Thereafter, Chanji received the following reply from Gandhi, written in Gujarati from Yeravda Central Prison:
October 10, 1932 c/o Superintendent Yeravda Central Prison, Poona Brother Dadachanji,
This is in reply to your letter of the 23rd. I wish to clarify my position in regard to Baba. I find it very difficult to believe that one person can help another to see God. My heart refuses to accept this idea. However, when Baba makes such a claim, I can only tell him that I would welcome his help if he could make me see God. We need not believe that a person has necessarily seen God just because he says that he has seen Him. Many persons who make such a claim are found to be suffering from a delusion. In many cases, the claim is merely an echo of one's own wishes. I certainly do not believe that seeing God means seeing some Power outside of us, for I believe that He dwells in the hearts of us all. But only one in thousands knows Him through the heart. It is not enough to know God with one's intellect. I do feel that no person can help another to see God in this sense.
One cannot fast at the insistence of somebody else in order to be able to see God. I would do so only when I feel an urge from within me. And when there is such an urge, I will not allow myself to be dissuaded from that step by anybody. There is absolutely no reason for assuming that fasting would help me to see God. I cannot believe that if I agree to fast for 40 days, Baba can help me to see God. That would be an easy bargain. If one can see God as easily as that, the experience has no value for me.
I thought that Baba did not divide life into separate fields. To a person whose life is dedicated to dharma, politics, economics, et cetera, all are aspects of dharma and he cannot leave out any of them. According to me, a person who regards dharma as one of the many activities of life does not know what dharma is. It is, therefore, inconceivable to me that some day I might give up politics, social reform and other similar activities. I have entered the fields of politics, social service, et cetera, for the sake of dharma.