Gandhi’s Satyagraha Method

Satyagraha, translating to “holding onto truth” or “truth-force,” was the core philosophy and strategy developed by Mahatma Gandhi for political and social struggle. Formulated initially during his struggle against racial discrimination in South Africa (1893–1914), Satyagraha was later applied to the Indian national movement. It transformed passive resistance into an active, non-violent mass political technique aimed at converting the opponent through moral force and moral appeal.

Core Ideological Foundations

The concept of Satyagraha rests on interconnected philosophical principles drawn from various religious, cultural, and intellectual traditions.

• Truth (Satya): Truth was the ultimate goal for Gandhi. He famously inverted his stance from “God is Truth” to “Truth is God” in 1931, asserting that pursuit of truth is the absolute moral imperative.
• Non-Violence (Ahimsa): Ahimsa is the means to achieve Truth. To Gandhi, non-violence was not mere avoidance of physical injury, but absolute absence of ill-will or hatred toward the adversary.
• Self-Suffering (Tapasya): A Satyagrahi must willingly accept physical pain, loss of property, and imprisonment without retaliation to awaken the conscience of the oppressor.
• Means and Ends Relationship: Gandhi maintained that noble ends cannot be achieved through immoral means. The purity of the process directly dictates the legitimacy of the outcome.
• Philosophical Influences: The strategy drew upon Hindu concepts of Ahimsa and Satya, the Jain principle of Anekantavada (many-sidedness of reality), the Christian Sermon on the Mount, Leo Tolstoy’s The Kingdom of God is Within You, John Ruskin’s Unto This Last, and Henry David Thoreau’s essay Civil Disobedience.

Evolution of the Technique: South Africa to India

Gandhi refined Satyagraha over four decades, transitioning it from localized civil rights struggles to a nationwide anti-colonial campaign.

Genesis in South Africa (1906–1914)

The term was coined during a competition in the weekly journal Indian Opinion. Maganlal Gandhi suggested “Sadagraha” (firmness in a good cause), which Gandhi modified to “Satyagraha.”

• 1906 Anti-Asiatic Act Agitation: First application of collective passive resistance against mandatory registration certificates for Indians in Transvaal.
• 1908 Certificate Burning: Public destruction of registration certificates at the Hamidia Mosque in Johannesburg.
• 1913 Great March: A march of over 2,000 Indian workers from Natal across the Transvaal border to protest the £3 poll tax and invalidation of non-Christian marriages.

Application in India (1917–1942)

Upon returning to India in 1915, Gandhi conducted localized Satyagrahas to address specific socioeconomic grievances before applying the technique nationally.

Methods and Operational Code of a Satyagrahi

Gandhi established strict behavioral rules and operational forms for individuals participating in Satyagraha campaigns.

Forms of Action

• Non-Cooperation: Withdrawal of voluntary support from an unjust regime through boycotts of government schools, courts, titles, foreign cloth, and elections.
• Civil Disobedience: Conscious, peaceful violation of specific unjust laws, such as the salt tax, followed by voluntary submission to legal arrest.
• Fasting: Used as a method of last resort for self-purification, moral appeal, or resolving internal conflicts within the movement.
• Hijrat: Voluntary emigration out of a state or territory when self-respect cannot be maintained due to systemic oppression.

Rules of Conduct for Participants

A true Satyagrahi had to adhere to a strict ethical discipline:

• Complete elimination of anger, ill-will, and desire for revenge against the opponent.
• Unconditional compliance with the commands of the campaign leader.
• Voluntary acceptance of arrest and confiscation of property without physical resistance.
• Protection of opponent officials from personal assault or injury by third parties.
• Absolute refusal to swear or use abusive language against the adversary.

Key Facts and Code of Discipline

Gandhi established the Ekadash Vrata (Eleven Vows) at the Sabarmati Ashram to train volunteers for Satyagraha campaigns. These vows were Satya (Truth), Ahimsa (Non-violence), Brahmacharya (Celibacy), Aswada (Control of Palate), Asteya (Non-stealing), Aparigraha (Non-possession), Swadeshi (Use of local goods), Abhaya (Fearlessness), Sparshbhavana (Removal of Untouchability), Sarva Dharma Sambhava (Equal respect for all religions), and Sharamsadhana (Physical Labor). In 1919, Gandhi formed the Satyagraha Sabha in Bombay to organize signatures and coordinate volunteers specifically for the campaign against the Rowlatt Act. The distinction between passive resistance and Satyagraha was central to Gandhi’s philosophy. Passive resistance was regarded as a weapon of the weak that did not exclude physical force or hatred if available. Satyagraha was defined as a weapon of the morally strong that excluded physical violence and malice under all circumstances. During the Individual Satyagraha of 1940, Vinoba Bhave was chosen by Gandhi as the first Individual Satyagrahi, followed by Jawaharlal Nehru as the second, and Brahma Datt as the third.