early life influence of mahatma gandhi...early life and influence of mahatma gandhi 54 3.1...

CHAPTER Ill

EARLY LIFE AND INFLUENCE OF

MAHATMA GANDHI

Early Life and Influence of Mahatma Gandhi 54

3.1 Introduction

In this chapter an attempt is made to analyse the Early life and

Influence of Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhiji's entire life was devotcd to social, moral and rcligious

activitics both in India and abroad. He took up all problems of l i k with great

commitment and tried to solvc them with the purest possible means. Hc was

an apostlc of non-violence and peace. Gandhiji's life and actions were

continually part of expcrirnentation with truth. There was nevcr any

dichotomy between what he said and what he acted upon. Flc did not want to

project himself or hisideas as a school of thought or ideology. Gandhiji was

a moral man. And morcovcr, he was a man of action whose cntire social

actions were based on morality and it is the basic cause of the success of his

lifc. The success of morality was his life. Thc place of morality in his life

has been caused by various influences. I Iis family influenced him very much,

especially his mother played an important role in his moral lifc. She madc a

strong impression upon young Mohandas with her picty .

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was horn on Pd October 1869, in

Porbandar, Gujarat in Wcstern India. He bclonged to the Bania sub cask


(subdivision of Vaisya) and to the Vaishnava scct of Hindu religion. 'I'heir

name signified grocer but for generations, ihc leading members of the lamily

had flourished in politics, serving as high officials. Gandh iji 's lat hcr

Karamchand became prime (chief) minister in Kathiawar district. Mohandas

was the youngest child of his faihcr's fourth wife, Putlibai.'

As a boy, Gandhiji admired the "practicability of his father" but he

!wed hismother Putlibai and was greatly influenced by her 'saintliness' and

her "deeply religious7' nature, which later helped him to posscss an

unqucnchablc faith in God and made his life a lcsson for all ages to comc.

As a child, Gandhiji's family affectionately called him Mohandas. IIe was

timid and dilfidcnt. And moreover, he was not a brilliant student and his

record in school was on the whole mediocre. But all the samc, he was highly

truthful. 'l'ruth and non-violcnce for which Mohandas stood w~c , inherited to

a considkrablc degrec from his father. ITe never spoke a lic either to his

teacher or 10 his schoolmates. When he was at the high school, an intercsting

incident occurred. An educational inspector paid a visit to that school :md

askcd the students to spell five words. Onc of the words asked by the inspector

was 'kettle'. Gandhiji had mis-spelt it. The teacher tried to prompt him with

Early Life and Influence of aha at ma Gandhi 56

the point of his boot hut young Gandhiji would not be prompted. IIc was

quite opposed to lcarning thc art of copying. The result.was that all the

students exccpt Gandhiji spelt all the fivc words correctly. nut that did not

in any way diminish his reverence for his teacher. During his high school

years he camc in contact with some boys of different faiths. Muslims, Parsees,

Christians, and Jews became his fellow-brothers. Meat eating was taboo in

his f~mily tradition. Sceing somc Englishmen eating meat and beef; Gandhiji

questioned himself aS to why meal cating was prohibited in Hindu families

only and not in lhose belonging to other faiths? He strongly criticized his

family tradition and thus under the influence of some of his Mohammedan

liicnds, decided to cxperimcnt upon it himself. This expcrimenl did not last

long, because he virtually ate little and it was very hard to eat. But later he

lelt that this was unethical and immoral and should not be allowcd to continue.

During his school days, hc did not show any exemplary activity. According

to Ashc Geoffrey: "In almost ninetcen years of education and wcdlock, he

had shown no outward signs of any distinctive ideas, outstanding virtues, or

special talents".?

Early Life and Influence of Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was married at the age of thirteen,

just when he was studying at the high school. Howcver, his studies conlinucd.

Mollan's bride, Kasturhai, was the daughter of Gokuldas Makanji, a merchant

ol Porbandar and friend of the Gandhi family. The marriage lastcd sixty-two

years. At the age of 18 he matriculated from Allahabad and hc went lo college

a1 1311avanagar for one ycar and in 1887, proceeded to England for studies in

Law. His outstanding achievement in England was thc consequcnce of his

vegctarianism. He tricd to convince thc world with regard to thc benel'its of

vegetarianism which was vcry uncommon in England. The vow ol'

vegetarianism became a continual source of embarrassment lo him and

morcover it bccarne a mission for him and the starting point of a uniquc

discipline of body and mind, which transformed his life. He was admitted as

a studcnt at the lnner 'I'emple on November 6, 1888 and matriculated at

London University in June 1890. lie learned French and Latin, Physics and

common and Roman law. Hc was called to the bar on June 10, 1891 and

enrolled in thc high court on June 1 1, and sailcd for India on June 12. At thc

time of lcaving he remarked, "During my nearly lhrec years slay in

England, I have left many things undone, and have done many things which


perhaps I might better havc left undonc, yet 1 carry one grcat consolation

with me that I shall go back without having taken meat or wine, and that 1

knew from personal experience that there arc so many vegetarians in

E~~gland" .~ In 1891, Gandhiji returned to India and after a hricf stay in

India, lelt for South Ahica in 1893 to advocate the cases against the Mcmen

firm, the lirm of the Indian businessmen in South Mica. Gandhiji's activities

in South Africa can be regardcd as unparalleled and unequalled in thc history

of the world. The twenty one years he spent in South Africa offered him

valuable insights in familiarizing himselr with the inhuman and highly

deplorable situations that existed outsidc as well as helping him dcvelop

appropriate concepts and techniques of nonviolcnt defence. I Ic resisted non- C

violently any oppression and exhorted the Indians to take part in public

activilies. For ~andhi j i South Africa was the place wherc he first h e tricd

his method of Non-violence, and after twenty years of relentless strugglc

against thc whites he finally won. And moreover, Gandhiji adoptcd the method

of non-violencc agains~ thc whites because he believcd that this was the

method of self-realization. South Africa, for Gandhiji, was like a laboratory

where he cvolved the ncw weapon of non-violent resistance.


In 1914, Gandhiji returned to India after successfully leading the

Indians in South Africa. Soon alter his return from South M i c a , Gandhiji

would not take part in any political activity in India for a year bccause he

thought he might first gct acquainted with the national issues. I-le abstained

from active politics till 191 9 and aftcr that he became active in India's national

movcment and the problem of India's Cr~cdom.~ Gandhiji's criteria wcrc not

the usual criteria of politics. He had certain principles ol'his own. And hc

was always working according to it. Gandhiji did not make any compromise

with regard to his principles. His standards of succcss were moral and

religious. He was a moral man by all means with regard to his entire public

act ion. Gandhiji with his principle olnon-cooperation, raised India's prestige

very high and with the hclp of this powerful weapon hc won India's frccdom.

Right horn 19 19 to 19 1 4, Gandhiji waged a relentless war against thc British

government. During this period, he was lodged in jails scvcral times. Whcn

he started his non-cooperative movemcnt for the attainment ol India's

lrecdom, he was sentenced to six years rigorous imprisonment in 1922. in

1930, he marched b r Dandi to breaksalt restrictions imposed by the ltnglish.

Many Indians followed him and he brokc the restrictions on salt.' 'l'he succ:ss,

Early Life and Influence af Mahatma Gandhi

which he achicved, wa$ the sign of non-violcnt revolution in his public action.

'I'he social structure is based on the principle of non-violence. 1l thc social

grovps were not based on the principle of non-violcnce, they would have

destroyed one anothr. The very survival of human society proves the

necessity of non-violence to cxist a pcaceful world order. The practice of

non-violencc by the society will lead io greater degree 01 pcace among the

individuals and the various social groups in thc society and among nat i~ns

with different social systems. Gandhiji realized that the socicty should he

based on non-violence. It implics that thc society, which is not based on

non-violence, will not be stable. For Gandhiji, non-violence is the wcapon

of thc brave, not of ihc coward. Ile successfully demonstrated the ellicacy

of this method in South Africa and in sevcral occasions in lndia also. For

Gandhiji, non-violence was a moral weapon. And moreover, it was the basic

structure ol his entire public action. Hence he was a man oP morality and

non-violencc by all means. Gandhiji's moral thinking have becn influenced

by various sources such as; the inlluence coming from ihc lndian sourccs,

thc influencc coming from the Wcstern sources and thc influence of various . religions.


3.2 Indian Influence

Whilc discussing the various Indian factors, which influenced

Gandhiji's thoughts, his family was the first and foremost influence ol' his

early 1 ife. In the family, he was influenccd very much by his parents. Gandhi-ji

inherited much from his father, Kaba Gandhi. Hc learnt a lot from "his rich

experience of practical affairsf16 this helped him in solving many intricate

problcms oP social and political life on a practical basis. These influences

from his father helped him a lot to he a practical idealist. I Icnce he said, "I

am not a visionary. 1 claim to be a practical idealist".' Thus i'athcr's life and

ideas cast a considerable influence in Gandhiji's works and ideas. Gandhiji's

mother, lktl ibai, a lady of most devout t ernperamcnt, influenccd his religious

thoughts. She was deeply religious and never took meals without saying and

olfcring daily prayers. This way of lile influenced Gandhiji to practicc scl f-

restraint in his life. And moreover, thc basic tenets of Hinduism, Jainism and

Buddhism were Iirst infused into the mind oTGandhiji by his mother. Gandhiji /

lcarnzd the ' alpha7 olreligion from his mother which formed the loundation

of his religious ideas. l'he image of woman hc imbibed horn his mother was

that of love and sacrifice. About his rnolhcr, Gandhiji said, "my mother had

Early Life and Influence of Vahatma Gandhi 62

strong common ~ e n s e " . ~ His family nurse Kambha also influenced Gandhiji.

In his childhood day$ hc was used to be afraid of ghosts and spirits. That is

why Rambha suggested him lo repeat the namc of Kama. 'lhe repetition of

'Ramanama' helped him as a remedy for the fear of ghosts and evil spirits.

And moreover, the recitation of 'Ramanama', proved to him lo he an armour

in moments 01 crisis throughout his lifc. Gandhiji said: "I think it is duc to

the seed sown by that good woman Kambha, that today 'Ramanama' is an

infallible remedy for

Kasturba, the wile of Gandhiji has played an important role in his

pcrsonal 'life. IIcr tirelcss service, immeasurable restraint, infinite paticncc

and boundless lovc she won the hcart and mindof Gandhiji and broughl out

the highest potentials latent in his pcrsonality . Gandhiji lovcd his wife very

much. She became an indivisible part of his being. In the words of Gandhiji,

"Kasturba has hcen my mother, friend, nurse, cook, bottle washer and all

these things we have Lome to a reasonable understanding that 1 should havc

all thc honours and shc should have all the drudgcry"1° Thc book on 'Shravana

Pitribhakti Natak' intlucnced Gandhi to a great extent. IIe had said: "'l'his

book and the picture .lcit an indelible impression on my mind. '1Iere is an


example for you to copy', I said to myself. lhe agonized lament o f thc

parents over Shravana's death is still fresh in my memory".ll 'lhe other strong

effect on Gandhiji's life was that of T-Tarishchandra's story. It captivated him

much. He had said, '.'Harishchimdra captured my heartn1? ITc further slid,

"Why should not all be truthful likc Harishchandra was the question I asked

mysell day and night. '1'0 follow truth and to go through all thc ordeals

Harishchandra went through was the one ideal i t inspircd in me"."

Harishchandra's story impressed Gandhiji' s thoughts and rcligion. Gandhiji 's

rcligion of truth had its source in that play like Harishchandra, Gandhiji also

suffcred h r preaching and practicing truthfulness. I Iis entire lifc was bascd

on truth and its application. The whole of his life may be summcd up as a

quest for truth or an experiment in truth. Gandhiji loved his country much

and thc major part of his lifc was spent for the sake of his country's upliftment.

Tle expressed his deep sanse of commitment to his nation without any

hesitation. He had said: "I am wedded to lndia because 1 owe my all to her.

I believe absolutely that she has a mission for all the world.' She is not io

copy Europe blindly. My life is dedicated to service of India through the

religion of non-violence". lJ Gandhiji had a great vision about his nation. For


him non-violcnce was his religion. He practiced non-violence as a way of

liPe in his enlirc public action. Gandhiji was also influenced by the teaching

of Jainism in his carly lile. Jainism preaches the wcll-known cxtreme view

of non-violence, which irnprcssed Gandhiji very much. Buddhism also

influenced him a lot. Gandhiji was a true disciple oP Buddha, adoptcd and

practiced the samc codc of morality for achieving 'rnokvha' or salvation.

And moreovcr, many religious books also influenced Gandhiji's thoughts

and idcas. Bhagavadgita ranked the first among them. Gandhiji said: "Thc

vers-s in the second chaptcr made a deep impression on my mind, and thcy

st ill ring in my ears. Thc book struck one as one of the priceless worth. The

impression has evc,r since bccn growing on me with the result that I regard it

today as the book par excellcnce fcr thc knowledgc of Truth. It has affirdcd

onc invaluable help in my moments of gloomfl.lS And moreover he had said:

"The Gita became an inlallible guide of conduct. I t became my dictionary of

daily reference"'" This statement clearly reveals the influence of Gita in

Gandhiji's life. It was a guide for him. He had found out solution in his life

in troubles. TTe had said: "When doubt haunts mc and when I see not onc ray

of light on the horizon, I turn to thc Bhagavadgita, and find a verse to comfort


I

me" 17 . Hence, Gita was a comforter in his personal life. IIc used it as a

problem solver and guidc, and rnoreovcr he practiccd Gita in his pcrscnal

life. Gandhiji was also greatly influenced by the life and tcaching oP Swami

Vivekananda. Vivckananda's conception of 'Daridranarayan', the poor, as

God was adopted and practiced by Gandhiji himself. For Gandhiji servicc of +

the poor is the service of God. Service to the poor was the most important

thing for Gandhiji. Raychandbhai, a saintly Indian mcrchant and a

distinguished reformer of Bombay, cxcrcised a profound influence on

Gandhiji. Gandhiji said: "No one elsc has ever made on me the impression

that Kaychandbhai did" '! He also moulded Gandhiji's thoughts and ideas.

Gokhalc was the first Indian political leader who introduced thc

principles o l religion' in to public life and tried to spiritualize it. Gandhiji

was much influenced by him and acccpted Gokhale as his political 'Guru'.

Gandhiji had said: "My conception of a Guru is perhaps not of the ordinary.

Nothing but perfection will satisfy me. I am in search of one who though in

the flesh, is incorruptible and unmoved by passion, free horn thc pairs oT

opposites, who is Truth and Ahimsa incarnate and will therefore fear none

and bc feared by none"lO. The other great Indians who stimulated the young


mind of Gandhiji were Sir Pherozeshah and hkmanya Tilak. Gandhiji had

said: "Sir Pherozeshah had seemed to me like the Himalaya, the 1,okmanya

like the ocean. nut Gnkhalc was as thc Ganges.. O i ~ e could havc a refrcshing

bath in the holy river. 'lhc Himalaya was unsalable, and onc could not

easily launch forth on the sea. nut the Ganges invited one to its bosom""'.

Thus Gandhiji was influenccd by the grcat personalities ol India. His opinion

about the distinguished pcrsonalities ollndia clearly revcaled the opcn attitude

of Gandhiji. He acccpted and respected thc great personalities of India and

was willing to absorb thc good qualities from them.

3.3 Western Influence

The Western thinkcrs like 'l'olstoy, Ruskin, Thoreau, Soaates, Carlyle

and Emcrson also influenccd Gandhiji. Count Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) the

liussian writer and thinker influenced Ciandhi very much. Tolstoy by his

book '?'he Kingdom of God is within you' overwhelmed him very much.

Gandhiji said that it left an abiding impression on him. About the effccl of

the book on his lifc he wrote: "It was 40 ycars back, when I was passing

through a severe crisis o l scepticism and doubt that I came across his bot)k,

'The Kingdom of God is within you' and was deeply impressed by it. I vyas


at that timc a believcr in violence. Its reading curcd me of my skepticism and

made me a firm believer in Ahirnsa"". Ahimsa was thc fundamental principle

of Gandhiji 's entire lifc. It was for him not only a principle but for a way of

l ik . Rev. Joseph J. Doke, ihc first biographer of Gandhiji is of thc opinion

that thc miscellaneous writings of 'l'olstoy especially on ctliical, religious

and allicd problcms were traced out, read and digested by Gandhiji. Ilokc

calls him "a disciple of 'l'olstoy"". Tolstoy7s simplicity of life and purity of

purpose influenced Gandhiji very much. 'l'olstoy accepted love to be the law

of Life. The principle oP non-violencc is based on love for the eniirc mankind.

Both Tolstoy and Gandhiji adopted the instrument of love to solve all problcms

in their lives. And moreover, they- believed that non-violence could cure all

sociai maladies, rcmove political ills, and establish peace on carth and

goodwill among mankind.

Another Wcstem thinker who il~flu~nccd Gandhiji was Sohn Ruskin

(1819 - 1900). Hc was an author, social reformer, and art critic, in the last

half of the nineteenth century2". His book Unto This Lust was one of the

most decisivc influences of Gandhiji's lifc. In Gandhiji's own words, "'l'hc

book was impossible to lay aside, once 1 had begun it, i t gripped mc. I could


not get any sleep that nightvz4. The reading of this book had deep impact on

Gandhiji. And moreover, it translorrns his lire. Gandhiji wrotc: "Thc ;,nc

that brought about an instantaneous and practical transformation in my liPe

was 'Unto This Last'. 1 translated it later into Gujarati, entitling it 'Sarvodaya'

('lhc welfare of all). I belicve that 1 discovered some of my deepest convictions

rcllectcd in this grea&nok of Ruskin, and that is why it so capturcd me and

made mc transform my life"? Gandhiji changed his life in accordance with

the ideals of 'Unto This I ast ' and drcw from it thrce principles.

1. "That the good of the individual is contained in thc good o P all;

2. That a lawyer's work has thc same valuc as the barbcr's in as

much as all have the same right of earning thcir livelihood from

their work;

3.' That thc life of labour, i.e., the life of the tiller of the soil, and thc

handicraftsman is thc life worth living"2h.

Under the influence of Ruskin's 'Unto 'lhis Last' he equally believed

that differential wages should not be paid for intellectual work in prefcrcnce

Lo manual work since in~ellectual labour should not be treatcd as superior to


manual labour. After rcading 'Unto This Last' Gandhi was convinced of the u

need that one must earn his hrcad by thc sweat of his brow or by performing

brcad labour.

Henry David 'lborcau (181 7 -1862), the American writer, poet and

philosopher also impressed Gandhiji very much. Gandhiji rcad ' T h o r e a ~ ' ~

Civil Disobedience with grcat interest while hc was in jail as a result of

satyagraha campaign in South Africa. The rcading of thc essay 'Civil

Disobedicnce' greatly iniluenccd Gandhiji's movements. He had said: "'lhcrc

is no doubt that Thoreau's idea greatly influenced my movcment in Indiaz7.

Thus Thoreauvian influence on Gandhiji was so deep and powerful in many

respcsts. 'l'hhe ancient'philosopher Socrates (470 - 399 B.C.) has exercised

an incalculable influence on Gandhiji as a satyagrahi, and moreover a sccker

after truth. Both of them were spiritualists and idealists. rl'hotnas Carl ylc

(1795 - 1881) an cssayis: and historian of cminence influenced Gandhiji

very much. During his stay in I mdon as a student Gandhi-ji rcad Carlyle's

monumental work on I Icroes, Hero-worship, and the Heroic in History. Whilc

in jail he read Carlyle's French Kevolz4tion and that book confirmed the

glory ol' non-violencc in his mind.


Gandhiji waq also influenccd by Ralph Waldo Emcrson (I803 - 1882).

1 Ic waq an American and a radical transcendentalist. Gandhiji had read about

Emcrson during his second term of imprisonment in South Africa. Alicr

reading Emerson's essays, he wrotc to his son on March 25,1909 which was

"Emerson, Ruskin and Mazzins all conlirrn the view that education docs not

mean a knowledgc of letters but it means character buildingZR. For Gandhiji,

education is a means ,of character formation. Character determines whciher

a pcrson is litcrate or illiterate. Education is a tool for character formation.

3.4 Religious Influence

Gandhiji was also influenced by various religions of the world such

as Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism and Buddhism.

In Ilinduism, Gandhiji oftcn called himself a Sanatan Hindu, a

Vedantist. He Pinds solace, a Kamadhenu in the Gita. Gita is the sacrcd book

of Hinduism. The vcrscs in the second chapter of Gita made a deep impression

on Gandhiji's inind. He had said: "The book struck me as one of pricclcss

worth. The impression has ever sincc been growing on me with the result

that I rcgard it today as the book par excellence for the knowledge o1''Fruth.

It has afforded me invaluable help in my moments of gloom"24. And moreover,

Early life and Lnfluence of Mahatma Gandhi 71

hc reveals: "The teachings ofthe Gita becamc an infallible guide 01 conduct.

It bccame my dictionary of daily rePercn~e"~O. 'lhis statement clearly revcalcd

the decp influence of Gita in Gandhiji 's life. Every moment of Gandhi ji 's

life is a conscious cffort to live the mcssage of thc Gita; No other book

inll~cnced him so deeply as the study of the nhagavad Gita. Gandhiji was

also greatly influenckd by thc life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda.

Vivekananda's conccpt of Daridranar~~yun influenced him very much. The

conccpt of poor as God, was adoptcd, elaborated and practiced by Gandhiji

himsdf. He had said; "llaridranarayan is one of the millions of names by

which humanity knows Ciod who is unnameable and unfathomable by human

understanding, and it mcans God of he poor, God appearing in the hearts of

the poor"''. Gandhiji loved the poor vcry much and moreover, service lo thc

poor was the most important thing for Gandhiji. He dedicated thc major

portions o l his life to thc service of the poor and his belief was that thc

service oP thc poor is thc service of God.

As for Islam, Gandhiji declared that in his vicw, 'the point of

brothcrhood is manifested in other religions as clearly as in Islam'. According

to Gandhiji, the chief contribution of Islam has been the brothcrhood o l


man. Hoth Muhammad and Gandhiji were men of action. The reading of the

Koran has convinccd Gandhiji that the basis of Islam is not.violencc. I Ie had

said: "The very word Islam means peacc which is non-violence. 'Ihe sword

is no emblem of Islam"'?. 1 Tcnce Gandhiji was grcatly influenccd by the

concept of non-violencc in Islam. Islam stands for peacc. Gandhiji was also

inllucnced by Christianity very much. During his student days in London,

he read thc Bible. In Bible, the New l'estamcnt influenccd Gandhiji much

especially thc S e r m o ~ on the Mount. About it Gandhiji had said: "The Ncw

'l'estament produced a dil-fcrcrent impression especially the sermon on the mount

which went straight to my heart. I compared it with thc Gita"32. O n many

occasions, Gandhiji fou~td consolation and dcrked inspiration and strc~lgth

from the Bible. For Gandhiji, Jesus Christ represcnted the purcst form 01

passive resistance or soul force; and Jesus was the king of satyagrahis.

Gandhiji said: "Christ died on thc cross with a crown of thorns on his hcad

M

defying thc might of a whole empire. h d if I raise resistance of a non-

violent character, I simply and humbly follow in the footsteps ol' thc grcat

Gandhiji often appraised Jesus as a great teacher, and as a saviour

of humanity. Gandhiji dedicated his whole life towards the service of


humanity which he owcd much to Christian influence. Jainism also cast a

dccp impression on thc ethico-religious life of Gandhiji. Both Jainism and

Buddhism preached thc virtue of Ahimsa (non-violence) in India long ago.

Buddhism emphasized the non-killing oi' animal 1 ife and non-injury to mcn.

Jair~ism proceeds a step further and prescribes non-killing of animal lile,

cven ol' thc smallest insect. Gandhiji acccpted this cthics ol nun-violencc of'

both Jainism and Buddhism to every sphere of his life. Jaina philosophy

accepts and advocates non-violence (Ahimsa) as the highest label ollili: and

as thc means of attaining l iberation (Moksha). For Gandhij i non-violcocc

(Ahimsa) was thc highest idcal of lifc and as thc means of attaining sclf-

realization (moksha). Gandhiji was also influenced by many Parsi peoplc of

his time. Dadabhai Naoroji influenced Gandhiji very much. During his stay

in lrmdon as a student Ciandhiji was much impressed by the speech md

personality of Naoroji. l'he lectures delivered by Naoroji were ol immc~~se

benefit to him. Gandhiji wrote: 'whenever an address by him was announced,

I would attend it, listen to him from a corner oP thc hall and go away alter

having feasted my eyes and ears"35.


3.5 Conclusion

Gandhiji was oP course, very much influenced by thi: Indian, wcsLern

and religious sourccs. Fq'or Gandhiji, home life was the first and Porcmost

influcnce in his early life. I Iis parents inllucnced him much. They wcrc

cultured and as per prevailing Indian standards, werc well to do. And

morcover, the notable thing is that all the mcmbers of his lamily inllucnced

him at various levels. Even thc housemaid inllucnced him much. Gandhiji's

father and mother, both of them played an important rolc in his carly lire,

espcciall y the mothcr, Putlibhai madc a spiritual foundation in his life. Thus

the mother had played an important role in their children's spiritual life. 1 icr

daily Iifc must be very careful as the speech and deed of mothcr grea1.1~

influence the child re^. They have a tendency to imitate their parents evcry

movement. I l e n e family is said to bc the great school and mothcr, the bcst

teachcr. Gandhiji absorbed thc goodncss of all religions with regard to his

idea of communal harmony and it helped him to be a man o f morality and a

firm belicver in God. 'l'hc concept of 'l'ruth and non-violencc he imbiOcd

from the rcl igions Ruddhism, Jainism, Hinduism and Christianity. Gandhiji

is kiiown Lo the world as a brave man, a man of simple and austere living,


and a seekcr after truth cannot be the product a£ one or two circumstances.

But he was rather a man of varied influences. His personality was a resul! of

various sources of influences in his life. Gandhiji himself said: "1 havc learnt

from the New Teslamcnt as also from other sourccs"". According to I'rot'.

D.M. Dutta, "A variety of experiences gradually shaped Gandhij i ' s ideasm3?

and moreover, S.M.17iwari, a scholar of (;andhian thought remarks; "llis

(Gandhiji's) teaching drew its inspiration from the sages of almost all lands

and agesM3" These statements clcarly revealed the fact that Fandhiji was

influenced by many sourccs and which helped him to mould his personaiity

and ideals in a proper way.


REFERENCES

M . K. Gand hi; An Autobiography The Story of my Ekperiments with Truth

(Navajivan Publishing House, Ahmeda bad, 1969, p. 3, 5.

Geoffrey Ashe, Gandhi: A Studyin Revolution, William Heinemann Ltd. London,

Ibid., p. 46.

D.K.Dutta, Social, oral and Religious Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi. Intellectual

Book Corner, 23, Daryaganj, Pratap Gats, New Delhi, p. 18.

Ibid., p. 20

M.K.Gandhi, An Autobiography, op. cit., p. 2.

R. K.Prabhu and U.R.Rao, The Mind of Mahatma Gand hi, Oxford University Press,

Mzdras, 1946, p. 48.

* M.K.Gandhi, An Autobiography, op. cit., p. 3.

W.K.Gandhi, My Religion, Navajivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad, 1958, p. 6.

'* D.G.Tendulkar; Mahatma, Vol. 11, Publication Division Government of

India, New Delhi, p. 298.

M.K.Gandhi, An Autobiography, op. cit., p. 4.


l2 Ibid., p 4

l3 Ib id . p.4.

l4 M.K.Gandhi, India of my Dreams, Navajivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad,

l5 M.K.Gandhi, My Religion, Navajivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad, 1958, r3.9.

l6 Ibid., p. 16.

17 R.K.Prabhu and U.R.Rao, The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, Navajivan Publishing

House, Ahmedabad, 1969, p. 94.

l8 M.K.Gandhi, An Autobiography, op, cit., p. 113.

lg N.B.Sen, Wit and Wisdom of Mahatma Gandhi, New Book Society of India,

New Delhi, 1960, p.115.

20 M.K.Gandhi, An Autobiography, op. cit., p. 133.

21 M.i<.Gandhi, An Autobiography, op. cit., p. 102.

22 Young India Sept. 20, 1928, p. 319.

23 1.3.~oke, An Indian Patriot in South Africa, Sarvaseva Sangh Prakashan,

Varanasi, 1959,p, 4.


24 Jaladhar Pal, The Moral Philosophy of Gandhi; Gyan Publishing House, New

Delhi, p. 25.

25 M.K.Gandhi, An Autobiography, op. cit., p. 224.

27 Ibid., p, 224.

2E R.R.Diwakar, Gandhi's Life, Thought and Philosophy, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,

Bombay, 1963, p. 47,48.

29 The collected works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. IX, Publications Division,

government of India, 1963, p. 208.

j0 M.K.Gandhi, My Religion, op. cit., p. 9.

31 Ibid., p.16.

32 U.S.Mohan Rao, The message of Mahatma Gandhi, Publication Division, Ministry

of Information and Broadcasting, Government of, India, New Del hi, 1968, p. 46.

33 N.B.Sen, Wit and Wisdom of Mahatma Gandhi, New Book Society of India, New

Delhi, 1960, p. 134.

34 M . K. Ga nd h i; An Autobiography The Story of my Experiments with Truth

(Navajivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad, 1969, p. 49.


35 The Collected works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. XVIII, Publications Division,

Government of India, Delhi, p. 408.

3b M.K.Gandhi, An Autobiography, op. cit., p. 58.

37 M.K.Gandhi, In Search of the Supreme, Vol. 11, Navajivan Publishing Hoi~se,

Ahmedabad, 1961, p. 223.

38 D.M.Dutta, The Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, The University of Wisconsin

Press, Madison, 1953, p. 3.

early life influence of mahatma gandhi...early life and influence of mahatma gandhi 54 3.1...

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