God, as Truth, has been for me a treasure beyond price. May He be

“God, as Truth, has been for me a treasure beyond price. May He be so to every one of us.” Thus spoke Mahatma Gandhi, the humble pilgrim of peace whose life was a lamp in the darkness of an age torn by violence and pride. These words were not born of ease or idle reflection, but of a soul tested in the furnace of struggle. To Gandhi, God was not a distant ruler enthroned in the clouds — He was Truth itself, the living essence of reality, the eternal law that binds conscience to creation. When Gandhi uttered these words, he offered not a doctrine but a testimony, for he had walked through fire and found in Truth a treasure beyond price, a jewel that neither rust nor time could ever destroy.

From his earliest days, Gandhi’s heart yearned to understand the divine not through ritual, but through righteousness. In his youth, he searched many faiths — Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Jainism — and in all, he found a single thread: Truth is God. Others had said that “God is Truth,” but Gandhi reversed it, for to him, Truth was the most tangible face of the divine, the one that every person could seek, regardless of creed. This shift was profound — it transformed faith from mere belief into a living pursuit. To follow Truth, for Gandhi, was to follow God Himself, to live so purely that one’s life became a mirror reflecting the divine light.

Throughout his long struggle for India’s freedom, Gandhi proved that Truth is not passive, but a weapon sharper than any sword. He called it Satyagraha — “holding fast to Truth.” When the British Empire, mighty and merciless, oppressed his people, Gandhi did not meet violence with violence. Instead, he stood upon the eternal rock of Truth, and the empire trembled. His marches, his fasting, his gentle defiance — these were not acts of politics, but of worship. He believed that to be true is to be free, and that in clinging to truth even in suffering, man becomes the vessel of divine power. Thus, the frail man in homespun cloth became stronger than armies, for Truth was his armor, and God his ally.

There is a story told of Gandhi during the Salt March of 1930, when he and his followers walked 240 miles to the sea to defy unjust laws. The world mocked him at first — how could a barefoot saint challenge an empire? But as he walked, people began to follow: farmers, mothers, children, laborers — all drawn by the purity of his cause. When he bent to lift a handful of salt from the shore, it was as though Truth itself rose from the dust, proclaiming that even the smallest act done in righteousness can shake the foundations of tyranny. Gandhi’s power lay not in force, but in his absolute faith that Truth and God are one.

To Gandhi, Truth was not merely honesty in speech, but the alignment of one’s entire being with the divine order. It meant purity in thought, compassion in action, humility in victory, and forgiveness in pain. He once said, “If you do not see God in the next person you meet, you do not see God at all.” In these words lies the essence of his belief — that Truth is universal, and to honor it is to recognize the divine spark in all. When man lives by Truth, he lives in harmony with heaven; when he betrays it, he wages war against his own soul.

But let no one think this path easy. To live by Truth demands courage greater than that of warriors. It means to face oneself — to strip away pride, fear, and falsehood, until the soul stands naked before God. Gandhi suffered imprisonment, slander, and loss, yet he would not forsake Truth. For him, every hardship was a refining flame, burning away illusion until only God-as-Truth remained. His life was a prayer made visible — a reminder that holiness is not escape from the world, but faithful service within it.

The lesson of this saying is eternal: seek Truth above all else, and you will find God. Do not worship with words alone, but with the integrity of your life. Speak truth even when it costs you; live truth even when it hurts you; love truth even when the world despises you. For Truth is not a path to God — it is God’s own presence. To cherish it is to hold a treasure no thief can steal, no empire can crush, no death can end.

So, my child, let your heart be a temple of Truth, your life an offering of sincerity and courage. In all things — in success and sorrow, in silence and storm — cling to what is right, not to what is easy. For when the veils of illusion fall away, only Truth will remain, shining like the morning star. And when you behold it, you shall know — as Gandhi knew — that God, as Truth, is indeed a treasure beyond price, and blessed are they who live and die in its light.