# XXI: निर्बल के बल राम explained — The Story of My Experiments with Truth

> Chapter companion for The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi.

## What happens

Gandhi reflects on a spiritual trial during his stay in England in 1890, when he attended a Vegetarian Conference in Portsmouth and was tempted by indecent behavior in a lodging house. He credits God and a friend's warning for saving him from lust, and meditates on the nature of prayer, humility, and divine grace as the true sustainer through all trials.

## Themes in this chapter

### Truth and Self-Experimentation

Gandhi examines his own moral failure and the limits of religious knowledge, emphasizing experiential truth over mere learning.

### Self-Discipline and Simplicity

The chapter highlights Gandhi's struggle with lust and his reliance on prayer and humility to maintain self-discipline.

### Religion and Interfaith Dialogue

Gandhi discusses the essence of religion as inner experience and prayer, transcending formal knowledge.

## Character check-ins

### Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Narrates his spiritual trial at Portsmouth, reflecting on God's saving grace and the importance of prayer.

### Putlibai Gandhi

Referenced through the vow Gandhi took before his mother, which helped him resist temptation.

## Key lines

> When every hope is gone, 'when helpers fail and comforts flee,' I find that help arrives somehow, from I know not where.

In moments of utter despair, when all external support vanishes, Gandhi discovers that aid comes mysteriously from an unknown source.

_Gandhi expresses his faith in divine intervention during times of crisis._

> I recall this as the first occasion on which a woman, other than my wife, moved me to lust.

Gandhi identifies this as the first time he felt sexual desire for a woman who was not his wife.

_A candid admission of his moral struggle and the role of his mother's vow in restraining him._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se/chapters/part-i-xxi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se/chapters