Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth

By Mahatma Gandhi, M.K. Gandhi, Varsha Das, et al.

Book Overview

"My purpose," Mahatma Gandhi writes of this book, "is to describe experiments in the science of Satyagraha, not to say how good I am." Satyagraha, Gandhi's nonviolent protest movement (satya = true, agraha = firmness), came to stand, like its creator, as a moral principle and a rallying cry; the principle was truth and the cry freedom. The life of Gandhi has given fire and fiber to freedom fighters and to the untouchables of the world: hagiographers and patriots have capitalized on Mahatma myths. Yet Gandhi writes: "Often the title Mahatma, Great Soul] has deeply pained me. . . . But I should certainly like to narrate my experiments in the spiritual field which are known only to myself, and from which I have derived such power as I possess for working in the political field."
Clearly, Gandhi never renounced the world; he was neither pacifist nor cult guru. Who was Gandhi? In the midst of resurging interest in the man who freed India, inspired the American Civil Rights Movement, and is revered, respected, and misunderstood all over the world, the time is proper to listen to Gandhi himself -- in his own words, his own "confessions," his autobiography.
Gandhi made scrupulous truth-telling a religion and his Autobiography inevitably reminds one of other saints who have suffered and burned for their lapses. His simply narrated account of boyhood in Gujarat, marriage at age 13, legal studies in England, and growing desire for purity and reform has the force of a man extreme in all things. He details his gradual conversion to vegetarianism and ahimsa (non-violence) and the state of celibacy (brahmacharya, self-restraint) that became one of his more arduous spiritual trials. In the political realm he outlines the beginning of Satyagraha in South Africa and India, with accounts of the first Indian fasts and protests, his initial errors and misgivings, his jailings, and continued cordial dealings with the British overlords.
Gandhi was a fascinating, complex man, a brilliant leader and guide, a seeker of truth who died for his beliefs but had no use for martyrdom or sainthood. His story, the path to his vision of Satyagraha and human dignity, is a critical work of the twentieth century, and timeless in its courage and inspiration.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486245934
• ISBN13: 9780486245935
• Release Date: June 1983
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

My all-time favorite book

I first read this book in the spring of 1998 when I was home with a cold and fever, and I can say that it is one of the best things that ever happened to me. The events described in the book are a hundred years old, but Gandhi has a way of describing their essence which is timeless, and will grip you in a way that makes them entirely relevant to today's world. It made me wonder how the world might have been if people today only followed his ideas. But this is no boring lecture on politics or nonviolence. In fact quite the opposite - it is the sparkling story of a very special man told in his own words. We learn about truth and non-violence in the best way possible, by observing Gandhi's actions as he goes about matters small and big. It brought Gandhi to life in a very special way. I always admired his principles, but now feel closer to Gandhi the man. This is a first-hand account that cannot be ignored. My only regret was that the book ended much too soon (mid 1920's) and there was nothing to cover the rest of his life. I can think of no person of any age who would not be greatly enriched by this book. For the interested, I found the companion book "Satyagraha in South Africa" (also by Gandhi) to be just as good.

Pure Gold!

Well, we all follow "the experts" (although at 48, I am beginning to learn). We all follow the authorities. What would happen if one just kept a totally blank mind toward everything and learned from just plain LIVING. Gandhi makes it clear at the beginning of the book that this is the only way to gain truth. Not to be strongly influenced by others. His agreements and fondness of other theologians really only comes after his experiments. They have to agree with him first. As you begin to read this book, you are on a jouney. It's like being a Martian or being from another planet simply because Gandhi will simply not take anything as truth unless he has experimented with it himself. He was very much the spiritual scientist. This book is also very easy reading. The chapters are short enough to stop and come back to as well. And it is journey which Gandhi makes clear that anybody can follow. You can't really follow this man's experiments. He wants you to do your own experiments. So this book is really quite an adventure. Gandhi's politics, as he makes clear in this book, really stem from his experiments in truth. You can begin yourself. Wake up, tell your wife she is fat, and see what happens! Gandhi came to the conclusion of always practicing "ahimsa". He would practice it over and over again to see if it worked. And he came to the conclusion that it did. As he once said, "Ahimsa is heaven". Ahimsa means non-violence in thought, word, and deed. One can still defend oneself while loving one's enemy. He saw "satya", or truth as synonymous with non-violance. This man stole at one point, eat meat, was far from celibacy. Buy and read this fabulous scientific inquiry into "How to Live". Then start experimenting for yourself. Good luck on your journey. And please be careful! Gandhi nearly killed himself SMOKING!

Extraordinary Book Written by an Extraordinary Man

I have always admired Mr. Gandhi, but really knew very little about him. This book tells of his early life, something most biographies skip choosing to focus on his life in India.Great historical detail of colonial India, living in England and South Africa. A must read for anyone interested in Mr. Gandhi or that period of history.The book has also influenced greatly the way I view life. A very spiritually uplifting book, even for non-Hindus.