The Spiritual Aspects of Health – Selections From “A Guide to Health” by Mahatma Gandhi Ji (vegetarian), Part 1 of 2

The beloved Mahatma Gandhi Ji often spoke about desired changes in government and used meditation and fasting to promote non-violent and beneficial outcomes. Through his dedication, he became a symbol of peaceful transformation for an entire nation. In his concern for his fellow countrymen, he also wrote the book “A Guide to Health,” offering practical advice on living a healthy life, by focusing on both the physical and spiritual aspects of well-being.

Today, it is a delight to share excerpts from “A Guide to Health” by Mahatma Gandhi Ji, translated into English by A. Rama Iyer.

“Ordinarily that man is considered healthy who eats well and moves about, and does not resort to a doctor. But a little thought will convince us that this idea is wrong. There are many cases of men being diseased, in spite of their eating well and freely moving about. They are under the delusion that they are healthy, simply because they are too indifferent to think about the matter. In fact, perfectly healthy men hardly exist anywhere over this wide world.

As has been well said, only that man can be said to be really healthy, who has a sound mind in a sound body. The relation between the body and the mind is so intimate that, if either of them got out of order, the whole system would suffer. Let us take the analogy of the rose-flower. Its color stands to its fragrance in the same way as the body to the mind or the soul. No one regards an artificial paper-flower as a sufficient substitute for the natural flower, or the obvious reason that the fragrance, which forms the essence of the flower, cannot be reproduced. So too, we instinctively honor the man of a pure mind and a noble character in preference to the man who is merely physically strong. Of course, the body and the soul are both essential, but the latter is far more important than the former. No man whose character is not pure can be said to be really healthy. The body which contains a diseased mind can never be anything but diseased. Hence it follows that a pure character is the foundation of health in the real sense of the term; and we may say that all evil thoughts and evil passions are but different forms of disease. […]”

“The fact that we cannot see in the dark shows that God has intended us to live and move in the light. And Nature has given us just as much darkness as we require in the night. Yet, many people are in the habit of sitting or sleeping in underground cellars, devoid of air and light, even in the hottest summer! Those who thus deprive themselves of air and light are always weak and haggard. Now-a-days, there are many doctors in Europe who cure their patients by means of air-bath and sun-bath alone. Thousands of diseased persons have been cured by mere exposure to the air and to the sunlight. We should keep all doors and windows in our houses always open, in order to allow the free entrance of air and light. […]”