The Story of My Experiments with Truth · Chapter
Fasting explained
Gandhi describes his experiments with fasting as a means of self-restraint, beginning around the time he gave up milk and cereals.
What happens
Gandhi describes his experiments with fasting as a means of self-restraint, beginning around the time he gave up milk and cereals. He recounts how he started complete fasts (allowing only water) and, while at Tolstoy Farm, encouraged Hindu, Parsi, Christian, and Muslim youngsters to observe fasts during the coinciding Hindu month of Shravan and Islamic month of Ramzan. The shared discipline fostered a spirit of self-restraint and unity among the community. Gandhi reflects on the spiritual purpose of fasting, emphasizing that it must be accompanied by mental fasting and a longing for self-restraint, citing the Bhagavad Gita.
Themes in this chapter
Self-Discipline and Simplicity
Gandhi's fasting experiments are a direct practice of self-discipline, undertaken to support the brahmacharya vow and to cultivate self-restraint among the community at Tolstoy Farm.
Religion and Interfaith Dialogue
Gandhi encouraged Hindu, Parsi, Christian, and Muslim youngsters to observe their respective religious fasts together, fostering mutual respect and a shared spirit of self-denial.
Characters to notice
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Describes his personal experiments with fasting for self-restraint and brahmacharya, and his role in encouraging others at Tolstoy Farm to join in fasting.
- Hermann Kallenbach
Joined Gandhi in the fasting experiment at Tolstoy Farm.
Key passages
“Fasting can help to curb animal passion, only if it is undertaken with a view to self-restraint.”
Fasting is effective in controlling physical desires only when it is done with the intention of cultivating self-discipline.
Gandhi emphasizes that the purpose behind fasting determines its moral value.
“Fasting and similar discipline is, therefore, one of the means to the end of self-restraint, but it is not all, and if physical fasting is not accompanied by mental fasting, it is bound to end in hypocrisy and disaster.”
Fasting is a useful tool for achieving self-control, but it must be paired with inner mental discipline; otherwise, it leads to pretense and failure.
Gandhi warns against fasting as a mere outward ritual without inner transformation.