Gandhi's Influence or Movements - 1

Gandhiji was in favour of a decentralised form of government, where each village is responsible for its own affairs.

Truth, as comprehended by an ordinary human being, is what Gandhiji called relative truth.

The English version of Gita by Sir Edwin Arnold influenced Gandhiji.

According to Gandhi, the essence of religion is morality and ethics.

The Light of Asia is a book that deals with Buddha and his teachings, which Gandhiji read while he was a student in England. 

The title that Gandhiji gave to his Gujarati translation of ‘Unto This Last’ was Sarvodaya.

The Grievances of Indians in South Africa was prepared for the purpose of educating public opinion in India about the ill-treatment of Indians in South Africa.

Tolstoy, Ruskin and Rajchandra left a deep impression on Gandhiji’s life and captivated him by their lives, writings or a new lifestyle and philosophy.

Ahimsa is supreme kindness and supreme self-sacrifice. It is non-violence in thought, word or deed.

Gandhiji took the vow of brahmacharya or celibacy for life in 1906.

Thatcherji Swami administered the three vows which Gandhiji took before his mother before leaving for England.

Gandhiji considered harijan seva as sacred.

Gandhiji decided to impose upon himself some vows in South Africa till the abolition of tax. Those vows included walking barefoot, adopting labourer’s dress and having only one meal a day.

Untouchability, as it is practiced in Hinduism today, is a sin against God and man, and is like a poison slowly eating into the very vitals of Hinduism.

According to Gandhiji, one must employ means that are peaceful, just and harmonious to achieve these ends.