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Unto This Last (a paraphrase): by M.K.Gandhi
Unto This Last (a paraphrase) by M.K.Gandhi
Pages - 48
In a chapter in his Autobiography (Part IV, Chapter XVIII) entitled 'The Magic Spell of a Book' Gandhiji tells us how he read Ruskin's Unto This Last on the twenty-four hours' journey from Johannesburg to Durban. 'The train reached there in the evening. I could not get any sleep that night. I determined to change my life in accordance with the ideals of the book.... I translated it later into Gujarati, entitling it Sarvodaya.'
Sarvodaya is here re-translated into English, Ruskin's winged words being retained as far as possible.
At the end of that chapter Gandhiji gives us a summary of the teachings of Unto This Last as he understood it:
The good of the individual is contained in the good of all.
A lawyer's work has the same value as the barber's, as all have the same right of earning their livelihood from their work.
A life of labour, i.e. the life of the tiller of the soil and the handicraftsman is the life worth living.
Nothing more need be said as regards the paraphrase of Ruskin's four chapters, but Gandhiji's conclusion (pp. 77-80), written as it was in South Africa long before he returned to India in 1915, is prophetic and fit to be treasured by India for all time to come. And the last paragraph of the booklet is a pearl beyond price.
Pages - 48
In a chapter in his Autobiography (Part IV, Chapter XVIII) entitled 'The Magic Spell of a Book' Gandhiji tells us how he read Ruskin's Unto This Last on the twenty-four hours' journey from Johannesburg to Durban. 'The train reached there in the evening. I could not get any sleep that night. I determined to change my life in accordance with the ideals of the book.... I translated it later into Gujarati, entitling it Sarvodaya.'
Sarvodaya is here re-translated into English, Ruskin's winged words being retained as far as possible.
At the end of that chapter Gandhiji gives us a summary of the teachings of Unto This Last as he understood it:
The good of the individual is contained in the good of all.
A lawyer's work has the same value as the barber's, as all have the same right of earning their livelihood from their work.
A life of labour, i.e. the life of the tiller of the soil and the handicraftsman is the life worth living.
Nothing more need be said as regards the paraphrase of Ruskin's four chapters, but Gandhiji's conclusion (pp. 77-80), written as it was in South Africa long before he returned to India in 1915, is prophetic and fit to be treasured by India for all time to come. And the last paragraph of the booklet is a pearl beyond price.
48 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1956
About the author
Mahatma Gandhi
1,297 books6,460 followersMohandas Karamchand Gandhi, commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism in British-ruled India. Employing non-violent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights and freedom across the world.
The son of a senior government official, Gandhi was born and raised in a Hindu Bania community in coastal Gujarat, and trained in law in London. Gandhi became famous by fighting for the civil rights of Muslim and Hindu Indians in South Africa, using new techniques of non-violent civil disobedience that he developed. Returning to India in 1915, he set about organizing peasants to protest excessive land-taxes. A lifelong opponent of "communalism" (i.e. basing politics on religion) he reached out widely to all religious groups. He became a leader of Muslims protesting the declining status of the Caliphate. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, increasing economic self-reliance, and above all for achieving Swaraj—the independence of India from British domination. His spiritual teacher was the Jain philosopher/poet Shrimad Rajchandra.
The son of a senior government official, Gandhi was born and raised in a Hindu Bania community in coastal Gujarat, and trained in law in London. Gandhi became famous by fighting for the civil rights of Muslim and Hindu Indians in South Africa, using new techniques of non-violent civil disobedience that he developed. Returning to India in 1915, he set about organizing peasants to protest excessive land-taxes. A lifelong opponent of "communalism" (i.e. basing politics on religion) he reached out widely to all religious groups. He became a leader of Muslims protesting the declining status of the Caliphate. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, increasing economic self-reliance, and above all for achieving Swaraj—the independence of India from British domination. His spiritual teacher was the Jain philosopher/poet Shrimad Rajchandra.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 4, 2022
Gandhi found Ruskin’s treatise ‘Unto This Last’ life-changing. This is his own summary of Ruskin’s book, essentially pointing out the gross error of ‘homo economicus’ and the grotesque economic, social and political consequences of the assumption that humans are motivated solely by economic advantage.
October 21, 2020
The gist of his book is the upliftment of equality and cooperation. There are numerous simple examples which help to understand real life economic scenarios in the society. The book was written by keeping in mind the circumstances in England. But as Gandhiji realised it is for all nations in the world.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews