Gandhi’s principle of Asteya(non-stealing)

One of the avowed vows of Gandhi was the principle of Asteya i.e.non-stealing. Asteya was not only confined to non-stealing as a direct action. Rather, it had wider meanings according to Gandhi. The indirect and subtle ways of stealing are lying-stealing of truthfulness, cheating-stealing others’ rights, waging of war-stealing others’ territories. Gandhi said that a man’s greed and penchant for materialism is also a subtle form of stealing others' right to basic requirements. It is because a wealthy man residing in a palatial house has dispossessed  a poor man’s right to a bare minimum land for subsistence living. In due consideration of this idea, gandhiji has written in Yervada Mandir” One who follows the principle of non-stealing will bring about a progressive reduction in his wants for lavish forms of life. Much of the distressing poverty in this world is due to the breaches of the principle of non-stealing by affluent people”
(ideas borrowed from Gandhi foundation)