Satya (Truth)

When Gandhiji used the word સત્ય, I wondered what it meant. Most equate the word with "not telling a lie". Obviously, that is not what he meant - rather, he meant much more than that. I concluded that he meant "All Life is One". But, if I cut off translations and interpretations, and go to the (Sanskrit) roots, this is what I found:

Most Sanskrit words are combinations of words:

સત્ય = સત + ત્ય
સત = Visible Order
       = Phenomenon (one that can be experienced by 5 senses)
           (Radiation, Light, Delight, Life, Enlightenment - as he puts it)
       = Manifestation (પ્રત્યક્ષ)
       = પ્રકૃતિ (Nature)
ત્ય   = Non-visible Order
       = Noumenon (one beyond sense perceptions; can be possibly known without senses)
       = Mystery (પરોક્ષ) - it is subtle
       = પુરુષ
       = The object itself (as opposed to its manifestation)

Hence,

સત્ય = Phenomenon + Noumenon
        = Visible Order + Non-visible Order (= Universal Order)
        = Manifestation + Mystery
        = પ્રત્યક્ષ + પરોક્ષ
        = પ્રકૃતિ + પુરુષ
        = Something + Nothing (using Lawrence Krauss's terminology)

{પ્રકૃતિ & પુરુષ are always together. One is a creative force (feminine), while the other is the inspiring force (Masculine) - one without the other is not possible (or, shall we say unstable?)}

{In the vedic tradition, Krishna is dark (Mystery) and Radha is the glowing light (Manifestation)}

Hence, the definition of સત્ય expanded to now mean "Universal Order"
Gandhiji eventually said: સત્ય એજ ભગવાન છે (Truth is God).
So, his autobiography is titled: સત્યના પ્રયોગો (Experiments with Truth)

Interestingly, nobody ever noticed that Gandhiji was a scientist (only scientists experiment to discover truth). His life was spent experimenting - with this idea of a Universal Order (and all life being one). He experimented with the physical world to see if he can apply this principle (if All Life is one; I am hurting myself if I hurt you; Your Pain is my pain, etc.) to win against the oppression of the British in South Africa and eventually in India. The fact that સત્યાગ્રહ was such a powerful force was only discovered by him with lots of small and increasing bigger experiments in South Africa over 25 years. (All documented in a 600 page book called જીવનનું પરોઢ - by Prabhudas Gandhi - his distant nephew, who lived with him as a young boy in Phoenix Ashram near Durban.) God never gave him a magic trick - he had to experiment and find out its power himself - over time.

Over time, he equated Truth with Love. (Hence "Love is God"). That is how he won over General Smuts with his love (in S.A.) and 300M+ people in India, and got millions of people to give up their lives to join his movement of સત્યાગ્રહ. To him, Love became a very powerful force. (Incidentally, Jesus's main teaching is to "love thy neighbour". But, nobody wants to follow this inconvenient truth.)