Acharya Vinoba Bhave – Follower of Gandhiji

Vinoba Bhave Biography

Vinoba Bhave was a well-known leader of the Bhoodan Andolan in India. He was born on September 11, 1895, in Gagode village in Colaba, Maharashtra, British India—his father was Chitpavan Naraharishumbhurao Bhave and his mother, Rukmini Devi. Vinoba’s family belongs to Brahmin Clan, and his mother, Rukmini Devi, influenced him to read Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharat and Ramayan. Even Vinoba Bhave also read some other Hindu Epic books at a very early age and was influenced by the book’s themes. He had two brothers who also devoted their lives to the service of Humans. The philosophical concepts of the society made him follow the principles of Mahatma Gandhiji’s Non-violence. However, he fought for the intensity of human rights. These social welfare activities caused him as a National Teacher and the spiritual successor of M.K. Gandhi.

Vinoba Bhave With Mahatma Gandhi:

In 1916, he read an essay by Mahatma Gandhi in a newspaper. That impacted Vinobha, and he wanted to devote his life to poor people like Mahatma Gandhiji. Even he burned all his school and college certificates into a flame to follow an austere life. On June 7, 1916, Vinoba Bhave met Gandhi and discussed the life and freedom of the Indian people. After five years, he went to Wardha to take charge of a Gandhi ashram. During these days, he brought out a monthly Magazine, ‘Maharashtra Dharma’, in the Marathi language. Hence he wrote many essays on the Upanishads and widely analyzed the themes of Upanishads. During those days, the bondage between Gandhi and Vinobha went very strong.

In 1932 he went to jail for six months in Dhulia because he conspired against colonial rule. There he gave speeches on Bhagwad Gita to fellow prisoners Lat. er, the preachers published the book ‘Talks on Bhagavad Gita’. The book will be translated into many languages worldwide in the coming years. Vinoba books teach us the religious integrity among various religious people in India. His teaching of religious concepts indicates that he was very broad in the truth of beliefs. His thoughts on religion can be seen in his hymn’ Om Tat’, which discussed the symbols and importance of principles of many faiths.

Bhoodan Movement:

He was not only a freedom fighter but also a spiritual teacher. He founded the Bhoodan Movement to reform the Land Laws and bring the oppressed into the mainstream. On April 18, 1951, he started the movement of Bhoodan, which means land gift, after interacting with 40 Harijan families who had no land and whose lives were heart rendering. Later he travelled across India, requested the landlords intend him as their other child and gave him one-seventh of their land. His request impressed many landlords and contributed to the Bhoodan movement. He ensured this work for 13 years, collected thousands of land, and distributed people experiencing poverty who had no land for cultivation.

Acharya Vinoba Bhave thoughts on Hindu Epics

He was a great thinker and wrote numerous books on religious-based themes. Vinoba had an excellent command of many languages and had a profound knowledge of Geeta. He gave many speeches and wrote many books on Bhagwat Geeta. In his final days, Vinoba Bhave spent at his ashram in Paunar, Maharashtra and died on November 15, 1982. In 1958 he got the international Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership. The Indian government awarded him an outstanding civilian Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1983.