Books that influenced Gandhi

“A friend of the poor and the underdog, humble and bold, sincere and frank, simple and austere, non-violent and truthful in thoughts, words and deeds; frail in body but mighty in spirit”.

This is how Satish Kumar describes Mahatma Gandhi.

This great leader shook the foundations of British Empire and tried to liberate India in the real sense of the term. He tried emancipating the “untouchables” in the way he deemed the most appropriate, gave the message of peace, love, brotherhood, truth and non-violence. It is important to know what shaped such great a leader and what thoughts inspired him.

Gandhi’s thought started developing and getting shaped in London where one of the first books to hit his conscience was Edwin Arnold’s translation of Gita. This book had a deep impression on his mind. However, it was not the only one which would shape him completely. “Key to Theosophy” by Madame Blavatsky and “Heros and Hero Worship” by Thomas Carlyle were two books that would develop in him a theologian and a great leader. Influenced greatly by it, “Sermon on the Mount” would be something he would preach throughout his life. Tolstoy’s “The Kingdom of God is Within You” and Ruskin’s “Unto This Last” would make him what we know him as. No one who knows Gandhi a little would ask how American philosopher Henry David Thoreau’s Resistance to Civil Government, also called On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, would have influenced him.

These books are actually great reads and should be in your book shelves, if not in your heart and mind already. How many have you read?

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