Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory - Analysis, The Story Of My Experiments With Truth | The Story of My Experiments with Truth - Summary & Themes - Novels PDF Download

Ahimsa

Okay, so you've heard Mr. G. use this word a lot. He likes capitalizing it, italicizing it, and doing all he can to show how super important it is to him. But what does it mean?

Gandhi defines ahimsa as "literally non-hurting, non-violence" (1.7.12). It means more than just refraining from striking your opponent; it means wishing to do them good. Yup: deciding not to push annoying Casey From Down the Street into a bus ain't good enough when it comes to being Gandhi-riffic. You'd actually have to a) not push Casey From Down the Street into a bus and b) buy him his favorite Panera Bread sandwich as a treat and hope that he lives happily ever after.

In short: it takes a big ol' mensch to pull off ahimsa. (Look at us, blending Yiddish and Sanskrit.)

Oh, and when it comes to your enemies: you definitely don't want to inflict himsa on them because that's violence or hurting (4.39.4), the opposite of ahimsa.

So, ahimsa means non-violence, but why is it so important? What's wrong with a little payback? Well, Gandhi sees ahimsa as "the only means for the realization of Truth" (Farewell.4). So, if you want truth (which Gandhi does), you have to get there via ahimsa.

It gets even harder than just being a selfless well-wisher. You need to first purify yourself because "without self-purification the observance of the law of Ahimsa must remain an empty dream" (Farewell.6). Ahimsa implies caring and compassion for all life…and if you're not striving to care for alllife—including your enemies' lives and your own life—Gandhi says you're not really seeking truth.

For more ahimsa-y goodness, check out the "Philosophical Viewpoints: Non-violence" theme.

Brahmacharya

This word sounds, to the average native English speaker, like it might be the name of a dinosaur. Or maybe a cough medicine. Or maybe a cutting-edge medical technique.

But, it's actually means something that's even more terrifying than a coughing fit, a laser-aided procedure, or a fearsome Jurassic Park attraction. Its basic meaning is celibacy. Yup: not having sex.

This is the point at which 99 percent of humanity throws up their hands and says, "Yeah, no. Not for me. Kthxbai."

But, as we all know, Gandhi is not like the rest of us. He's one of the most self-disciplined people ever to self-discipline. He defines brahmacharya as:

[…] literally conduct that leads one to God. Its technical meaning is self-restraint, particularly mastery over the sexual organ. (1.7.12)

Translation: no sex. No sex with his wife. No masturbation. No sexy times of any kind.

In order to achieve this self-restraint, Gandhi says someone also has to learn to restrain all their senses, fast, and purify themselves. If you're constantly eating chocolate cake, in other words, you probably a) have dangerously high blood sugar and b) don't have the self-control to prevent yourself from engaging in sexual behavior.

For more on brahmacharya, see the "Steaminess Rating" section.

Khadi

You can think of Khadi as DIY culture taken to a revolutionary extreme. When you're hardcore into DIY, you'll spend hours scouring message boards for the best way to reupholster a chair, knit a scarf, or make your own avocado shampoo. But Khadi is way more focused, and its impact is hugely political.

The idea behind Khadi is to make your own clothes. From start to finish. Without stopping and deciding that you'd just rather hit up H&M.

But why? Why is sewing your own duds so important to Gandhi?

Because independence is the idea behind Khadi. The word "Khadi" technically just means "homespun cloth," but it takes on a broader meaning when considered as the movement Gandhi starts. He wants Indians to develop economic self-reliance so that it's easier to win independence from the British. The goal, he says, is "to be able to clothe ourselves entirely in cloth manufactured by our own hands" (5.39.2). In other words, economic self-sufficiency is a way of wresting power from the British and putting it in Indian hands.

We think that's pretty kick-butt.