The science of Satyagraha (Pocket Gandhi series)

Satyagraha (Sanskrit) is a philosophy and practice of nonviolent resistance developed by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (also known as Mahatma Gandhi). Gandhi deployed satyagraha in the Indian independence movement and also during his earlier struggles in South Africa. Satyagraha theory influenced Nelson Mandela's struggle in South Africa under apartheid, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s campaigns during the civil rights movement in the United States, and many other social justice and similar movements.[citation needed] Someone who practices satyagraha is a satyagrahi.

Satyagraha is a synthesis of the Sanskrit words satya (meaning "truth") and Agraha ("insistence", or "holding firmly to"). For Gandhi, satyagraha went far beyond mere "passive resistance" and became strength in practising non-violent methods. In his words:

"Truth (satya) implies love, and firmness (agraha) engenders and therefore serves as a synonym for force. I thus began to call the Indian movement Satyagraha, that is to say, the Force which is born of Truth and Love or non-violence, and gave up the use of the phrase “passive resistance”, in connection with it, so much so that even in English writing we often avoided it and used instead the word 'satyagraha'".

This comprehensive book contains the Mahatma's writings on Satyagraha and transcipts of interviews where he answered questions on Satyagraha.