ABSTRACT
My analysis hitherto has shown the interrelation of three concepts in Gandhi’s thought, namely, Truth, ahisœ and satyœgraha. I have shown that his quest for Truth is the quest for Reality or God, and the attempt to live in accordance with the religious and ethical ideals of the Hindu way of life. But no distinction can be drawn in Advaitin thought between Reality and the highest Self or Œtman, so the quest for Truth involves knowing the Self which also involves ahisœ for to injure or inflict deliberate violence on another is to violate the Œtman which all men share. The basic presuppositions that present themselves here are the indivisibility of Truth, the identity of the Self (Œtman) and Truth or God, and the essential unity of all existence. The implications of these presuppositions are far-reaching and affect every conceivable aspect of man’s life. They clearly have social, economic and political ramifications and affect man’s relationship with his fellow man: all men are brothers because they partake of the same reality and share the same Œtman.
