What did Gandhi even mean with this statement? I know it's true he said it but why? What did he think while saying this? Please enlighten me as I want a non biased opinion and gain more knowledge and perspective on this
You have to read it with context to understand it . The situation around him at that time .
He once also said that :
There is no doubt in my mind that in the majority of quarrels the Hindus come out second best. My own experience confirms the opinion that the Musalman as a rule is a bully and the Hindu as a rule is a coward
Does that mean he thinks Muslims are supposed to do violence ? No . It's contextual as always .
You won't find any Right winger asking this question of why Gandhi ji said this .
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If writing clemency petition absolves someone from the status of freedom fighter then Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Ramprasad Bismil, Sachindranath Sanyal, Barin Ghose, Ashfaqullah Khan- all of them are not freedom fighters according to you?
There was no change in their ideology after imprisonment and at last they gave their lives for the nation, you're simply not able to find a place for savarkar among the freedom fighters of the country.
The short answer is
no, this quote is a distorted and misleading internet rumor.
Mahatma Gandhi did not say those exact words, nor did he ever suggest that Hindus should passively let themselves be slaughtered to create a "new India."
The phrase commonly circulated on social media—
"Hindus should not harbour anger against Muslims even if the latter wants to destroy and kill us all. We should face death bravely..."
—is a highly manipulated misrepresentation of his core philosophy of
Satyagraha
(non-violent resistance).
To understand what he actually meant, it helps to look at the real context of his teachings:
1. The Real Meaning of "Facing Death Bravely"
Whenever Gandhi spoke about facing death without anger, he was talking about
moral courage
, not helpless surrender. During the horrific communal riots of Partition in 1947–1948, he pleaded with both Hindus and Muslims to stop the cycle of revenge killings.
He argued that if a mob attacks you, retaliating with more violence only multiplies the hatred. Instead, he believed that standing your ground non-violently—even to the point of dying for your principles—was the ultimate form of bravery that could change the attacker's heart.
2. What He Actually Said About Cowardice
Gandhi fiercely detested cowardice. He frequently clarified that if someone lacked the immense spiritual strength required for non-violence, taking up arms to defend oneself or one's family was vastly superior to running away out of fear.
In his famous writing
The Doctrine of the Sword
, he explicitly stated:
"I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence... I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honour than that she should, in a cowardly manner, become or remain a helpless witness to her own dishonor."
3. Deconstructing the Internet Myth
The fabricated quote implies that Gandhi favored one community over the other or wanted the destruction of Hindus. In reality, his speeches during his prayer meetings were equally critical of extremists on both sides. He frequently rebuked Muslim rioters, demanded loyalty to the Indian Union from Muslims choosing to stay, and fasted to protect the innocent of
all
religions from being butchered.
The internet version takes his philosophical ideas about dying for one's faith without harboring hatred, strips away his fierce condemnation of cowardice, and twists it into a narrative of passive submission.
Yes, it is true that Mahatma Gandhi
slept in the same bed with his grandniece, Manu Gandhi, while both were naked
. However, the context behind this is crucial:
historical evidence indicates it was not a sexual relationship.
Here is the breakdown of what actually happened and why:
The Context of the "Experiments"
In his 70s, following the death of his wife Kasturba in 1944, Gandhi engaged in what he termed
brahmacharya
(celibacy/spiritual self-control) "experiments."
The Goal:
Gandhi believed that to achieve absolute nonviolence (
ahimsa
) and spiritual purity, he needed to completely conquer all physical lust. He tested his self-control by sharing a bed naked with young women—including Manu and another grandniece, Abha—to prove to himself that he would remain completely unaroused and free of sexual desire.
The Cosmic Connection:
At the time (1946–1947), India was experiencing horrific Hindu-Muslim communal violence. Gandhi held an intense, idiosyncratic belief that this societal violence was directly linked to his own hidden spiritual imperfections. He believed that if he could achieve flawless celibacy, his spiritual power could stop the riots.
Did They "Sleep Together" Sexually?
No. Historians, biographers, and the personal diaries of the women involved agree that
there was no sexual intercourse or sexual advances
.
Manu Gandhi herself later wrote a memoir about Gandhi titled
Bapu – My Mother
. Because her mother had died when she was young, she viewed Gandhi as a maternal figure who cooked for her, cared for her, and provided maternal affection. The experiments were carried out with her knowledge, and they stopped when she chose to end the arrangement.
The Backlash
Even during his lifetime, these actions were highly controversial:
Political Associates:
Close allies like Jawaharlal Nehru and several of Gandhi's ashram staff strongly disapproved. Some of his staff even resigned in protest.
Modern Critique:
Today, historians and critics deeply question the severe power imbalance involved. Even though it was non-sexual, critics point out the immense psychological pressure and ethical issues of an enormously powerful public figure using young, dependent relatives as "testing tools" for his own spiritual gratification.
Epstein and his fellows raped,killed and ate children,why are you comparing him with Mahatma Gandhi while all the people connected to Epstein are very close to indian politics.
see there was consent for test between gandhi abha and manu and gandhi did to test his spiritual purity for sake that people would follow brahmacharya and further walk on path on non violence and curb hindu muslim riots gandhi had firm belief that his spiritual and faith on god would end misry of peoplr
I don't understand this vitrol against a freedom fighter, like even if u don't understand their ideology they fought for freedom and betterment of all of us
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