In 1976, he undertook a fast to stop the slaughter
of cows. His spiritual pursuits intensified as he
withdrew from his practical work. He passed away
on November 15, 1982, at his ashram.
Vinoba’s contribution to the history of the
nonviolent movement remains significant. All his
life he campaigned for “people’s government,”
according to the Gandhian principle of extreme
decentralization. He believed, as Gandhi did, that
government and the economy should be built
from the village up, not from the capital city
down. Though his idealistic campaigns may have
fallen short of their goals, all who encountered
Vinaba saw a generous, committed, spiritually
directed person. He inspired a whole generation.
As a sign of respect for him and his spiritual
accomplishment, Vinoba Bhave was referred to
most commonly as ACHARYA, “the learned one.”
Further reading: S. R. Bakshi and Sangh Mittra, Saints
of India (New Delhi: Criterion, 2002); Verinder Grover,
Political Thinkers of Modern India (New Delhi: Deep &
Deep Publications, 1990–93); Michael W. Sonnleitner,
Vinoba Bhave on Self-Rule and Representative Democracy
(New Delhi: Promilla, 1988); Marjorie Sykes, trans.,
Moved by Love: The Memoirs of Vinoba Bhave (Hyder-
abad: Sat Sahitya Sahayogi Sangh, 1994).
bhavyatva See JAINISM.
bhedabheda
Bhedabheda is a term used in some Vedantic phi-
losophies to describe the relation between the
individual self and the divinity. Bheda means “dif-
ference,” abheda means “nondifference”; together
the term refers to things that are different and not
different at the same time. This school views the
individual self as nondifferent (abheda) from the
divinity, while recognizing that in certain respects
the divinity is different from the individual self
(for example, regarding its supremacy over the
universe).
This point of view was expounded by BHASKARA
and by the CHAITANYA school, whose approach is
referred to as achintya bhedabheda. NIMBARKA’s
school refers to itself formally as Dvaitadvaita,
“duality and non-duality,” a different expression
of the same concept, although it too is sometimes
called bhedabheda.Further reading: Madan Mohan Agrawal, Essence of
Vaisnavism: Philosophy of Bhedabheda (Delhi: Ajanta,
1992); Dasgupta, Surendranath. A History of Indian
Philosophy, 5 vols. (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1975);
Swami Tapasyananda, Bhakti Schools of Vedanta (Lives
and Philosophies of Ramanuja, Nimbarka, Madhva, Val-
labha and Chaitanya.) (Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math,
1990).Bhima
Bhima (literally fearsome or terrible) is the second
of the five PANDAVA brothers, whose story is told in
the great epic MAHABHARATA.
The five Pandavas were all born of the same
mother, KUNTI, with different gods as their fathers.
That Bhima’s father was the wind god VAY U
explains his violence, temerity, and quickness to
anger. He is also known for overweening pride
and gluttony. Bhima was prodigiously strong and
a formidable, undefeatable wrestler.
From childhood, Bhima faced an angry rival in
his cousin DURYODHANA, who persistently plotted
to usurp the kingdom that rightfully belonged to
the sons of PANDU. One time Duryodhana poi-
soned Bhima and threw him into the GANGES. This
action backfired: the poison was neutralized by
the snake-people or NAGAS who lived in the river,
who also gave Bhima a magic potion to make him
superstrong. When Duhshana, one of the Kaurava
sons, tried to disrobe DRAUPADI, the wife of the
Pandavas, Bhima angrily vowed that he would
one day kill Duryodhana and drink the blood of
Duhshasana, a vow he eventually fulfilled. Bhima
married the demoness Hidimba and fathered a
son with her named Ghatokacha, who became aBhima 83 J