Name of Institution

Amity School of Law,Noida

Semester-5

Social work for Lawyers

SOC-316

Dr. Manisha Jha

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 Name of Institution

Gandhi: Sarvodaya

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 Sarvodaya Name of Institution

• Sarvodaya is a term meaning ‘universal uplift’ or ‘progress of all’.

The term was first coined by Mohandas Gandhi as the title of his
1908 translation of John Ruskin’s tract on political economy, ‘Unto
This Last’, and Gandhi came to use the term for the ideal of his own
political philosophy. 
• Etymologically speaking, Sarvodaya means ‘the rise or welfare of
all’. The proper rendering of Unto This Last would be antyodaya
(uplift of the last) rather than sarvodaya.

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• For Gandhiji, sarvodaya is the true panacea for all types

of social or political problems experienced by Indian
society. After the death of Gandhiji, Acharya Vinoba
Bhave and Jayaprakash Narayan have highlighted the
essentials of Sarvodaya in their own light.
• According to Kumarappa, sarvodaya represents the ideal
social order according to Gandhiji. Its basis is all-
embracing love. J. P. Chandra opines that by bringing
about a countrywide decentralisation of both political and
economic powers, sarvodaya provides opportunity for the
all-round development of the individual and the society.

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 Meaning and Definition Name of Institution

• The ideal and objective of sarvodaya is implied in the word itself-

sarva (all) and udaya (uplift) - uplift/wellbeing of all- universal
welfare. This ideal is to be achieved by unceasing service to
humanity.
• Sarvodaya as the welfare of all represents the ideal social order
based on all-embracing love. No individual or group is to be
suppressed, exploited and hounded. All are to be equal members of
this social order, all sharing in the produce of their labour, the strong
protecting the weak and functioning as their trustees and protectors,
each promoting the welfare of all, according to their abilities and
through all the means at their disposal.

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• Sarvodaya is the peaceful and non-violent way of achieving social

justice. Sarvodaya is founded on the assurance of meeting basic
essential needs and freedoms, physical and moral, of the humblest
antyodaya (individual last in the line).

• The word sarvodaya epitomises Gandhi’s whole social philosophy,

which is aimed at the attainment of mental prosperity (abhyudaya)
and spiritual realisation. Sarvodaya, for Gandhi, was an altruistic
ethic of self-realisation. Satya (truth) and swaraj (freedom) as the
ultimate aim of one’s self-realisation can only grow in an
atmosphere of ahimsa (non-violence). Such an atmosphere will
prevail only in a society where equal share is given ‘even unto this
last’.

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Basic Principles of Sarvodaya

• That the good of the individual is contained in

the good of all.
• That a lawyer’s work has the same value as the
barber’s in as much as all have the same right of
earning their livelihood from their work.
• That is a life of labour, i.e., the life of the tiller of
the soil and the handicraftsman is the life worth
living.

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 Basic Components of Gandhian Sarvodaya
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– Swadeshi (Swadeshi literally means ‘belonging to one’s own country’. It also means reliance on
our own strength).
– Bread labour/Living Wage (Labour denotes both mental and physical labour and Gandhi had no
preference for the former at the cost of the bread labour- the physical labour. He believed that
obedience to law of Bread Labour will bring about a silent revolution in the structure of society).
– Aparigraha or Non-possession (For Gandhi, the doctrine of aparigraha or non-possession means
that everyone has to limit one’s own possession to what is needed by one and spend the rest for
the welfare of others. He considered this as a desirable, nonviolent method of reducing inequality
of income distribution and mal-distribution of wealth and in that sense, non-possession in practice
means ‘possession by all’).
– Trusteeship (Trusteeship is the theory closely linked to the concept of sarvodaya, with its
fundamental objective to establish non-violent and non-exploitative property relationships.
Possession and private property are sources of violence, and in contradiction with the divine reality
that all wealth belongs to all people).
– Non-exploitation (Exploitation lies at the root of all socio-economic problems and as such, the
removal of exploitation is a basic requisite for sarvodaya).
– Samabhava (Sense of Equality): (In Gandhi’s grand vision of sarvodaya society, socio-economic
equality occupies a central place and it is both ‘an essential principle and indispensable condition’.
He advocated equality not between the equals, but equality between the prince and peasant,
wealthy and poor, strong and weak, landlord and landless and literate and illiterate.

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 Basic Features of Sarvodaya society
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• There is no centralised authority, and there is political and economic atmosphere in the villages.
• Politics will not be the instrument of power but an agency of service and Rajniti will yield place
to Lokniti.
• All people will be imbued with the spirit of love, fraternity, truth, non-violence and self-sacrifices.
Society will function on the basis of non-violence.
• There will be no party system and majority rule, and society will be free from the evil of the
tyranny of the majority.
• The sarvodaya society is socialist in the true sense of the term. All calling will be the same moral,
social and economic values. The individual personality has the fullest scope for development.
• The sarvodaya society is based on equality and liberty. There is no room in it for unwholesome
some competition, exploitation and class-hatred.
• Sarvodaya stands for the progress of the all. All individual should do individual labour and follow
the ideal of non-possession. Then it will be possible to realise the goal of: from each according to
his work and to each according to his needs.
• There will be no private property, the instrument of exploitation and the source of social
distinctions and hatred. Similarly, the profit motive will disappear, rent and interest will go.
• The sarvodaya movement is based on truth, non-violence and self-denial.
• The sarvodaya movement makes a sincere and bold attempt to create the necessary atmosphere
to bring together such individuals with an unwavering faith in the welfare of All
• The gain to the individual would be small. The development of each quality depends upon every
other. If all the qualities are improved a little, then the individual would gain more.

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 The Main Tenets of the Sarvodaya Philosophy
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• Sarvodaya reiterates belief in God and further, it identifies that belief with faith in the goodness of
man and services of humanity.
• It attaches importance to the principle of trusteeship as implying the abolition of private ownership
and the application of the principle of non-possession to public institutions.
• Sarvodaya envisages a new humanistic socialist society. Man will be the centre of such a
society. Unless man cultivates values like love, sincerity, truth, an abiding sympathy etc., the
emergence of a new society would only remain a pious dream. In this process of change the
State has little role to play.
• Sarvodaya visualises a simple, non-violent and decentralised society. In capitalism and state
socialism, the individual becomes alone and isolated. Sarvodaya is opposed to both.
• Sarvodaya idea contains the content of egalitarianism. It rests on the principle of true equality
and liberty. It stands opposed to exploitation of any kind.
• The concept of sarvodaya views work as an offering to the Lord. Further, the principle of equality
of all religions finds better elucidation in some of the thinkers of sarvodaya philosophy.
• In sarvodaya programme, the standard of life is fundamental and not the standard of living.
• The sarvodaya philosophy stands opposed to parliamentary democracy and party system.
• Sarvodaya programme gives prime place to planning. According to the scheme of sarvodaya,
planning must proceed with two objects: removal of natural or man-made impediments in the
road to the development of man and provision of means, training and guidance for it. Sarvodaya
movement entails economic, political, philosophical and ethical implications.

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 Social Evils according to Gandhi
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• There are Seven evils according to Gandhi

1. Politics without Principle
2. Wealth without work
3. Pleasure without conscience
4. Knowledge without Character
5. Commerce without Morality
6. Science without Humanity
7. Worship without Sacrifice.

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 Conclusion Name of Institution

• For Gandhi, sarvodaya was a concrete manifestation of many spiritual ideas found in
many religious traditions. Like many other great concepts, the evolving and
expanding concept of sarvodaya had a small and humble beginning. Gandhi seems
to have borrowed the concept sarvoday from a Jain scripture written by Acharya
Samaanta Bhadra who lived about 2000 years ago. No doubt for Gandhi, Ruskin’s
book ‘Unto This Last’ was one of the main sources of inspiration for the formation of
sarvodaya. But Gandhi admits his debt to certain other sources like the Gospels by
Tolstoy and Thoreau. Gandhi obviously drew a lot of inspiration from Jainism, besides
Jainsim Gandhi’s thought owes much to the scriptures of Hinduism, Islam,
Christianity and Buddhism.
• The ideal of sarvodaya is implied in the word itself; sarva and udaya. sarva means all´
and udaya means uplift´. The culmination of sarvodaya vision, which was the life
mission of Gandhi, is nothing but a liberated society, a sarvodaya samaj. He devoted
his entire life for the achievement of this goal. Since, sarvodaya stood for the welfare
of all, commitment to all kinds of sacrifices, even unto death, for the welfare of others
was at the core of sarvodaya.
• So, lastly we can conclude that sarvodaya ideals are not practicable. Though the
ideals of sarvodaya are noble. It is almost impossible to establish a society strictly on
the basis of great principles by Mahatma Gandhi and others. Sarvodaya doctrines are
soaring and it is doubtful whether they can rest on the earth.

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Thank you

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