Gandhi on Jain Practices

Summary

Prem Anand Mishra’s article surveys Mahatma Gandhi’s reflections on Jainism, drawing primarily on the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (CWMG). Among roughly sixty‑two references to Jainism in the CWMG, Gandhi discusses ahimsa, belief in God, Jains as a community, compassion, inter‑religious relations, social customs and even disputes over practices. He often acknowledged the influence of Jainism in his native Gujarat, noting that Jainism’s strong opposition to meat consumption shaped regional culture and even his own upbringing. Jain monks visited his family, and a Jain ascetic urged young Gandhi to vow abstinence from meat, alcohol and licentious behaviour. Gandhi considered himself so familiar with Jain principles that some people accused him of being a Jain; he asserted he knew Jainism as intimately as Vaishnavism. Philosophically, Gandhi argued that Jainism and Buddhism are not separate from Hinduism. He declared that he saw no difference between the Jain doctrine and the general Vedic doctrine; the divergence lies merely in perspective. He believed he could reconcile the Vedic conception of God with Jain teachings using the Jain doctrine of syādvāda. Responding to a reader who asked whether his beliefs made him an anekāntavādī, Gandhi explained that he was an advaitin who could also support dualism. The world is both real and unreal; recognising multiple viewpoints prevents one from attributing motives to critics. He admired the doctrine of the manyness of reality and said his own anekāntavāda grew from his adherence to truth and non‑violence. Gandhi’s most significant intervention concerns social practice. He felt Jainism restricted ahimsa to dietary rules and the non‑killing of insects; he insisted that true compassion requires honesty and fairness. He criticised Jains who scatter grain over anthills yet charge exorbitant interest and cheat customers. Citing Jain reformer Raichandbhai, he lamented that when Jainism came under mercantile control, compassion was reduced to cowardice and religious disputes were settled by wealth rather than tapasya. Gandhi advocated practical solutions: Digambar monks could honour ideals of nakedness privately but should wear a codpiece in public out of respect for society. When challenged by a Jain muni who feared his reforms would harm Jainism, Gandhi argued that non‑violent reform can only benefit all religions and that Jains dealing in foreign cloth could switch to khadi. The article notes Gandhi’s view that participation in satyagraha requires belief in the atman; nevertheless, he held that most Jains and Buddhists do believe in a soul and thus qualify. In his final assessment, Gandhi maintained that Jainism is part of the Hindu fold; differences are points of view. Although he used Jain philosophical terms like syādvāda and anekāntavāda, he considered his interpretations unique and rooted in truth and ahimsa. Ultimately, he argued that Jain ahimsa must expand beyond dietary rules to encompass compassion for all beings.