The Pilgrims' March/Mrs. Motilal Nehru
BRAVE MOTHER OF A BRAVE SON
"Enlist in your Hundreds of Thousands"
Mrs. Motilal Nehru's Message
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I rejoice in the great privilege that has been vouchsafed to me of sending my dear husband and my only son to jail. I will not pretend that my heart is entirely free from the wrench of separation from my dear ones. My heart is full of it because love is a trying thing after all. The knowledge that theirs is not a life which can stand the hardships of jail makes my heart weep. And yet my Atma whispers to me that I should rejoice with my husband and my son over their arrest. I will not disgrace them by sorrowing over the very happenings they had set their hearts upon.
I have seen it in my life that those who sleep on feather beds hardly ever know true happiness. Suffering and penance have a joy and happiness all their own. My heart trembles to think of the life of hardships that Jawaharlal has been leading, but my soul rejoices in the fact that that great capacity to lead a life of suffering is a fortune which rarely falls to the lot of the greatest of men.
That is the ancient way. Ramchandraji, Nalaraja and others found happiness by treading that path of suffering, and made the world also happy. Was Sita ever out of Rama’s heart? And yet apparently for her, but for the good of mankind, God chose to enforce a life of penance on Rama. These reflections bring me joy and peace. Let them bring the same to you.
And how may I sorrow over the imprisonment of my only son? Mahatma Gandhi told me once that others in the world have also their only sons. And a time is coming when whole families will have to march to jail. I have just heard of the arrest of the whole family of Deshbandhu C. R. Das. I hope the same good fortune may come to me and my daughter-in-law.
What message I have to give you but the one my husband has given—Go and do likewise? Enlist yourselves in your hundreds of thousands as members of the Provincial Volunteer Corps and go to jail. Let those that remain behind turn their spinning-wheels and work for peace. If we could answer the present repressive policy with firm and determined Satyagraha for just a short while, I have no doubt that Swaraj would be at our doors before the month is out.
I may say again that my heart prays that my son’s and husband’s life in jail may be a bed of roses. I have faith that this is a religious struggle, and suffering religiously endured must bear its fruit. God has shown us an easy way of winning our goal—Swaraj. If we but follow it cheerfully, we may never have to be confronted with the far more difficult task of laying down our lives therefor. I trust you will not fail to seize this golden opportunity. For as, Tulsedas has well said, ‘What boots repentance once a great opportunity has been frittered away?’,