Предлагаме Ви текста на нашия изтъкнат цигулар проф. Ангел Станков във връзка с 150-годишнината от рождението на Махтма Ганди, великият индийски мислител и философ. Написан на английски, този материал вниква дълбоко в мисленето на великия индиец. На 30 септември, проф. Станков ще свири на официално честване на Махатма Ганди в София

Mahatma Gandhi – a man of the future and example for mankind

If we say that Mahatma Gandhi is a man of the future, let us first try to determine what we mean by the word future, what it meant to the bright minds of antiquity and what it means to us in the present day.

This is the vision of the future in the prophecy of Isaiah – Chapter Eleven:

“6. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together and a little child shall lead them.

7. And the cow and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall Iie down together and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

…9. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”

This picture corresponds with the teaching of Budha who advises us “not to mourn the past, not to worry about the future or not to anticipate troubles, but to live wisely and earnestly for the present.”

In present days, the famous Beatles, John Lennon, wrote “Imagine all the people living life in peace.”

I am very grateful to the late Indian ambassador H.E. Nirupam Sen who gave me as a present two books about Mahatma Gandhi – The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi and My Path to Truth. These books in combination with some others gave me a very vivid picture of this extraordinary personality and living in our times, I am convinced he is not only a man of the future but also he shows us the right way to that future, which following his path could be more positive and bright comparing with the destruction of our world which could be very likely if we use other unwise paths.

Why is he an example to Mankind? We all agree (as do all pedagogical authorities) that personal example is the most powerful method of teaching. It is certain that a boy who watches his father hold his mother’s coat will also hold his wife’s coat. But if you only tell him with words that this is how it should be done, it is likely that he will forget or do the contrary.

In one of the books about Gandhi there is a photograph of all his belongings, which is taken after he departed. It is very instructive since there are two pairs of slippers, a book, two bowls for food and two spoons, his eyeglasses, two pens and that is all! I sincerely think that this photo should be copied and sent to our present-day politicians all around the world as an example of modesty! Because if you look around, it is very hard to find anyone among the world leaders of today whom you could recommend to your children as a shining example. Speaking of shining, I would like to mention the Bulgarian word ‘светец’, which we use for ‘saint’ – it actually means somebody who shines. To use Ganghi’s words: “I think the word ‘saint’ should be ruled out of the present life. It is too sacred a word to be lightly applied to anybody, much less to one like myself who claims only to be a humble searcher of the truth, knows his limitations, makes mistakes, never hesitates to admit them and frankly confesses that he, like a scientist, is making experiments about some ‘of the eternal varieties’ of life but cannot show tangible proof of scientific accuracy in his methods or such tangible results of his experiments as modern science demands.”

So Mahatma Gandhi was not a monk, he did not belong to the ‘homeless brotherhood’, he did not consider himself a saint, he was a normal human being in honest search of truth and it is quite encouraging for other humans that being one, it is possible to achieve a bright future when following the path that he has marked. We consider politics as a ‘dirty’ thing, but he has proven that you could be a politician and retain your ideals, honesty and integrity.

I will put down shortly the principles laid down by Mahatma Gandhi, which could give us the desired state of mind in our own journey through life:

Trust in God. “I will not be a traitor of God to please the whole world,” he states.

Accepting that Truth is superior is wisdom.

Non-Violence or Satyagraha. ‘’My life is dedicated to this doctrine. I read it in the teachings of all the greatest teachers of the world – Zoroaster, Mahavir, Jesus, Muhammad, Nanat and a host of others.”

Fearlessness – the golden rule is to act fearlessly upon what one believes to be right.

Introducing religion into politics.

Fasting – a potent weapon in the Satyagraha armoury

Non-possession – very important if you would like to dedicate your life to society.