Vinoba Bhave – Between Divine and Human. On the Book Moved by Love. The Memoirs of Vinoba Bhave

Abstract

Author offers to consider Vinoba as an example of a modern prophet, i.e. as a person who is driven by understanding of divinity of his mission. The thinker played the role of the mediator between God and people, as well as between dif­ferent social forces. Thereby he was in situation of double dialogue: with God and with people. Such mediation was possible due to Vinoba’s refusal of belong­ing to definite caste, political party, religious or philosophical direction. He dedi­cated his life to looking for the ways of conflict resolutions and, as his teacher Gandhi, he dreamed of nonviolent world order. His peacekeeping and social work are presented as practical result of his belief that God and His creation are closely connected. Ability to see God in the Other is the key to understanding of his ethics. Vinoba saw God in the poor and he called others to serve them like God who is embodied in the image of lazar. Also he saw God in the souls of landowners. And therefore he called to their conscience, asking them to share part of their property with the poor. In addition, Vinoba felt God inside himself. Thereby in old age, he thought about psychological “suicide” and about need to refuse from his own human ego in order to realize maximally the inner divine potential. Vinoba’s life looks like an example of living of spiritually minded per­son in this context. And the thinker himself is an example of a person who was involved in dialogue with God – embodied in the other people and hidden inside his own soul.