first formulation of satyagraha in india as political movement occurred in 1906.
first formulation of satyagraha in india as political movement occurred in 1906.
when did first formulation of satyagraha in india as political movement occur?
1906
the term originated in a competition in the news-sheet "indian opinion" in south africa in 1906. mr. maganlal gandhi, grandson of an uncle of mahatma gandhi, came up with the word "sadagraha" and won the prize. subsequently, to make it clearer, gandhi changed it to satyagraha. "satyagraha" is a tatpuruṣa compound of the sanskrit words "satya" (meaning "truth") and "āgraha" ("polite insistence", or "holding firmly to"). satya is derived from the word “sat”, which means “being”. nothing is or exists in reality except truth. in the context of satyagraha, truth therefore includes a) truth in speech, as opposed to falsehood, b) what is real, as opposed to nonexistent (asat) and c) good as opposed to evil, or bad. this was critical to gandhi’s understanding of and faith in nonviolence: "the world rests upon the bedrock of satya or truth. asatya, meaning untruth, also means nonexistent, and satya or truth also means that which is. if untruth does not so much as exist, its victory is out of the question. and truth being that which is, can never be destroyed. this is the doctrine of satyagraha in a nutshell."
satyagraha
gandhi dedicated his life to discovering and pursuing truth, or "satya", and called his movement as "satyagraha", which means "appeal to, insistence on, or reliance on the truth". the first formulation of the "satyagraha" as a political movement and principle occurred in 1920, which he tabled as "resolution on non-cooperation" in september that year before a session of the indian congress. it was the "satyagraha" formulation and step, states dennis dalton, that deeply resonated with beliefs and culture of his people, embedded him into the popular consciousness, transforming him quickly into mahatma.
mahatma gandhi