ABSTRACT
Though it was deeply influenced by the Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Christian theories of non-violence, Gandhi's theory was in a class by itself. It differed from them not only in its basic assumptions and concerns but also in its manner of origin and logical character. He considered ahimsā one of the highest moral values and sincerely endeavoured to live by it. In the course of doing so, he encountered difficult situations and painful dilemmas. He wrestled with these, conducted bold and imaginative experiments, reflected on their results and systematised his insights into a theory of ahimsā. As the theory was born out of his experiences and tested against the reality of life, Gandhi claimed that it was not an abstract intellectual construct but ‘scientific’ in nature and represented his contribution to the hitherto undeveloped ‘science of ahimsā’.
