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lives of both of them. Gandhi notes another thing : "Nobody could cheat Shrimad Rajchandra for he was deeply religious." He had to look after the business at the age of thirteen to support the family which was in dire financial condition. He would know if someone tried to cheat him for Shrimad believed that it was difficult to cheat one who possessed pure knowledge and is deeply religious."
Gandhi met him quite often and listened carefully to whatever he said. Shrimad's simplicity and vast erudition drew Gandhi closer to him. Wasn't it a rare co-incidence that Bhagwan Mahavir's philosophy was imbibed by Shrimad Rajchandra and from him it infected Gandhi? Gandhi then experimented with truth, non-violence, celibacy, nonpossessiveness and these values were to guide him all through his life. A new dawn of change was thus ushered in.
Gandhi realised that Shrimad was engaged in jewellery business for earning a living and would do his best to solve all business problems but his main concern remained the realization of self and God. At his shop were found some religious books, some scriptures and he would devote himself to reading them as soon as he found time from his mundane duties and write his diary. Again in his autobiography on page 94, he writes: "A person who would write about very serious matter pertaining to one's own existence, and about self realization, could be a realized soul and not merely a businessman." Gandhi was least interested in religious stories but he got interested in stories narrated by Rajchandra. He said: "The true religion of a truly religious person should be reflected in his each and every deed and action." This is what we find in the
Gandhiji accepted him as his spiritual guru. He writes: "I cannot describe the impact that he has left on my life. I have been searching for a truly religious man for a long time but haven't come across any other except him. Among the European philosophers Leo Tolstoy is the greatest, followed by Ruskin; but Rajchandrabhai is in a class of his own."
If we examine Gandhiji's life, we discover that he met Shrimad in 1851. He read Ruskin's thoughts in 1904 and entered into correspondence with Tolstoy in 1910. So from 1851 to 1904, it was Shrimad's influence that was paramount in Gandhi's life. In 1904, while Gandhi was travelling from Johannesburg to Durban, a gentleman called Henry Pollack handed him John Ruskin's "Unto This Last" which he read during the train journey. The concept of Sarvodaya - upliftment of the very last -
Influence of
Jainism on 8 Mahatma Gandhi
Influence of
Jainism on Mahatma Gandhi
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