Archive · 2 Oct 2026
Gandhi’s Spiritual Refuge: Shrimad Rajchandraji’s Legacy Reaches New Generations
Mahatma Gandhi was influenced by a Jain philosopher named Shrimad Rajchandraji.
Gandhi met him in Mumbai when Gandhi was a young lawyer.
Rajchandraji was also involved in business, but Gandhi thought he was unusually calm and detached from luxury.
Later, Gandhi sent him 27 questions about religion and the meaning of life.
Rajchandraji replied that people should seek their true nature and treat living beings with compassion.
Gandhi said Rajchandraji helped him through spiritual doubts.
Rajchandraji’s ideas influenced Gandhi’s beliefs about truth and non-violence.
Today, Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji and the Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur share these teachings through education, service and humanitarian work.
Mahatma Gandhi regarded Shrimad Rajchandraji, whom he called Raychandbhai, as a major spiritual influence.
The two met in Mumbai in 1891, and Rajchandraji later answered Gandhi’s 27 questions about faith, the soul, God and liberation.
Rajchandraji’s teachings emphasized self-realization, compassion and non-violence beyond the boundaries of any one religion.
Rajchandraji wrote Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra, a 142-verse work on the soul, in 1896 and died in 1901 at age 34.
Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji and Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur have helped bring Rajchandraji’s teachings to wider audiences worldwide.
- Who
- Mahatma Gandhi, Shrimad Rajchandraji, and later Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji and Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur.
- What
- The article examines Rajchandraji’s influence on Gandhi and efforts to preserve and spread his philosophy.
- When
- Gandhi and Rajchandraji met in 1891; Rajchandraji wrote Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra in 1896 and died in 1901. The Mission was founded in 1994.
- Where
- Their relationship began in Mumbai and continued through correspondence between India and Durban, South Africa. The Mission’s international headquarters is in Dharampur, South Gujarat.
- Why
- Rajchandraji helped Gandhi address spiritual questions and shaped his understanding of truth, compassion and non-violence; the Mission continues to share those teachings.
- Rajchandraji’s lifespan
- 1867–1901; he lived for 34 years.
- First meeting with Gandhi
- Mumbai, 1891.
- Questions from Gandhi
- Gandhi sent Rajchandraji 27 questions from Durban about faith, the soul, God and liberation.
- Major work
- Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra, a 142-verse composition written in 1896.
- Mission founded
- Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur was founded in 1994.
- Mission reach
- Its headquarters in Dharampur supports 136 centres across six continents.
- Humanitarian work
- Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care runs hospitals, schools, women’s livelihood programmes and animal-care initiatives.