Gandhi and Rajchandra. Uma Majmudar
Gandhi and Rajchandra
Explorations in Indic Traditions:
Theological, Ethical, and Philosophical
Series Editor
Jeffery D. Long, Elizabethtown College
Advisory Board
Purushottama Bilimoria, Christopher Key Chapple, Jonathan Gold, Pankaj Jain, Nathan Katz, Kusumita Pedersen, and Rita D. Sherma
The region historically known as the Indian subcontinent (and more recently as South Asia) is rich with ancient and sophisticated traditions of intellectual and contemplative investigation. This includes both indigenous traditions (Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh) and traditions that have found a home in this region (Islamic, Christian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian). This series is devoted to studies rooted in critical and constructive methodologies (such as ethics, philosophy, and theology) that show how these traditions can illuminate universal human questions: questions about the meaning of life, the nature of knowledge, good and evil, and the broader metaphysical context of human existence. A particular focus of this series is the relevance of these traditions to urgent issues that face humanity today—such as the ecological crisis, gender relations, poverty and social inequality, and religiously motivated violence—on the assumption that these traditions, far from being of merely historical interest, have the potential to enrich contemporary conversations and advance human understanding.
Recent Titles in Series
Gandhi and Rajchandra: The Making of the Mahatma, by Uma Majmudar
Swami Vivekananda: His Life, Legacy, and Liberative Ethics, edited by Rita D. Sherma
Beacons of Dharma, edited by Jeffery D. Long, Michael Reading, Christopher Miller
Thinking with the Yogasutra of Patanjali: Translation and Interpretation, edited by Christopher Key Chapple and Ana Funes Maderey
The Metaphysics of Paradox: Jainism, Absolute Relativity, and Religious Pluralism, by Wm. Andrew Schwartz
Digital Hinduism: Dharma and Discourse in the Age of New Media, edited by Murali Balaji
Sri Chaitanya’s Life and Teachings: The Golden Avatara of Divine Love, by Steven Rosen
Shakti’s New Voice: Guru Devotion in a Woman-Led Spiritual Movement, by Angela Rudert
The Vedantic Relationality of Rabindranath Tagore: Harmonizing the One and Its Many, by Ankur Barua
Gandhi and Rajchandra
The Making of the Mahatma
Uma Majmudar
LEXINGTON BOOKS
Lanham • Boulder • New York • London
Published by Lexington Books
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Majmudar, Uma, 1936- author.
Title: Gandhi and Rajchandra : the making of the Mahatma / Uma Majmudar.
Description: Lanham : Lexington Books, 2020. | Series: Explorations in
Indic traditions : theological, ethical, and philosophical | Includes
bibliographical references and index. | Summary: "Most people around the
world know Mahatma Gandhi, but only a few know about "Shrimad
Rajchandra"-the key faith-figure behind the "making of the Mahatma."
This book introduces and explores the teachings of the figure Gandhi
himself acknowledged as his foremost spiritual mentor, exemplary guide,
and refuge in spiritual crisis"-- Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020012251 (print) | LCCN 2020012252 (ebook) | ISBN
9781793611994 (cloth) | ISBN 9781793612007 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Gandhi, Mahatma, 1869-1948--Philosophy. | Mahetā,
Rāyacandabhāī Ravajībhāī, 1868-1901. | Mahetā, Rāyacandabhāī
Ravajībhāī, 1868-1901--Influence.
Classification: LCC DS481.G3 M2734 2020 (print) | LCC DS481.G3 (ebook) |
DDC 954.03/5092--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020012251
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020012252
Foreword
Jagdish N. Sheth, PhD,
Recipient of 2020 Padma Bhushan Award
It is indeed my joy and privilege to write the foreword for Gandhi and Rajchandra: The Making of Mahatma. This is for at least three reasons.
First, very few books on Mahatma Gandhi have put a spotlight on the influence of Jainism in shaping Gandhi’s values and character. And it was Rajchandra Mehta who introduced Jainism and its philosophy to Gandhi to achieve self-realization. Rajchandra was a businessman but also a renaissance person. He was a poet, a philosopher, and a scholar of Jainism. Among the Jain scholars, Rajchandra is revered as much as Vivekananda is revered among scholars of Hinduism.
In many ways, Rajchandra Mehta adopted young Gandhi when Gandhi returned from England after completing his law degree (LLM). They became good friends and Gandhi learnt from Rajchandra the three tenets of Jainism to achieve self-realization. They are: the right vision, the right path, and the right conduct. Jainism also advocated that truth prevails and should be the guiding principle in what one thinks, says, and does.
Gandhi was also influenced by the three pillars of Jainism: absolute nonviolence (ahimsa), tolerance of other perspectives (anekantwad), and non-possession of material goods (aparigraha). Gandhi’s values and character were shaped by the philosophy and practice of Jainism. Gandhi learnt the power of passive resistance and nonviolence and he used it for social activism both in South Africa and in India. Gandhi transformed himself from Mohandas Gandhi to Mahatma Gandhi. Historically, Jainism has been a footnote religion in the study of Indus cultures and religions. Today, it is becoming a more mainstream religion for research and scholarship.
My second reason for accepting to write the foreword is that the book puts a spotlight on many conflicts and dilemmas we all go through in life. Gandhi was no exception. In his journey of philosophy, spirituality, and frugal living, he was in constant conflict between self-realization and family obligations as a husband and father. This is most vividly articulated in Rajchandra’s advice to Gandhi to practice Brahmacharya (celibacy) in marriage. Should one renounce family life and become a monk