Page 64 - Acharya Vinoba Bhave in 21st Century ISBN

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

The comparatively small ‘Letter of St James’ occupies some extra space (chapters 44&45). Perhaps
it is the social dimension of faith, emphasized in the Epistle, which prompted Vinoba to go for the

selection of more verses from it. Chapters 46&47 are the ‘Letters from St Peter’. The seventh (which
is the last) part consists of the three chapters, i.e., 48, 49, 50. It is devoted to the rest of the ‘Johannine

Literature’, i.e., the Three Letters and the Book of Revelation). Each chapter is very short with the
verses also being very short. The opening verse of the work, in the “Grantha-Sutram,” as he has
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named in the Sanskrit style, is the verse titled ‘Matruvandanam.’ It is a salutation to the Blessed
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Mother Mary who sings the Magnificat(Luke 1: 46-55). There is a “Reference Index” given at the
end of the book which refers to the verses taken from the New Testament.
Vinoba paraphrased the message of Lord Jesus Christ into the following three principles:

1. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
2. Love your enemy and it will bring change of heart in him.

3. Let all my followers love each other and sacrifice everything for others as I did for
them. 34

Jesus’ emphasis on the love of the neighbor was a source of inspiration for Vinoba. The Christian
teaching, especially the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ was very close to him, as was the case with Gandhi.

He felt that Jesus and his teaching were very much India’s own. He felt at home with the teachings of
the One who bore the Cross to and died on it.

Jesus called upon us to love our neighbor. Though this has been extolled
as a great virtue by all nations, few have been prepared to accept it in practice as

an immediate obligation. ... We talk of love and non-violence and One World,
but devote the bulk of our resources to the piling up of armaments for mutual

destruction. We despair of our neighbor. This is cowardice. Jesus refused to give
way to it. He bore the Cross – the burden of our sins – and embraced martyrdom.

Luckily, this teaching of Jesus is not alien to India. We have been the
meeting ground of a multitude of races, creeds and cultures, a land of synthesis

and fusions.
I therefore unreservedly declare that Jesus Christ is our own, that to us in

this country, Jesus and his teachings have never sounded strange or unpractical,
that we regard Jesus as one of our family. 35

He often referred to Lord Jesus in his talks. The Talks on the Gita has quite a few references
to Jesus Christ. In order to bring home the idea of KarmaYoga, the dimension of the desireless and

selfless action, he quotes from Tolstoy: “People talk a lot about Jesus’ sacrifice; but the ordinary

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