Mahatma Gandhi and Kavi Rajacandra on Philosophical Discourse

This article presents selections from the correspondence between Mahatma Gandhi and his spiritual mentor, the Jain poet‑philosopher Kavi Rājacandra. While in South Africa Gandhi was tormented by doubts after debates with Christian missionaries and wrote to Rājacandra seeking clarity. Rājacandra answered twenty‑seven questions, some of which are reproduced here, giving insights into Jain philosophy and its influence on Gandhi. In response to the question “What is the soul and what are its functions?” Rājacandra explains that the soul is an eternal, conscious substance whose essential characteristics are knowledge, perception and spiritual equanimity. In its pure state the soul is omniscient and blissful, but ignorance subjects it to karma, causing it to accumulate passions like anger, conceit, deceit and greed. Because of these emotions the soul becomes a creator of material objects and experiences bondage. Karma, the actions done in ignorance, are like seeds that eventually bear heavy fruits; the soul must bear these fruits just as touching fire brings inevitable heat and pain. When asked about God and creation, Rājacandra states that the soul in its natural state is godhood and that no external God creates the universe; atoms, space and other elements are eternal and uncreated. The concept of mokṣa (liberation) is defined as freedom from anger, conceit, greed and other nescient tendencies so that the soul can return to its natural purity. In other answers he explains that devotion (bhakti) leads to knowledge but that salvation requires perfect knowledge and right conduct; avatāra‑vāda (divine incarnation) is rejected because souls become gods by their own efforts, not by divine intervention. The article thus reveals how Rājacandra’s clear, uncompromising answers shaped Gandhi’s understanding of self‑discipline, karma and non‑violence.

Summary reviewed by a volunteer editor.