allible remedy," and that he regards the "Ramayana of Tulasidas as the greatest book in all devotional literature," but that he forgot Rama Rashka almost immediately after learning it, because he "had not much belief in it," (Gandhi, 23) There are certainly other aspects of Hindu culture that Gandhi wishes to reject, such as childhood marriage.
3. How influential is the Bhagavad Gita in Gandhi's spiritual development?
Gandhi did not actually read the Gita, he explains, until he had been in England for quite some time, and read it in English. "I came across two Theosophists, brothers, and both unmarried. They talked to me about the Gita. They were reading Sir Edwin Arnold's translation--The Song Celestial--and they invited me to read the original with them. I felt ashamed, as I had read the divine poem neither in Samskrit nor Gujarati," (Gandhi, 50). He reads the poem with them, however, and it makes an impression upon him which he cannot deny. He explains, however, that he didn't actually begin studying the work until many years later.
In all, Gandhi refers to the Gita as the "book par excellence for the knowledge of Truth, and as he is a self-proclaimed "worshipper of truth," we can understand the profound effect that the work had upon his life.
4. What is Gandhi's attitude concerning Christianity? What disturbs him about this religion? What general impression does he have of the many Christians he meets abroad?
Gandhi explains that the widely-accepted interpretation of the bible is what pains him most about Christianity. He is relatively unmoved by the bible's stories, and finds Christians themselves to be hypocritical, and to disregard other faiths, where Gandhi himself is open to theirs.
5. What are the essential elements of all religions according to Gandhi?
According to Ghandi, "renunciation was the highest form of religion," (51). This, he realized in trying to unite the "the teachings ...