Mahatma Gandhi is a well-known political figure, probably one of the most highly regarded, universally acknowledged political figures in recent history. The question the reader will likely carry into the essays is to see where this activism came from. The answer seems to be three-fold; there is the legal education that Gandhi attains after the death of his father, the studies of Hindu scriptures, and the studies of Christian scriptures.
The legal teaching serves Gandhi's point of view in this important way. He understands the truth about law and power, seeing that although law seems automatic and self-explanatory to the people who live under the law, the truth is that law is constructed by people for specific purposes. If it has been constructed, it can also be deconstructed and adjusted. His idea for political demonstration is a tactic for changing the public opinion about certain legal assumptions, so that the government must adapt by changing laws.
The teaching of the Bhagavad Gita is important as well, because the story of Krishna teaching Arjuna how to commit correct action helps Gandhi to frame his own suffering and persecution; he is obligated by "the gods" to commit his "dharma" or duty. This duty is rooted in correct action, so that his question is what kinds of actions are right or wrong. The Christian aspect of this conversation is important, because Jesus's story demonstrates very clearly a dynamic that Gandhi also believes. He says that a person who does the correct action will be persecuted by the powers that be, because powerful institutions will not want to give power back to the people. The crucifixion becomes a symbolic reminder that people who do the right thing for their community will be persecuted, but that they should remain non-violent.
