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 for everybody’s well-being. As the Rigveda says, the wise man winnows his speech as the housewife winnows grain, rejecting the chaff and stones, and choosing the healthy corn. A society whose speech is clean and pure, strong and simple, is a happy society. For speech is the binding force joining the inner world with the outer, and science with self-knowledge, and all the energies of the world with one another. The Word is the subtle power, and many other powers are hidden within it.”(1)

The word is the clothing of the idea and thought. Vinoba constantly wanted to propagate thought. His idea of Sarvodaya Samaj was the fellowship of people who believed in the power of thought.

With love,

Yours, L.N. Godbole

v 29th July, 1990 My dear Pranav,

I have told you Pranav, that Vinoba took his sustenance by striking roots deep into the Upanisads, the Vedas and the Sastras. He always talked of self-knowledge, atman and paramatman. The picture that comes before one’s mind is that of a Godman. He was not in that mould. He was essentially a thinker, a jnan-yogi and, more importantly, a constant Karmayogi. His living was ascetic, but it was not io impress others. It was a part of his belief system.

It is therefore very interesting to see his reaction to the established Mathas hierarchies and Devasthanams. He visited many of them. He was beaten at Vaidyanath in Bihar and was Sent away without darshan at Jagnannathpuri in Orissa. But his teaction was very interesting.

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