dulgence, and livelihood instead of becoming the major objective, is the by-product of one’s vocation. When work is transmuted into worship, life becomes artistic in the real sense of the term. “A life of sacrifice is the pinnacle of art, and is full of true joy.”[1] Gandhi urges unpaid public service as a duty, taking precedence over service of self. The pure devotee is one who serves humanity without reservation.
One of the secrets of Mr. Gandhi’s power was his humility. Though one of the world’s truly great men, Mr. Gandhi was wholly selfless. Even his worst enemies could never accuse him of self-seeking. He sought neither wealth, position, nor political power. His life was dedicated to the service of an ideal. For Gandhiji, humility was not a matter of deprecating one’s self and refusing to take responsibility. Inertia and humility are not synonymous. Each person must recognize his own limitations and then serve whole-heartedly within the framework of these limitations. Every man thus has a useful function in society, and no man has a right to glory in pride of place.
All creatures are nothing more than a mere atom in this universe. Our existence as embodied beings is purely momentary; what are a hundred years in eternity? But if we shatter the chains of egotism, and melt into the ocean of humanity, we share its dignity. To feel that we are something is to set up a barrier between God and ourselves; to cease feeling that we are something is to become one with God. A drop in the ocean partakes of the greatness of its parent, although it is unconscious of it. But it is dried up, as soon as it enters upon an existence independent of the ocean. We do not exaggerate, when we say that life on earth is a mere bubble.[2]
Unlike most world figures of this generation, Mr. Gandhi believed in the supremacy of the spiritual. He regarded the spiritual as the supremely real. He believed in God; he felt that his actions were guided by the spirit of God, and spent long hours in seeking to know the will of God. He prayed in the morning to gain strength for the duties of the day, and he prayed at night to secure that peace which would enable him
