Gandhi and Rajchandra

Uma Majmudar teaches in the philosophy and religion department at Spelman College.

Majmudar (Spelman College) retells the "pilgrimage of faith" (p. 59) of Mohandas Gandhi (1869–1948) as he evolved into the Mahatma, contributing to the vast array of books advancing diverse studies of influences on his spiritual quest. In particular, Majmudar highlights the exemplary power of Rajchandra Mehta (1867–1901), a didactic poet, savant, and jeweler. Mehta personally interacted with young Gandhi for less than two years (1891–93) on Ghandi's return from London to Bombay (today Mumbai) and before his departure for South Africa. Thereafter, they corresponded until Mehta’s early death, although only three of their letters survive. Throughout, Majmudar argues that Mehta, whose mother tongue was the same Gujarati with a Kathiawadi accent as Gandhi’s, quickly became Gandhi’s "friend-cum-advisor and teacher supreme on the path of Truth" (p. 29). Mehta’s Jain religious beliefs and non-violent practices reinforced those that Gandhi absorbed from his own Vaishnava Hindu family. While Majmudar acknowledges that Mehta’s influence was "deep and invisible," she characterizes it "like an underground sprinkler system penetrating the deepest layers of [Gandhi’s] soul" (p. 76). Readers interested in the influences of Jainism or Mehta on Gandhi’s spiritual development will find Majumdar’s book informative. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers.

• PrefaceIntroductionChapter 1- Mohandas Gandhi in London: His First Acquaintance with ReligionsChapter 2 - Barrister Mr. Gandhi and Poet Rajchandra: Their First Meeting in MumbaiChapter 3 - Shrimad Rajchandra: A Many-faceted Diamond of a ManChapter 4 - What Cast a Spell on GandhiChapter 5 - Gandhi: Up, Close and Personal with RajchandraChapter 6 - Rajchandra as a Thinker and Reformist: Impact of His Views on GandhiChapter 7 - The Influence of Jainism on Gandhi: Major Precepts, Practices, and TheoriesChapter 8 - Brahmacharya: Rajchandra and GandhiChapter 9 - Gandhi from South Africa: “Rajchandra, My Refuge in Religious Crisis”Chapter 10 - Gandhi and Rajchandra: A Multi-petaled RelationshipChapter 11 - Ruskin, Tolstoy, and Thoreau: The Impact of Their Books on Gandhi Chapter 12 - Who Won the Battle for Gandhi’s Soul: Tolstoy, Ruskin, or Rajchandra?Chapter 13 - What is Satyagraha and Who Sowed the Seed Principles?Chapter 14 - Final WordAppendix I - Gandhi’s Questions and Rajchandra