An immortal book and a legacy for ages to come. This book is an autobiography of Gandhi.

It is a detailed account of Gandhi’s consisting of Gandhi’s self penned essays (105 essays in all) on his experiments and covers all aspects of the Mahatma’s spiritual life.

This Autobiography is divided in five parts starting from his childhood days, his experience in South Africa where he experimented with the powerful weapon of Satyagraha and his transformation from Mohan to Mahatma, his various experiments on fundamental principles of Truth and God, till the year 1921, after which his life was so public that he felt there was hardly anything to write about.

Gandhi’s Non-violent struggle in South Africa and India had already brought him to such a level of notoriety, adulation and controversy that when asked to write an autobiography mid way through his career, he took it as an opportunity to explain himself.

Accepting his status as a great innovator in the struggle against racism, violence and colonialism, Gandhi felt that his ideas needed deeper understanding. Gandhi explains that he was after truth rooted in devotion to God and attributed the turning point, success and challenges in his life to the will of God.

Gandhi says that his attempt to get closer to this divine power led him seek purity through simple living, dietary practices (he called himself a fruitarian), celibacy and ahimsa- a life without violence. It is in this sense that he calls his book “The Story of My Experiments with Truth”, offering it also as a reference for those who would follow his footsteps.

Gandhi’s Autobiography is one of the best sellers and is translated in nearly all languages of the world. Perhaps never before on so grand scale has any man succeeded in shaping the course of history while using the weapon of Peace – Ahimsa (Non-violence).

To many it will have the value of a new Bible or a new Gita; for here are words that have come out from the depth of truth, here is tireless striving that stretches its arms towards perfection. “Autobiography” in a way is a “confession of Gandhi’s faith, a very basic document for the study of his thought”.

The abridged autobiography of Gandhi, is a condensed version of originally published two books namely, ‘Gandhiji’s Autobiography’ and ‘History of Satyagraha in South Africa’ together running into almost 1000 printed pages. It is to meet the need of young people in schools and colleges. The editor of this book Bharatan Kumarappa hoped that it will at least stimulate the reader to undertake a ‘study at leisure of the more detailed original accounts.’

This book covers all the events including Gandhi’s childhood and youth, his experiences in England as a student and as a barrister in India and South Africa, foundation of Sabarmati Ashram, Champaran Satyagraha and the birth of Khadi.

Sarojini Naidu used to call him “our Mickey Mouse”. Gandhi inherited a profoundly religious temper from his mother. Narrated in a simple, direct and lucid style, the editor has sought to include all the important events in Gandhi’s life, to keep in mind the spiritual purpose for which Gandhji wrote the originals.

In the autobiography Gandhi has narrated his experiments in the spiritual field, from which he had derived power for working in the political field. Writing these experiments, he has gone through deep self-introspection, searched himself through and through and examined and analyzed every psychological situation.

Gandhi narrates in this book how “SHRAVANA PITRIBHAKTI NATAK” (a book on the play about Shravana’s devotion to his parents), left an indelible impression on his mind and a play-Harishchandra-which captured his heart. To follow truth the ordeals Harishchardra went through was one ideal which inspired Gandhi.

It is a selection from writings of Mahatma Gandhi compiled for the UNESCO, for presenting in one handy volume, the life and thoughts of the Mahatma as told in his own words. The Navajivan Trust has published a cheap edition in English and in other Indian Languages.

The texts have been selected to appeal to a wide public and are intended to help the reader understand the different aspects of Gandhi’s personality and writings on religion and youth, means and ends, ahimsa-non-violence, self-discipline, international peace, man and machine, poverty in the midst of plenty, democracy and people, education and woman.

These selections from his speeches and writings compiled with great care gives the reader some idea of the workings of Gandhi’s mind, the growth of his thoughts and the practical techniques which he adopted.

“I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills”, was Gandhi’s message to the world. Gandhi discusses in his writing and speeches that truth and non-violence can be practiced in the field of politics. In fact, he was the first man in human history to extend the principle of non-violence from the individual to the social and political plane. He used them as a means of individual salvation. He emphasis on establishing the kingdom of Heaven.

He discusses in the book that in the present nuclear context if we wish to save the world, we should adopt the principles of non-violence.

A comprehensive, clear and succinct exposition of Ashram observances. Written between 1916 & 1932, the four works that make up vow and observances were written for Satyagraha Ashram, the religious community Mahatma Gandhi founded. In four parts addressing fundamental questions of life such as truth, love, work, and poverty, the writings are as relevant to modern readers as they were to their original audiences. His discussion of swadeshi, a principle of commitment to local economic activity with roots in ancient India, strikes an important contemporary chord as the world moves towards globalization.

Gandhi believed that character building on the part of every single individual is the only sure foundation for nation building. Students of his philosophy of life who would like to have an idea of his rule for self-culture would do well to first read appendices’ ‘A’ & ‘B’ in this book (pages 65-88), which are Gandhi’s last will and testament in so far as Ashram life is concerned.

It is a remarkable coincidence that like ‘Form Yervada Mandir’ this books shares with ‘The Pilgrims Progress’ the rare distinction of having been written in prison.

The Essence of Hinduism is so planned and arranged that each section naturally leads to the next one. The first chapter examines the moral basis of Hinduism. The nature of the universal Moral Law or Power that sustains the universe is described in the second chapter. How a seeker can come face to face with the supreme spirit - through faith or trained reason or a judicious combination of both. An answer to this conundrum will be found in the third chapter. The Bhagvad Gita is an Upanishad, a text on Brahmavidya and an exposition of yoga-shastra and no book on Hinduism can be said to be complete without a reference to it. In fact it can be said to be the only book which harmonized all the approaches to the supreme and hence Gandhi’s views on the Gita find a place of honour in this collection.

A path familiar to all and easy for all to tread, viz., Nama and prayer is dealt with in the last chapter.

The book is primarily meant for the common man and Hindu boys and girls attending English medium schools and brought up in families without any religious background, or in which religion has a minimal influence. As such, it will serve as an introduction to Hinduism. For further study, the interested reader may refer to the exhaustive collection in three volumes titled “iIn Search of the Supreme by Gandhi.

Truth, Ahimsa or Non-violence, love, brahmacharya or chastity, non stealing, non-possession, fearlessness, removal of untouchability, bread labour, tolerance, humility and so on were the eleven vows put forward and practiced as principal Ashram observances which Gandhi prescribed for a true Satyagrahi and for every person to practice.

During his incarceration in 1930 in the Yervada Central Prison, Pune (India), Gandhi wrote weekly letters to the Satyagraha Ashram, containing an explanation of the eleven vows as Ashram influences had already travelled beyond its geographical limits.

These letters were written in Gujarati. There was a demand for translation into Hindi and other Indian languages and also into English. Shri. Valji Desai has translated the letters into English.

Gandhi, in this book attempts to put forward the concepts and practices to be adopted as principal Ashram observances in the context of truth, ahimsa or love, chastity, control of the palate, non-stealing, non-possession or poverty, fearlessness, removal of untouchability, bread labour, tolerance, humility, importance of vows, yajna or sacrifice and swadeshi.

His writings about such fundamental questions are as relevant to modern and western readers as they were to their original audiences, i.e the inmates of Satyagraha Ashram. Gandhi’s founding of swadeshi, a principle of commitment to local economic activity with roots in ancient India, strikes an important contemporary chord as the world moves towards gobalisation.

This is a collection of Gandhi’s articles and speeches dealing with the various duties that developed upon congressman and others as administrators and rulers. His aim was to apply two fundamental principles of truth and non-violence to public affairs.

Gandhi’s fundamental principle of the governance of India was that those responsible for it had always to bear in mind that they had to run the government of a poor country and primarily in the interest of the poor and backward classes of India.

When congressman went into power in 1937 and Gandhi brought to their notice the responsibility that they had to undertake are covered in this book.

This collection represents his expectations regarding the governance of India. They come handy at the present juncture when fundamentals are nearly being lost sight of and public men appear to act from mixed motives.

It is hoped this collection will bring home to those who are responsible for running the administration of the country their duty and what the father of the nation expected of them.

Profound wisdom comes through reflection on dreams. Every presentation has a meaning. In this work an attempt has been made, by assembling together passages from writings and speeches of Mahatma Gandhi, to give the reader an idea of the dream Gandhi had of a completely free and independent India of his conception in which she has control of her own domestic affairs as well as her relations with the rest of the world.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad in his forward to this book observes, “The matchless weapon of truth and non-violence which Gandhi used is needed by the world to cure it of many of its ills.” The book, places before the reader not only the basic and fundamental principles of truth and nonviolence, but also indicates how we can help to fulfill them by establishing a polity and social life, through the instrumentality of a constitution and the dedication of the human material which this vast country has thrown upon us to work without any external fetters or internal inhibitions.

This book is the most significant of Mahatma Gandhi’s writings, as it presents to the reader a concise information of Gandhi’s views on all problems related to India and her people, and therefore may prove helpful not only to all students of Gandhian thought but also to constructive workers.

Gandhi said, “I would like to see India free and strong so that she may offer herself a willing and pure sacrifice for the betterment of the world. India’s freedom must revolutionize the world’s outlook upon peace and war. Her impotence affects the whole of mankind.

76 chapters of this book discuss vital issues of Gandhi’s view on Swaraj, the Curse of Industrialization, Class War, Problem of Unemployment, Daridranarayan, Sarvodaya, Theory of Trusteeship, Non-violent Economy, Panchayat Raj, Village Industries, Gospel of Swadeshi, Cow Protection, A call to Youth, Evil wrought by Foreign Medium, New Education, Regeneration of Indian Woman, Communal Unity, Peace Brigades, India, Pakistan and Kashmir, India & world Peace, etc.

Gandhi had refused to subscribe to the theory that Muslims of India are a separate nation! “My whole soul rebels against the idea that Hinduism and Islam represent two antagonistic cultures and doctrines. For I believe with my soul that the God of the Quran is also the God of the Gita and that we are all, no matter by what name designated, children of the same God. I must rebel against the idea that millions of Indians who were Hindus the other day changed their nationality on adopting Islam as their religion.”

Therefore, Gandhi, the father of Indian independence should feel little inclined to enthuse over independence that has been drawn on the partition of the country and at the cost of many lives lost.

This small and concise booklet is a manual or a guide to health. Gandhi who wrote it in Gujarati and Sushila Nayar who translated it in English is to be commended for both, the choice of the topic and its lucid presentation. This book is welcomed by common medicine enthusiasts and students, alike.

Gandhi wrote these chapters while he was confined in the Agakhan Palace at Poona during 1942-44. By writing this book Gandhi wanted to convey to his people and to the world on the vital question of Health. To him, a study of this question was part of the service of God and his creation, which was his mission.

This book is translated into several Indian and European languages. Gandhi wrote a few articles under the heading “Guide to Health” in 1906 in the “Indian Opinion” a weekly started by him and later these were published in book form. He wrote this book as he had looked upon the problem of health from a novel point of view, somewhat different from the orthodox methods adopted by doctors and vaidyas.

The book covers various aspects of health including the human body, air, water, food, brahmacharya, condiments, tea, coffee and cocoa, intoxicants, opium and tobacco. The articles, though brief, are rich in content and enable the reader to have a basic idea of Health. Gandhi gave it the name “Key to Health”, and said anyone who observes the rules of health mentioned in this book will find that he would have the real key to unlock the gates, leading him to good health. He will not need to knock doctors or vaidyas doors from day-to-day.

Nature cure is considered to be the best kind of treatment. It is nature only that heals all diseases. Nature cure is scientific, and economical to suffering humanity.

This book contains a valuable collection of Gandhi’s thoughts on nature cure an is indieed as rich in its information as it is constructive in its outlook. Gandhi had a passion to tend to the sick and serve the poor. He valued life close to nature for its simplicity and evolved and practiced simple rules of health. He had almost a religious faith in vegetarianism which let him to carry out dietetic reform based on results obtained from personal experiments.

Gandhi believed firmly that the human body, mind and spirit could be maintained in a state of perfect health by observance of simple rules. He attempted to discover causes of ordinary ill health and improvised simple remedies of nature cure. This book has a valuable collection of Gandhi’s thoughts on nature cure.

Gandhi was convinced that for good health all that was necessary was to live according to the laws of Nature in regard to diet, fresh air, exercise clean surroundings and a pure heart. This book includes extracts from Gandhi’s weeklies, Young India and Harijan and some from his books; Hind Swaraj, Autobiography and Key to Health written in jail during 1942 - 1944. It includes nature cure experiments, and Ramanama.

Nature cure makes possible the beginning of a way of life in which there is no room for illness or disease. The book recommends a serious study by all those who are interested in the cure of ailments through natural remedies and is recommend by the author.

May this book “Pathway to God” inspire young men throughout the world to lead the life practiced and preached by Gandhi, so that our “Light of India” might soon become the “Light of the World”.

[From the preface by the compiler, M. S. Despande]

The extracts from Gandhi’s speeches and writings that shri M. S. Despande had collected with such diligence and dedication will help young people in India and elsewhere to find the ballast that will give steadiness to their lives and a purpose which will make it a Pathway to God. I have pleasure in commending this voice of Gandhi to the youth of India.

[From the Foreword by V.K.R.V. RAO]

"“Lead, Kindly light
Lead, Kindly light, amid the circling gloom,
Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead thou me on……Cardinal Newman.

Every religion preaches that man is not man if he praises not his maker. “Prayer” by Gandhi is an extraordinary selection of speeches and writings about the meaning and necessity for the prayers. This book Gandhi has explained the necessity of prayers and by what means true worship can be achieved. The book seeks to emphasize that the only help of the helpless is prayer and it is a medium of repentance and secret of self-control.

Man’s need for prayers is as great as his need for bread. Man’s senses of sight and hearing can be used for evil purposes but prayers help man to use them for good purposes such as to contemplate the vision of God and to hear devotional songs.

In the concluding chapters of this book Gandhi says, “If someone fires bullets at me and I die without a groan and with God’s name on my lips then you should tell the world that he was a real Mahatma (A Great Soul).”

Prayer is nothing else, but an intense longing of the heart. You may express yourself in private or in public; but to be genuine, the expression must come from the deepest recesses of the heart.

Gandhi emphasized that the modern generation, Should not regard fasting and prayer with skepticism or distrust. The greatest teachers of the world have derived extraordinary powers for the good of humanity and attained clarity of vision through fasting and prayer. Much of this discipline is wasted because instead of it being a matter from the heart, if it is often resorted to for stage effect.

That the first edition was sold out practically within a week of its publication is a matter of joy to me. The correspondence that the series of articles collected in this volume has given rise to shows the need of such a publication. May those who have not made self-indulgence a religion, but who are struggling to regain lost self-control which should, under normal conditions be our natural state, find some help from a perusal of these pages. For their guidance the following instructions may prove needful:

» Remember if you are married, your wife is your friend, companion and co-worker, not an instrument of sexual enjoyment.

» Self-control is the law of your being. Therefore, the sexual act can be performed only when both desire it, and that too subject to rules which in their lucidity both may have agreed upon.

» If you are unmarried you owe it to yourself, to society and to your future partner to keep yourself pure. If you cultivate this sense of loyalty, you will find it an infallible protection against all temptation.

» Think always of that Unseen Power which, though we may never see, we all feel within us as watching and noting every impure thought, and you will find that Power ever helping you.

» Laws governing a life of self-restraint must be necessarily different from a life of self-indulgence. Therefore you will regulate your society, your reading, your haunts of recreation and your food.

» You will seek the society of the good and the pure.

» You will resolutely refrain from reading passion-breeding novels and magazines and read the works that sustain humanity. You will make one book your constant companion for reference and guidance.

» You will avoid theaters and cinemas. Recreation is where you may not dissipate yourself but recreate yourself. You will, therefore, attend bhajan-mandalis where the words uplift the soul.

Gandhi’s ideas in regard to this New Education did not, of course, suddenly emerge in 1937, but –were the outcome of long years of sustained thought and experience. The present book relates to this earlier formative period when he revolted against the prevailing system of education and sought in various ways to substitute it by educational practices more in harmony with his own conception of the function of education. To understand adequately the Basic Education schemes which lie formulated in 1937 it is essential to go back to this earlier period where we can see it in origin and growth. The present book may, therefore, be said to be a necessary companion volume to the one on Basic Education.

Anyone who desires to understand what sort of a man the Father of the Nation was must read this book. One may not want to learn anything about religion that is not in our shastras or in other religious books. But here is a facet of the mind of a great man we love and to whom the nation is grateful. it has a value over and above a book of religious instruction.

The way to communal Harmony is a compilation of Gandhi’s reflections on certain problems which divide mankind. Though they deal immediately with India, their validity extends beyond the circumstances of our country. Everywhere in the world, individuals and groups are divided because of fear, suspicion and hatred. It depends on local conditions whether the division expresses itself along religious, economic, political, caste or colour lines. Whatever be the form, insecurity is perhaps the major cause of individual and social dissensions. A person who is integrated and sure of himself fears none and consequently provokes no fear. We have some examples of such heroic individuals, but we have not till now had instances, of societies or communities that are fully integrated and therefore fearless.

The theme of Gandhi’s teachings is that the individual must rise above fear, jealousy and hate. When such individuals combine themselves into a community, the problem of communal jealousy and discord will disappear.