Key Influences That Shaped Gandhi's Views on Humankind and Earth

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who would later become the Mahatma or “Great Soul,” was not shaped by any single event or teacher. His philosophy of nonviolence, his deep reverence for all living beings, and his vision for humanity’s relationship with the Earth emerged from a tapestry of influences woven through his childhood, family life, spiritual mentors, and transformative books. Understanding these formative experiences reveals how an ordinary child from a small coastal town in Gujarat came to articulate some of the most profound ideas about human dignity, self-restraint, and living in harmony with nature.

Early lessons in ahimsa from his mother
Family background and compassion
Learning diplomacy and service
Self-restraint and integrity
The influence of Raychandbhai
Transformative books and thinkers
Sir Edwin Arnold’s translations
Tolstoy and the commitment to nonviolence
Ruskin and the Phoenix Settlement
Adolf Just and return to nature
A synthesis of influences

Early lessons in ahimsa from his mother

The most powerful early influence on Gandhi was undoubtedly his mother, Putlibai. Putlibai was completely absorbed in religion, dividing her time between home and temple, fasting frequently, and dedicating herself to nursing family members during illness. Gandhi later recalled that she would not think of taking her meals without daily prayers and would undertake the hardest vows without flinching. These practices of devotion and self-discipline planted seeds that would later blossom into Gandhi’s own experiments with fasting and spiritual purification.

Putlibai’s religious devotion exposed young Gandhi to the principles of Jainism, particularly the concepts of ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truth), and aparigraha (non-possession). Growing up in a household steeped in both Vaishnavism and Jain influences meant that Gandhi absorbed from an early age the teaching that all living beings deserve protection from harm. His mother’s calm acceptance of all creatures, her gentleness in daily interactions, and her unwavering commitment to religious observance became the template upon which Gandhi would build his own moral philosophy.

An often-overlooked aspect of Putlibai’s influence was her approach to truth-telling. When the young Gandhi once tried to deceive his mother by imitating a cuckoo’s call so she could break a fast, she responded not with anger but with profound disappointment. Her tearful reaction taught the child an indelible lesson about the weight of dishonesty, even when motivated by love. This early experience contributed to Gandhi’s later insistence that truth must never be sacrificed, even for seemingly noble ends.

Family background and compassion

Gandhi came from a family with a long tradition of public service. His father, Karamchand Gandhi, served as the Dewan (Chief Minister) of Porbandar for 28 years, following in the footsteps of his own father Uttamchand. Despite lacking formal education, Karamchand was known for his capability, bravery, and generosity as an administrator. This family legacy of statesmanship taught young Mohandas the importance of diplomacy, dialogue, and navigating complex human relationships with integrity.

Perhaps nothing shaped Gandhi’s sense of compassion more than nursing his ailing father during his final years. As a teenager, Gandhi took on the duties of a nurse, dressing wounds, administering medicine, and compounding drugs at home. This intimate experience with suffering and service ignited what would become a lifelong passion for caring for the sick. Though Gandhi chose law as his profession, his passion always lay in caring for the sick and nursing them back to health.

The death of his father in 1885 left a lasting mark on Gandhi. He had left his father’s bedside to be with his wife mere minutes before Karamchand’s passing, and he later wrote that this experience became a source of deep regret. The weight of this moment reinforced his understanding of duty, sacrifice, and the fragility of human life. In later years, Gandhi would channel this sense of merciful service into caring for lepers, plague victims, and the marginalized members of society.

Learning diplomacy and service

Growing up in Porbandar, a port town where ships from distant lands had docked for centuries, Gandhi was exposed to diverse cultures and traditions. The Gandhi household frequently welcomed visitors from various religious backgrounds, including Jain monks, Muslim friends, and Zoroastrian acquaintances. Karamchand listened to conversations about different faiths with respect and interest, modeling a pluralistic approach to religion that Gandhi would later champion through his principle of equal respect for all religions.

Self-restraint and integrity

When Gandhi departed for England in 1888 to study law, he carried with him a solemn vow made to his mother: to abstain from meat, alcohol, and improper relationships with women. This triple vow, administered before a Jain monk, became Gandhi’s first serious exercise in self-restraint. Putlibai was convinced that her son would never break a promise he had solemnly sworn, and indeed, Gandhi’s truthfulness and love for his mother helped him uphold these vows despite significant social pressure in England.

In London, Gandhi discovered the intellectual foundations for his cultural practices. His vegetarianism, initially maintained out of obedience to his mother, transformed into a principled commitment after reading Henry Salt’s “A Plea for Vegetarianism.” Gandhi learned why, apart from cultural habit, it was right to be a vegetarian through works by Salt, Howard Williams, and Anna Kingsford. This marked a crucial transition: from following tradition to understanding and embracing its ethical foundations.

The influence of Raychandbhai

Upon returning to India in 1891, Gandhi was introduced to a young jeweller and poet named Shrimad Rajchandra, known to Gandhi as Raychandbhai. This meeting would prove to be one of the most significant of Gandhi’s life. Raychandbhai became Gandhi’s spiritual guide and refuge during moments of crisis, answering the young lawyer’s philosophical questions with clarity and depth.

What made Raychandbhai remarkable was his ability to combine worldly success with spiritual depth. He was a connoisseur of diamonds and pearls, whose commercial transactions covered hundreds of thousands, yet he remained focused on liberation and truth. This example proved to Gandhi that spirituality need not be divorced from everyday life, that one could be both a shrewd businessman and a sincere seeker of Truth. Gandhi later wrote that Raychandbhai’s teaching directly influenced his non-violence philosophy.

When Gandhi faced a spiritual crisis in South Africa, pressured by Christian and Muslim friends to convert, he wrote 27 questions to Raychandbhai about the nature of God, soul, and liberation. The prompt and insightful answers helped Gandhi resolve his doubts and restore his faith in Hinduism. This correspondence demonstrated the importance of having a spiritual mentor who could guide without imposing, question without dismissing.

Transformative books and thinkers

Gandhi consistently identified three modern influences that had left a deep impress on his life: Raychandbhai through living contact, Tolstoy through “The Kingdom of God Is Within You,” and Ruskin through “Unto This Last.” These three sources worked together to crystallize Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolent resistance and simple living.

Sir Edwin Arnold’s translations

While studying in London, two theosophist brothers gave Gandhi copies of Sir Edwin Arnold’s works: “The Song Celestial” (a poetic rendering of the Bhagavad Gita) and “The Light of Asia” (a narrative poem about the Buddha’s life). These texts opened Gandhi’s eyes to the richness of his own religious heritage. Remarkably, this was the first time Gandhi had ever read the Gita, having never studied it in Sanskrit or Gujarati. He would later regard Arnold’s translation as the finest in English, a text that became his constant companion and source of guidance in moments of despair.

“The Light of Asia” introduced Gandhi to Buddhist philosophy and the principle of compassion for all sentient beings. After receiving these works, Gandhi was introduced to Madame Blavatsky’s theosophy, which further stimulated his study of Hinduism and dispelled missionary-fostered notions that his native religion was riddled with superstition.

Tolstoy and the commitment to nonviolence

Leo Tolstoy’s “The Kingdom of God Is Within You” proved transformative for Gandhi’s understanding of nonviolent resistance. Gandhi wrote in his autobiography that this book overwhelmed him and left an abiding impression. Tolstoy articulated what Gandhi had been groping toward: that love expressed through self-suffering could meet and overcome hatred expressed through violence. Reading this work cured Gandhi of scepticism and made him a firm believer in Ahimsa.

The correspondence between Gandhi and Tolstoy in 1909-1910 represents one of history’s most remarkable exchanges between spiritual leaders. Tolstoy’s last letter was to Gandhi, discussing practical applications of nonviolence. This relationship gave Gandhi intellectual and moral support as he developed his concept of Satyagraha in South Africa.

Ruskin and the Phoenix Settlement

In 1904, a friend gave Gandhi John Ruskin’s “Unto This Last” during a train journey. The book’s effect was immediate and profound. Inspired by both Ruskin’s ideas and Trappist monasteries he had visited, Gandhi purchased 100 acres near Phoenix station in South Africa and established a community based on self-reliance and the dignity of manual labour. He named his own cottage “Sarvodaya,” meaning “well-being for all.”

Ruskin’s book became essential reading for inmates of Gandhi’s ashrams, and he translated and paraphrased it into Gujarati. The Phoenix Settlement represented the first concrete application of Gandhi’s emerging philosophy: that intellectual and manual work held equal value, that simple living on the land could foster both individual virtue and community solidarity.

Adolf Just and return to nature

Gandhi was greatly influenced by Adolf Just’s book “Return to Nature”, which advocated earth treatments and a natural diet of fresh fruits and nuts. When Gandhi suffered from chronic constipation in South Africa, he experimented with the mud poultices and dietary modifications Just recommended. The earth treatment brought Gandhi much-needed relief, and he never regretted adopting these natural healing methods. This experience strengthened his conviction that humans should live in harmony with nature rather than depending on external medical interventions.

Just’s philosophy aligned with Gandhi’s growing belief that disease often resulted from violating nature’s laws, and that nature itself provided the means for healing. This perspective would later inform Gandhi’s establishment of nature cure hospitals for India’s rural poor and his writings on health and diet reform.

A synthesis of influences

What made Gandhi unique was not any single influence but his ability to synthesize diverse traditions into a coherent philosophy of life. From his mother, he learned devotion, fasting, and gentleness toward all creatures. From his father and family tradition, he absorbed the arts of diplomacy and public service. From Raychandbhai, he gained spiritual grounding and the example of worldly engagement married to inner seeking. From Arnold’s translations, he discovered the philosophical depths of his own tradition. From Tolstoy, he received the conviction that love could overcome violence. From Ruskin, he learned the dignity of labour and the value of simple living. And from Just, he understood humanity’s place within the natural order.

These influences did not remain separate streams but merged into the river of Gandhi’s thought, flowing toward a vision of human beings living in peace with one another and with the Earth. His philosophy of Satyagraha, his experiments with communal living, his advocacy for vegetarianism and natural healing, and his reverence for all life all trace back to these formative experiences and encounters.

What do you think? How do early childhood experiences and religious upbringing shape our ethical outlook as adults? Can the example of mentors who integrate spiritual depth with worldly success guide us toward more meaningful lives today?

References

PDF 📄

Key Influences That Shaped Gandhi’s Views on Humankind and Earth

Share on Mastodon

Key Influences That Shaped Gandhi’s Views on Humankind and Earth

Table of Contents

Early lessons in ahimsa from his mother 🔗

Family background and compassion 🔗

Learning diplomacy and service 🔗

Self-restraint and integrity 🔗

The influence of Raychandbhai 🔗

Transformative books and thinkers 🔗

Sir Edwin Arnold’s translations 🔗

Tolstoy and the commitment to nonviolence 🔗

Ruskin and the Phoenix Settlement 🔗

Adolf Just and return to nature 🔗

A synthesis of influences 🔗