God and Religion: Gandhi’s Views

Abstract

Gandhi viewed religion as self –realization, knowledge of self which brings man closer to God. He was deeply influenced by the stories of Shravana and Harishchandra which changed the entire course of his life and action. He supported the views of Swami Vivekananda and realized the possibility of God to achieve the truth. According to Gandhi, truth and non-violence are eternal , equal to religion , equal to God. He believed that element of essential goodness is present in everyman and true religious spirit has the capacity of changing one’s nature. Religion , he viewed a conscious and sincere love and striving for truth.  The present paper is an attempt to focus on the religious unity for a relentless pursuit of truth and Gandhi’s views on religion which becomes a basis for friendship among all mankind.