Acharya Vinoba Bhave

Vinoba Bhave was born at Gagode in Kolaba district, Maharashtra on 11th

September, 1895. His original name was Vinayak Narahari Bhave. His mother
Rukmini Devi was a very religious person. His father, Narahari Shambhu Rao was a
trained weaver. Vinayak was highly inspired after reading the Bhagavad Gita, at a
very young age.
A report in the newspapers about Gandhiji's speech at the newly founded Benaras
Hindu University attracted Vinoba's attention. In 1916, on his way to Mumbai
(then Bombay) to appear for the intermediate examination, Vinoba Bhave put his
school and college certificates into a fire. Vinoba took the decision after reading
the piece of writing in the newspaper written by Mahatma Gandhi.
He wrote a letter to Gandhiji. Gandhiji advised Vinoba to come for a personal
meeting in Ahmedabad. Vinoba met Gandhiji on 7 June 1916 and subsequently
abandoned his studies. Vinoba participated with keen interest in the activities at
Gandhiji's ashram, like teaching, studying, spinning and improving the life of the
community. His involvement with Gandhiji's constructive programmes related to
Khadi, village industries and hygiene also kept on increasing.
Five years later, on 8 April, 1921, Vinoba went to Wardha to take charge of a
Gandhi-ashram there. During his stay at Wardha, Bhave also brought out a
monthly in Marathi, named, `Maharashtra Dharma'. The monthly comprised of his
essays on the Upanishads.
Vinoba was arrested several times during the 1920s and '30s and served a fiveyear jail sentence in the '40s for leading non-violent resistance to British rule.
Bhave participated in the nationwide civil disobedience periodically conducted
against the British. He gained national prominence when Gandhi chose him as the
first participant in a new nonviolent campaign in 1940.
On 18 April 1951, Vinoba Bhave started his land donation movement called
Bhoodan Movement in Telangana. He took donated land from land owner Indians
and gave it away to the poor and landless, for them to cultivate.

Vinoba Bhave was a scholar, thinker, and writer who produced numerous books.
He was a translator who made Sanskrit texts accessible to the common man. He
had translated the Bhagavad Gita into Marathi.
Some of his works are:
1.
2.
3.
4.

The essence of Quran

The essence of Christian teachings
Thoughts on education
Swarajya Sastra

A University has been named after him, Vinoba Bhave University, which is located
in the State of Jharkhand.
Vinoba spent the later part of his life at his Brahma Vidya Mandir ashram in
Paunar in Wardha district of Maharashtra. He died on 15 November 1982. In 1958
Vinoba was the first recipient of the international Ramon Magsaysay Award for
Community Leadership. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1983.