{"id":130701,"date":"2024-09-26T09:36:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T13:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=130701"},"modified":"2024-09-26T11:53:34","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T15:53:34","slug":"mahatma-gandhi-brahmacharya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/mahatma-gandhi-brahmacharya\/","title":{"rendered":"Mahatma Gandhi on Brahmacharya: Purity Leads to Truth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What did Gandhi believe about purity and enlightenment? How did his views on brahmacharya shape his lifestyle choices?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Mahatma Gandhi, brahmacharya influenced his approach to marriage<\/a>, sexuality, and diet. His commitment to self-purification led him to practice celibacy and adopt strict dietary restrictions. These choices were rooted in his belief that a pure mind and body were essential for finding Truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to understand how Mahatma Gandhi’s brahmacharya practices shaped his personal life and spiritual journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Mahatma Gandhi on Brahmacharya<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Mahatma Gandhi, brahmacharya\u2014having a pure mind and body\u2014is necessary to find Truth. A mind and body contaminated by harmful thoughts or elements, such as lust or meat, was more likely to commit violence, and therefore less likely to find Truth. Brahmacharya can be described as the pursuit of enlightenment through purity. Gandhi strived for self-purification through monogamy, celibacy, and diet, all of which he believed would help keep his body and mind clean and open to Truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Gandhi\u2019s belief that purity of body and mind are both necessary for reaching enlightenment is an example of our desire to conceal or sanitize many aspects of our animal behavior to get closer to the divine<\/a>. In The Happiness Hypothesis<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Haidt suggests that almost everyone shares a deeply ingrained belief that you should regard your body as a temple and avoid contaminating it with anything impure or harmful. This notion of cleanliness elevates us above animals, while the opposite degrades and diminishes the godliness within us.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monogamy and Celibacy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gandhi expresses his commitment to being a loyal husband to his wife, Kasturbai. However, he admits to having moments of being attracted to other women, which he felt deep<\/strong> shame <\/strong>about. He believes God intervened<\/a> each time to save him from acting on the attraction. However, he explains that his commitment to being a loyal husband turned into jealousy. In the early years of their marriage, he was possessive and controlling<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His monogamy gradually became celibacy<\/strong>. After 18 years of marriage, he began practicing self-restraint to avoid having intercourse with his wife. At first, he wanted to prevent having more children because his activism was incompatible with family life. Five years later, he took a celibacy vow, which he described as freeing because it defended him against temptation. His self-restraint also helped his relationship with Kasturbai. Gandhi stopped seeing his wife as a sexual object, which helped him appreciate her personhood more fully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Gandhi\u2019s relationship to sexuality\u2014women\u2019s sexuality<\/a> in particular\u2014is complex. Sexual desire caused him shame, and the shame he associated with sex often turned into controlling his sexuality and that of the women around him<\/a>. For example, he was intent on controlling Kasturbai out of fear that she might be unfaithful despite being the one rumored to be having affairs with other women<\/a>, and he made the unilateral decision to become celibate without asking Kasturbai what she wanted. After he embraced celibacy, he asked female followers to sleep naked next to him to test his self-restraint. Once, when a man harassed two young girls who were part of his following, Gandhi cut the girls\u2019 hair to avoid enticing the man\u2019s attraction.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gandhi believed that controlling the quality and quantity of his food was as crucial for spiritual enlightenment as controlling his sexual desires. At first, his dietary choices were motivated by health concerns, but later they were influenced more by his philosophical beliefs. As a result, his diet leaned more toward fasting and restrictions<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n