Discuss the various literary sources which inspired Mahatma Gandhi to adopt the idea of Satyagraha.

Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of Satyagraha took inspiration from the following-

  1. A Poem of Shamal Bhatt, which he learnt when he was eight year old.
  2. Sermon on the Mount (Saying of Jesus)
  3. New Testament
  4. Bhagavad-Gita
  5. Kingdom of God is within you (Leo Tolstoy).

Shamal Bhatt was a Gujarati author of 18th century. He is special because, Mahatma Gandhi once said that idea of Satyagraha was conceived in a primitive form by him taking inspiration from one of the poems of Shamal Bhatt.
Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite Bhajan “Vaishnav Jan To” was a creation of Narsi Mehta also was an inspiration.

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