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Book of Prayers

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Throughout his adult life, in religious communities he founded and led, Mahatma Gandhi officiated at group prayer services twice each day. For this purpose, over a period of four decades, he compiled a hymnal including some of the most profoundly moving lyrics in all sacred literature, drawn from Hindu, Christian, Moslem, Jain and Sikh traditions. In 1930, Gandhi produced an English translation of this collection for one of his British devotees. Book of Prayers is the first American edition of these translations.

157 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

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Mahatma Gandhi

1,261 books6,446 followers
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism in British-ruled India. Employing non-violent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights and freedom across the world.

The son of a senior government official, Gandhi was born and raised in a Hindu Bania community in coastal Gujarat, and trained in law in London. Gandhi became famous by fighting for the civil rights of Muslim and Hindu Indians in South Africa, using new techniques of non-violent civil disobedience that he developed. Returning to India in 1915, he set about organizing peasants to protest excessive land-taxes. A lifelong opponent of "communalism" (i.e. basing politics on religion) he reached out widely to all religious groups. He became a leader of Muslims protesting the declining status of the Caliphate. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, increasing economic self-reliance, and above all for achieving Swaraj—the independence of India from British domination. His spiritual teacher was the Jain philosopher/poet Shrimad Rajchandra.

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