# Putlibai Gandhi — The Story of My Experiments with Truth character guide

> Putlibai Gandhi in The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0003-part-i-i-birth-and-parentage

## Snapshot

Gandhi's mother, whose fasting, vows, and quiet devotion planted the seeds of his lifelong hunger for self-purification.

## Who they are

Putlibai, Kaba Gandhi's fourth wife, raised her youngest son in a household saturated with vows, fasts, and visits to temples, her religiosity unshowy but absolute. Her willingness to keep difficult vows, even when it worried her family, modeled a form of discipline Gandhi would later remake as satyagraha. She is the quiet origin of his conviction that truth and self-denial are inseparable, a thread running from Porbandar to the ashrams.

## In the story

### [Part I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se/chapters/the-story-of-my-experiments-with-truth)

Gandhi's mother, known for her religious devotion and influence on his early life.

### [Birth and Parentage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se/chapters/part-i-i-birth-and-parentage)

Gandhi's mother, deeply religious and saintly, known for her strict observance of vows and fasts, and her strong common sense.

### [A Tragedy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se/chapters/part-i-vi-a-tragedy)

Implied as part of the staunch Vaishnava family traditions that Gandhi feared to betray.

### [Glimpses of Religion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se/chapters/part-i-x-glimpses-of-religion)

Gandhi's mother, who visited temples and exposed him to various religious traditions.

### [Preparation for England](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se/chapters/part-i-xi-preparation-for-england)

Gandhi's mother, initially reluctant but eventually gives permission after he takes vows.

### [Outcaste](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se/chapters/part-i-xii-outcaste)

Gandhi's mother, who gives her permission and blessings for his voyage.

### [Experiments in Dietetics](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se/chapters/part-i-xvii-experiments-in-dietetics)

Gandhi's mother; her definition of meat (including eggs) is cited as binding on his vow.

### [XXI: निर्बल के बल राम](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se/chapters/part-i-xxi)

Referenced through the vow Gandhi took before his mother, which helped him resist temptation.

### [Raychandbhai](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se/chapters/part-ii-i-raychandbhai)

Gandhi's mother, whose death during his time in England was kept from him until his return.

### [Result of Introspection](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se/chapters/part-iv-v-result-of-introspection)

Implied in the context of family responsibilities, though not directly named.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se/characters/putlibai_gandhi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_my_experiments_with_truth_se/characters