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| Foundations of Satyagraha — A representative image. |
File Information
| Document Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | FOUNDATIONS OF SATYAGRAHA |
| Article Credit | Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR), ISSN: ISSN-2349-5162, Vol.: 1, Issue: 3, Year: 2014, (Pubd in: Jetir.org) |
| Author | Dr Madhu Prashar (Principal, Dev Samaj College for Women, Ferozepur City, Punjab.) |
| Subject | An analysis of Gandhi's Satyagraha as a synthesis of Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, and Western philosophical influences, with emphasis on Satya, Ahimsa, and the relation between means and ends. |
| Category | Research article |
| Institution | Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) |
| Main Topics | Gandhi's philosophy of Satyagraha, Satya and Ahimsa in Hindu tradition, Tapas and brahmacharya as ethical foundations, Western influences on Gandhi's thought, Ends and means in nonviolent action, Jain, Buddhist, and Upanishadic ideas, Practical idealism and social change |
| Number of Pages | 7 |
| Language | English |
| File Type | |
| File Size | 636.3 KB |
Summary Note of this Document
FOUNDATIONS OF SATYAGRAHA
FOUNDATIONS OF SATYAGRAHA examines how Gandhi's method of nonviolent political action emerged from a mixture of Indian religious-philosophical traditions and selected Western influences. The paper argues that Satyagraha cannot be reduced to inherited custom alone, because Gandhi reworked concepts such as Satya, Ahimsa, Tapas, and brahmacharya into a modern program of action. It situates this synthesis alongside readings of Tolstoy, Ruskin, Thoreau, the New Testament, Socrates, and other figures that Gandhi treated as confirming already accepted ethical convictions. A major focus is Gandhi's insistence that truth, nonviolence, and self-suffering form the metaphysical and moral basis of political resistance. The paper also develops the claim that means and ends are inseparable: violent or corrupt methods cannot produce just outcomes. To support this, it draws on Samkhya causality and on Jain ideas of relativity, arguing that moral humility and tolerance follow from the limits of human perspective. The conclusion emphasizes the practical dimension of Ahimsa, including self-reliance, social unity, trusteeship, and refusal to cooperate with unjust power.
Core Themes
- Nonviolent resistance as a moral philosophy
- Religious and metaphysical foundations of political action
- The relation between means and ends
- Tolerance and relativity of truth
- Social reform and self-reliance
Keywords
About Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi lived from 1869 to 1948. Born in India, he trained as a lawyer and became a political thinker. Colonial rule repelled him. He opposed it fiercely and eventually led India’s independence movement.
Gandhi pioneered Satyagraha, the power of truth and nonviolent resistance. He put these ideals into practice during political and social upheavals. Over twenty years in South Africa shaped his thinking. That’s where he developed his tactics of nonviolent defiance. He returned to India in 1915 and launched major movements against British rule. Non-Cooperation Movement. Salt March. Quit India Movement. Each one challenged colonial domination.
In 1883 he married Kasturba Gandhi. Marriage and family life remained central to who he was. He spoke powerfully about his beliefs. His writing included Hind Swaraj, Satyagraha in South Africa, and The Story of My Experiments with Truth, his autobiography.
His vision stretched beyond political independence. Religious harmony mattered to him. Social equality. Self-reliance. Women’s rights. Ending untouchability. All of these were part of what he fought for.
Nonviolence and Satyagraha shaped movements worldwide. Civil rights activists drew from his example. Freedom struggles across the globe felt his influence. His approach changed how people thought about resistance and change.
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