“I felt that it was not a historical work, but that, under the guise of physical warfare, it described the duel that perpetually went on in the hearts of mankind, and that physical warfare was brought in merely to make the description of the internal duel more alluring. This preliminary intuition became more confirmed on a closer study of religion and the Gita. A study of the Mahabharata gave it added confirmation. I do not regard the Mahabharata as a historical work in the accepted sense. The Adiparva contains powerful evidence in support of my opinion. By ascribing to the chief actors superhuman or subhuman origins, the great Vyasa made short work the history of kings and their peoples. The persons therein described may be historical, but the author of the Mahabharata has used them merely to drive home his religious theme.”
―
Mahatma Gandhi
“Birth and death are not two different states, but they are different aspects of the same state.”
―
Mahatma Gandhi
“In the Gita, the author has cleverly made use of the event to teach great truths.”
―
Mahatma Gandhi
“We should do no work with attachment. Attachment to good work, is that too wrong? Yes, it is. If we are attached to our goal of winning swaraj, we shall not hesitate to adopt bad means. Hence, we should not be attached even to a good cause. Only then will our means remain pure and our actions too.”
―
Mahatma Gandhi
“I first learned the concepts of non-violence in my marriage.”
―
Mahatma Gandhi
“Champions are made from something they have deep inside of them-a desire, a dream, a vison.”
―
Mahatma Gandhi
“The moment there is suspicion about a person’s motives, everything he does becomes tainted.”
―
Mahatma Gandhi
“I may be a despicable person, but when Truth speaks through me I am
invincible.”
―
Mahatma Gandhi
“My uniform experience has convinced me that there is no other God than Truth”
―
Mahatma Gandhi
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated
―
Mahatma Gandhi
“A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.”
―
Mahatma Gandhi
“A devotee of Truth may not do anything in deference to convention. He must always hold himself open to correction, and whenever he discovers himself to be wrong he must confess it at all costs and atone for it.”
―
Mahatma Gandhi
“Ahimsa necessarily includes truth and fearlessness.”
―
Mahatma Gandhi
“It is impossible in this body to follow ahimsa fully. Violence is inescapable. While the eyes wink and nails have to be pared, violence in one form or another is unavoidable. Evil is inherent in action, says the Gita. Arjuna did not, therefore, raise the question of violence and nonviolence. He simply raised the question of distinction between kinsmen and others, much in the same way that a fond mother would advance arguments favouring her child.”
―
Mahatma Gandhi