4 - Gandhi’s key writings

Summary

M. K. Gandhi in his autobiography wrote, “What I want to achieve – what I have been striving and pining to achieve these thirty years – is self-realization, to see God face to face, to attain moksha. I live and move and have my being in pursuit of this goal”. Gandhi asserted that all his speaking, writing, political work, and experiments in the spiritual realm were directed towards the attainment of this desire. As this desire became stronger with the passing years, he increasingly gave himself up to Ramanama (recitation of the name of the god, Rama, conceived as Truth). In the weeks preceding his assassination, Gandhi repeatedly spoke of his desire to submit and surrender to Ramanama and have Ram’s name on his lips at the moment of death.

If this was his principal quest, we must ask how it informs his seven books. There is no apparent thematic unity among these woks. Hind Swaraj is a dialogue between Indian civilization and modern Western civilization, between civilization and its reverse, between those who see ends as justification of means, and those who see means and ends as inviolably related. Satyagraha In South Africa is an account of the struggle for dignity and equality of the Indian people in South Africa. The autobiography is the story of a soul in quest of Truth. From Yeravda Mandir and Ashram Observances in Action are a reflection on ashram vows and the experiences of the ashram community in leading a life committed to these vows. Constructive Programme: Its Meaning and Place is best described as a handbook, a guide to action meant for those seeking a nonviolent, non-exploitative society for India. Key to Health is a reflection on the nature of the body, disease, and healing, while Anasakti Yoga is a translation of the Bhagavad Gita.