya Pradesh :
It was established in 1960. It is the home of Kasturba Trust. There is a small river nearby, where Bapu’s ashes were immersed. The Ashram is to discard out-dated values and bring about a resurgence of new values. Bapu’s eleven vows are observed and experiments in non-violent living undertaken. Ashram is maintained by its own labour and public support.
5. Maitri Ashram, North Lakhmipur, Assam :
It was established in 1962. It gives message of friendship and unity.
6. Vallabh Niketan, Bangalore :
It was founded in 1965 in memory of Vallabha Swami, who was very dear to Vinoba Bhave. This Ashram is a place for study and should offer to people a retreat for meditation and reflection. Four aims: quiet environment, service of a non controversial nature, a spiritual outlook and an atmosphere of peace, devotion and affection.
Vinoba spent the later part of his life at his ashram in Paunar, Maharashtra. He controversially backed the Indian Emergency imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, calling it Anushasana Parva (Time for Discipline).
In 1958 Vinoba Bhave was the first recipient of the international Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership.
In 1970, Acharya Vinoba Bhave announced his decision to stay at one place only. He observed a year of silence from December 25, 1974 to December 25, 1975. He breathed his last on November 15, 1982, after refusing food and medicine during his last few days. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, posthumously in 1983.
Timeline
- 1895 : Vinoba’s birth in, Maharashtra, 11th September 4
- 1913 : Passed Matriculation Exam 4
- 1916 : Leaves Home – Goes to Varanasi, 25th March 4
- 1918 : Death of Mother Rukmini Bai, 24th October 4
- 1918-19 : Scriptural Studies in Wai 4
- 1921 : Sets up Satyagraha Ashram in Wardha, 8th April
- 1924 :
- Vaikom Satyagraha in Kerala
- Visits Delhi when Gandhiji Fasts for 21 days
- 1932 : Established Nalwadi Ashram, 25th December 4
- 1934 : Formed Grama Seva Mandal 4
- 1936 : Leprosy Hospital, Dattapura, Wardha 4
- 1938 : Goes to Paunar, to improve health 4
- 1940 : Becomes first Satyagrahi, Individual Satyagraha
- 1942 :
- Quit India Resolution, 8th August
- Arrested in Paunar Ashram
- 1948 : Conducted mourning meeting in Sevagram after Gandhiji’s Martyrdom, 30th January.
- 1950: Kanchana Mukti Prayoga-Freedom From Money, Paunar
- 1951 :
- Sarvodaya Conference, Shivaramapalli, 8-11th April
- Pochampalli, Birth of Bhoodan, 18th April
- 1958 : Awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award
- 1960 : Visited Chambal Valley and made 19 Dacoits Surrender 19th May
- 1962 : Visited East Pakistan (now Bangla Desh), 5-2 5th September
- 1964 : Back to Paunar, Brahma Vidya Mandir
- 1966 : Gives up Correspondence and Daily Speeches
- 1974: One Year’s Mauna (Silence) 25th December; upto 25th December 1975
- 1982 : Dies peacefully, 15th November 4 1983 : Awarded Bharat Ratna Posthumously