Asteya (nonstealing): Gandhiji had an expanded vision of this virtue. Asteya was not a limited practice of not stealing as a direct action. The indirect and subtle ways of stealing, like lying stealing of truthfulness, cheating stealing others’ rights, conspiring stealing of others’ legacy, waging of war stealing of others’ territories, these were also forms of stealing, according to Gandhiji. Mankind’s greed and craving for artificial needs are also stealing, as per Gandhiji’s dictum. When we compound our needs and wants, we actually steal from others’ right to basic requirements. A wealthy man residing in a mansion steals a poor man’s land for his hut. In due consideration of this idea, Gandhiji has written in Yerawada Mandir, “One who follows the observance of Nonstealing will bring about a progressive reduction of his own wants. Much of the distressing poverty in this world has risen out of the breaches of the principle of Nonstealing”.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Jun 2013 13:26:38 +0000
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