Page 101 - Acharya Vinoba Bhave in 21st Century ISBN

21oha “krkCnh esa vkpk;Z fouksck Hkkos dh izklafxdrk

Workers should take to agriculture, do hard work themselves and develop faith in bodily labour.
Besides they must try to work and run their institutions without the use of money. He quoted the

example of Sevagram Ashram whose inmates had resolved not to make any use of money from and
after January 1, 1952. He called this programme practical and the best that he could think of on the

basis of his experience. He did not deny that there could be better and more effective programme
based on others’ experiences. But so far as he was concerned at the moment he had no other solution.

This is not exactly a ringing endorsement. At Shivrampalli I sense no excitement in Vinoba, no enthusiasm
for what he is doing. Fortunately bhoodan was just around the corner.

To begin with, bhoodan changed little. When Vinoba was faced with people who wanted to
give him money, he refused. In November he dealt with the issue by saying he agreed with the Upanishads

that say money is no way to immortality. 16
Why should I take money when my firm belief is that if anything is responsible for all the

destruction in Hindustan today, it is money. Money is a shyster, a liar. Today, one thing; tomorrow,
something else; the day after, something else again—in this way it keeps changing. That is why I say it

is a liar, a shyster. The rupees to buy a ser of rice today, tomorrow get half a ser. Who knows what it
will be on which day? We are not only letting this false money continue, we have made it our

preoccupation. If we become preoccupied with a shyster, how will we not be ensnared—and then
what will happen?

Over and over again during the first year of the bhoodan tour Vinoba made a point of refusing
to take money. If people with money wanted to donate, they should first buy land and donate that. In

a meeting with traders in Delhi, he was close to insulting when he refused a donation of Rs.1,000. He
told the story that evening at his prayer meeting: 17

At the traders’ meeting I showed them my hands and pointed out that they were still not sullied.
They are as clean as when I began my trek months ago. I want to work without coming in contact with

money. I do not want to waste my effort in dealing with the problems created by money.
Why do I not want money ? It is because money has brought the country to its present state.

It is at the root of the country’s degradation. People should work rather than ask others for money.
Money should be eliminated from the daily routine. Money tells lies and is like a loafing tramp [not the

best translation of lafanga]. And yet it has been made the basis of trade and commerce.
For the peasant the produce is very nearly the same year after year, but prices go up and

down. These prices are not of the produce but of money. It is the value of money which fluctuates. If
money is so unstable, so uncertain, so unreliable, why should it be made the basis of all transactions ?

I tried to get an answer, but found none. I have questioned economists to be able to discover the
secret, but it had always evaded them.

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