Why was the Bhagavad Gita important to Mahatma Gandhi?

The Bhagavad Gita was of profound importance to Mahatma Gandhi, serving as his "spiritual dictionary" and exercising perhaps the greatest single influence on his life. First read by Gandhi in an English translation while he was a student in London, the text became a foundational guide for his moral and spiritual development.123

Two specific Sanskrit concepts within the Gita were particularly influential to his philosophy:

• Aparigraha (nonpossession): This principle encouraged Gandhi to renounce material goods and the bonds of money and property, which he believed hindered the life of the spirit.1
• Samabhava (equability): This concept enjoined individuals to remain unruffled by pleasure or pain, victory or defeat, and to perform their duties without attachment to the results of their actions.1

These teachings helped shape Gandhi’s commitment to a life of simplicity, austerity, and selfless service. Furthermore, the Gita was a key source for his development of satyagraha, his method of nonviolent resistance, as it provided a framework for acting with right understanding and moral integrity.14