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Let me first explain why I chose the title Gandhi and Rajchandra: The Making of the Mahatma for this book. Ironically, the reverential appellation of “Mahatma” (maha [great] and atma [soul]) attached to Gandhi’s name, is used mainly in its political context only. In public imagination, the title “Mahatma” conjures up an image of Gandhi as a great political leader and wielder of Satyagraha (satya [truth] and agraha [insistence])—his unique weapon of nonviolent resistance against the apartheid in South Africa and later, against the British for India’s freedom in 1947. The same image is further highlighted by Richard Attenborough’s Oscar-winning, blockbuster movie Gandhi in 1982. Even though not incorrect, this image is incomplete. Despite being deeply involved in politics, Gandhi was not a “career politician,” as Judith Brown observed in her book Gandhi: Prisoner of Hope (1989, 389). Politics to him was only a means to an end of serving God through serving the humans. As Gandhi wrote in Harijan (November 21, 1932), “All my activities spring from the same source, namely, my passion for and vindication of truth and nonviolence in every walk of life, great or small.”

Gandhi also detested the title of “Mahatma,” as is evident from what he wrote in his Autobiography (1948; hereafter GATB, 4): “Often the title has deeply pained me; and there is not a moment I can recall when it may be said to have tickled me.” The reason being that in his personal judgment, he was far from being a perfect man, much less a saint. All the saintly qualities associated with a “Mahatma” did not come easily to him; he had to strive and struggle hard “to become a Mahatma” all through his life and till the very end.

Although Gandhi did not consciously set out to be a “Mahatma,” he did possess a burning passion for God or Truth. In his own words (Ibid., 6), “I worship God as Truth only. I have not yet found Him, but am seeking after Him. What I have been striving and pining to achieve . . . is self-realization, to see God face to face, to attain moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death).” It is this constant inner yearning for Truth, self-perfection, and self-realization that propelled Gandhi to seek the company of those who had realized Truth or who were fast advancing in that direction.

Ever since the eighteen-year-old Mohandas Gandhi went to London, England, to become a barrister-at-law, he met and befriended various Christians, Theosophists, and Quakers, who were keenly interested in Hinduism. Hoping to learn something more from this young Indian newcomer, they had many questions about Hinduism and, particularly, about the sacred Hindu classic, the Bhagavad Gita. Gandhi said, he felt “ashamed,” as he had read the divine poem neither in Sanskrit nor in Gujarati (his mother tongue). Yet, in spite of feeling “ashamed” about his religious ignorance at this point, Gandhi was never a quitter. More than ever, he was now determined to turn his drawback into his biggest strength; so he began to read the Bhagavad Gita, the Light of Asia by Edwin Arnold, the Christian Bible—both the Old Testament and the New Testament—Qur’an, and other sacred texts. On the blank slate of his young mind, he began to draw parallels, particularly between the Bhagavad Gita and the Christ’s “Sermon on the Mount.” He was elated to find in both scriptures some unifying messages of renunciation, forgiveness, and compassion. His religious appetite now being “whetted” in England, Gandhi continued to consume more and more books on religion, philosophy, and the lives of great men from everywhere. To Gandhi, who would later say, “my life is my message,” the way those great men lived was far more important than what they preached.

As we shall see in the upcoming chapters, “Gandhi’s Pilgrimage of Faith” (also the title of my previous book [2005]) would continue from the very first day of his arrival in Mumbai from London, England, in 1891. Here, we’d witness Barrister Mr. Gandhi searching earnestly, albeit unconsciously, for someone who would not only be well-versed in world religions, but also worthy to be his guide and source of inspiration in all matters spiritual. Gandhi would not be disappointed. He would meet in Mumbai the right kind of person at the right time, who will prove to be everything he had been praying for, plus more. His name was Shrimad (Honorable) Rajchandra or Raychandbhai Ravjibhai Mehta who was introduced to Gandhi as “kavi” or poet. All the spiritual discourses, Jain moral principles, and ascetic disciplines which Gandhi would directly learn from the poet, will have a deep and lasting impact in “moulding his inner life,” as he would also make an ingenious use of the same principles in his future Satyagrahas.

Paying his heartfelt tribute to Rajchandra, Gandhi would later write in his Autobiography (GATB, 113) that he was “the only refuge in his spiritual crisis” in South Africa. Fondly recalling the most rewarding spiritual dialogues he had had earlier with the poet, Gandhi would acknowledge that the poet was not only knowledgeable, but also his true, trustworthy friend who could lead him from the darkness of ignorance into the Light of Knowledge! He would therefore fire twenty-seven questions to Rajchandra via an exchange of letters, from which only three letters have survived. Gandhi would also say later that he was not only satisfied by the poet’s unbiased answers, but also found “great solace” in his words. Based on Gandhi’s own accounts, written and spoken statements and an exchange of letters between them, we can acknowledge Rajchandra as Gandhi’s first and foremost teacher to convince him of the depth, breadth, richness, and wisdom of his own Hindu tradition.

Was Rajchandra the only person to have influenced Gandhi so deeply as to have earned his utmost respect and admiration? Certainly not. Gandhi, one of the greatest influencers in the world, was himself influenced by many European as well as Indian thinkers, writers, heads of various faiths, and coworkers. Among them all, he’d particularly highlight the names of John Ruskin, Leo Tolstoy, and Rajchandra—as three major spiritual contestants—who would vie to win Gandhi’s heart and soul. In the final run, Gandhi’s own garland of choice would fall, however, on Rajchandra. We shall later examine Gandhi’s reasons for placing Shrimad Rajchandra—above Ruskin and Tolstoy or anyone else—as his foremost spiritual guide, mentor, and role model while the poet was alive and even after his early demise at age thirty-three in 1901.

Naturally, many a question arises as to why Gandhi would specifically prefer Rajchandra over the other two more well-known names, at least in the Western world. Questions such as: In Gandhi’s eyes, were Tolstoy and Ruskin not as qualified as Rajchandra in the spiritual realm? And if they were not, what was lacking in them? What drew Gandhi to Rajchandra in the first place and what made them “soulmates”? Or could Gandhi, even unbeknownst to him, have harbored a cultural predilection or bias in favor of Rajchandra? All these questions will be fully discussed in the chapters ahead.

In order to find out the rationale behind Gandhi’s choice of Rajchandra as his most influential spiritual teacher, mentor, and role model, we need to read this book—which is the result of seven years of my research both in America and India, not to count extra years spent in writing, rewriting, revising, editing, polishing, and getting it published.

I have a two-fold purpose in creating this work: one, to bring to the forefront this much neglected but vitally important information about Shrimad Rajchandra’s unparalleled spiritual influence on Gandhi, and two, to highlight their unique relationship. This book is intended to reach out to both general readers worldwide and academics—scholars, researchers, and writers—not to leave out the 150,000-strong Jain population in North America alone. For all those who know “the Mahatma” but not the “Making of the Mahatma,” this is the book for you.