Mahatma
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
There is a massive bust sculpture of Gandhi on second ave. in Saskatoon’s downtown. The inside folds of his chuddar (shawl) Harbor deposits of snow. The piece is made of black material and it offers a very dramatical effect with the black and white contrast. The caption below reads, “nonviolence” a signature message of the mahatma. Actually the word mahatma appears in the Gita more than once, in 7;19 we have the verse, “after many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto me (Krishna), knowing me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul (mahatma) is very rare.”
We find the term mahatma again appearing in 9:13, “Oh son of Prtha, those who are not diluted the great souls (mahatma) are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because the know me Krishna as the supreme Personality of Godhead original and inexhaustible.”
With regards to Gandhi the honorific term mahatma, may be stretching the truth here if we look at the Gita’s definition. According to the Gita, Gandhi does not earn the title, although he was a very passive activist and renowned humanitarian. In some way he put India on the map for much of the western world. He can also be applauded for his efforts in the direction of self -sustaining communities.
Gandhi hailed from Gujarat. This evening Kasyapa my host invited some Gujarati folks to his apartment. The highest percentage of them recently moved to the city from elsewhere in the country. They were specifically invited to hear me give a message from the Gita, which they did relish very much.
6 Km
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