Study Guide for Gandhi the Man
How did Gandhi manage, as Easwaran puts it, to "Make his life such a perfect work of art"?
When we first get a glimpse of Gandhi he is a hapless, unprepossessing youth whose only
distinction is a marked fear of the dark - and, as he loved to point out, his unusually large ears.
How did he become a magnetic leader whom even his avowed opponents could not resist? - from
the Introduction by Michael Nagler
We offer you the following incisive discussion questions to expand your understanding of
Gandhi the Man. If you use them in a study or reading group, they would fall naturally into a
five-week format.
The Transformation
Michael Nagler asks (page 6) how Mohandas K. Gandhi could "Expand the narrow little
personality . . . to become a Mahatma, the immense force for human progress which has been
described by countless biographers but accounted for by none." In what ways do you anticipate
that Eknath Easwaran's account of Gandhi's transformation will differ from the descriptions of
"countless biographers"? Discuss the basis for Eknath Easwaran's account. (pages 6-8)
2. Currently, books and articles, even a monthly magazine, are presenting ways of experiencing
simplicity. Discuss the steps Gandhi took to simplify his life (pages 22-30) and his reasons for
embracing these simpler ways of living. Comment on the challenges and on the rewards he
experienced. How might you simplify your life for the sake of others around you?
3. Talk about the beginnings of Gandhi's transformation
How was self-discipline a blessing to Gandhi? (pages 21-22)
What did Gandhi learn is the secret of success? (page 22)
How did Gandhi's sense of service deepen? (pages 25 and 28)
What lesson did Gandhi learn from his wife, Kasturbai? (pages 33 and 35)
The Way of Love
1. Discuss the meaning of satyagraha. What are its qualities? What qualities does a person need
to practice satyagraha? (pages 43-44, 48-49, 53-54)
2. Talk about Gandhi's argument that "evil, injustice, hatred . . .exist only insofar as we support
them; they have no existence of their own." (pages 48-49) What are its implications?
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3. For Gandhi, improving the lot of those he renamed the "Harijans" was an essential
ingredient in gaining Indian independence. What was the connection? Why did Gandhi
place such emphasis on it? Discuss the ways in which Gandhi practiced his "oneness"
with the Harijans. (pages 56-62)
Mother and Child
1. Eknath Easwaran opens this section with the idea of detachment. What did Gandhi
mean by detachment? How does Gandhi's statement, "Full effort is full victory" relate to
detachment? (pages 105-6)
2. Gandhi called his mantram, Rama, the staff of his life. How did he use the mantram as
a spiritual tool to transform himself? (pages 116-119)
3. Notice the explanation of meditation given on page 119: "The principle of meditation
is that you become what you meditate on." One of the passages from the Bhagavad Gita
upon which Gandhi meditated for over fifty years is quoted on page 122. Read these lines
carefully, as they are said to summarize Gandhi's life and self-transformation. Share
anecdotes from Gandhi's life that demonstrate his living out the ideals expressed in these
verses. (pages 122-123)
Gandhi the Man
1. Respond to Gandhi's suggestion: "If you can't love the Viceroy, or Sir Winston
Churchill, start with your wife, or your husband, or your children. Try to put their welfare
first and your own last every minute of the day, and let the circle of your love expand
from there." (page 126) Talk about what you would foresee in your own life as the result
of this kind of love.
2. In response to a reporter who asked if he had a message, Gandhi replied, "My life is
my message." What did this mean in Gandhi's life? (page 140) What would it mean in
your life?
3. Gandhi said, "I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve
what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and
faith." (page 145). What is one step you could take towards modeling Gandhi's effort, and
towards cultivating his hope and faith?
Appendix : How Nonviolence Works
1. "There comes a time," Gandhi stated, "when an individual becomes irresistible and his
action becomes all-pervasive in its effect. This comes when he reduces himself to zero."
(page 150) What does reducing oneself to zero mean to you? Discuss how Gandhi
reduced himself to zero.
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2. Timothy Flinders offers us an expanded sense of satyagraha. Satyagraha is more than
a technique for social action (page 147), more than a movement for independence. (page
148) Satyagraha is, Flinders tells us, a way of life, a power accessible to the average man
and woman, a spiritual force, a source of energy that belongs to all individuals. Discuss
satyagraha in light of this expanded sense. Can satyagraha work with conditions in the
world as they are today?
3. Likewise, Flinders offers us an expanded view of ahimsa. Ahimsa is more than
nonviolence. (page 152) A-himsa means literally 'lacking any desire to kill.' Flinders
notes, also, that ahimsa is considered the highest law, the very essence of human nature.
(page 152) Gandhi referred to ahimsa as the kingdom of heaven. (page 166) Discuss
ahimsa in light of this expanded view. In what sense do you think ahimsa is the law of
our being?
4. Consider ahimsa in terms of our world family. "Ahimsa is not the crude thing it has
been made to appear," Gandhi tells us. "Not to hurt any living thing is no doubt a part of
ahimsa. But it is its least expression. The principle of ahimsa is hurt by every evil
thought, by undue haste, by lying, by hatred, by wishing ill to anybody. It is also violated
by our holding on to what the world needs." (page 154) Discuss how the practice of
ahimsa as defined here would affect our world.
5. "The person who studies Gandhi to learn the source of nonviolent power will
repeatedly be turned back upon himself," Flinders tells us, "and urged to establish
nonviolence in his own consciousness." (page 166) Share any thoughts you have about
establishing nonviolence in our consciousness. Also, share your thoughts about the need
to "neutralize self-interest." (page 166)
Resources for going further
Easwaran, Eknath, Nonviolent Soldier of Islam: Badshah Khan, a Man to Match His
Mountains, Nilgiri Press, 1999.
Easwaran, Eknath, Meditation: a Simple Eight Point Program for Translating Spiritual
Ideals into Daily Life, Nilgiri Press, 1991.
Easwaran, Eknath, The Mantram Handbook, Nilgiri Press, 1999.
Easwaran, Eknath, The Bhagavad Gita, Nilgiri Press, 1985.
The subject matter is so rich that we give you this selection of additional - or alternative questions for study:
1. Consider Gandhi's experience while traveling by rail across Natal. How would you
describe his night in the Maritzburg station? Discuss Gandhi's decision "Never to yield to
force and never to use force to win a cause." (pages 41-42)
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2. Discuss the difference between the meaning of the Sanskrit word ahimsa and its
translation into English as "nonviolence." (page 53) "Ahimsa is our dharma, the central
law of our being, written into every cell." (page 56) Discuss your understanding of what
Eknath Easwaran meant by this statement.
3. How did Gandhi find the inner strength to endure the hardships of prison? Speak of his
ability to adjust to any environment and continue the work of satyagraha. (pages 70-74)
4. Recount Gandhi's experience in London at the time of the first Round Table
Conference. Discuss his choice of lodging and dress, and his message to the textile
workers of Lancashire. (pages 75-81)
5. Imagine Gandhi's response to the news that Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his army ". . . had
sworn to nonviolence and forgiveness with Allah as their witness. . . ." Share thoughts
and feelings that you have about this nonviolent army and Khan, the "Frontier Gandhi."
(page 84)
6. Discuss Gandhi's portrayal of "brave, heroic" persons and the current portrayal of
"heroes" in the media and in action films. (pages 84-88). What do you consider heroic?
7. Eknath Easwaran relates Gandhi's response to the fighting between Hindu and Muslim
India: "Though in his mid-seventies he went straight to the heart of the violence. . . ."
(pages 89-103) Discuss this campaign of ahimsa. What qualities does a person need to
develop to take part in such a campaign?
8. On page 117, Eknath Easwaran defines the term mantram, and indicates that Gandhi's
mantram, Rama, "is a formula for abiding joy." Throughout the text of Gandhi the Man,
there are many photographs that capture the joy Gandhi knew. Take a moment to review
these photographs and, if you'd like, speak about your favorite photo that illustrates
Gandhi's joy.
9. Review the analogy of the elephant's trunk (page 118). Following Gandhi's example,
when might you use a mantram as you go through your day?
10. Have you ever pondered the idea that "a human being is an immense force barely
contained in a physical form"? (page 140) How was Gandhi an example of this "immense
force"? Consider ways you could be, however quietly, an "immense force" in your daily
life.
11. Satyagraha can be practiced by couples. "The apex . . . is reached when the wife's
welfare becomes more important to the husband than his own happiness, and the
husband's welfare takes on a similar importance to the wife." (page 168) Consider the
role of satyagraha in your relationships.
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12. Satyagraha is important within the family as well. "Between parents and children,
satyagraha has a natural place. Here again, patience mingled with firmness frames the
approach." (page 168) Discuss the role of satyagraha within your family. Remember,
Gandhi has assured us satyagraha "can be used alike by men, women, and children."
(page 151)
13. Using Gandhi's life as your reference, share one change that you would like to make.
Specifically, what would it be? What steps will you take to effect this change?
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