Further being influenced by the metaphysical belief of Hinduism that every living being has an imperishable soul; Gandhi too accepts that there is an element of divinity in everyman. Every person possesses a soul and the soul is the manifestation of the divine. Gandhi writes “ though men are not of the same age, the same height, the same skin and the same intellect, these inequalities are temporary and artificial, the soul that is hidden beneath this earthly crust, is one and the same for all men and women belonging to all times”.¹¹ Since the soul is non-physical and spiritual in essence, he believes in the essential unity of mankind. He beings the analogy of the sun and the rays. The rays of the sun are different but their source is the same. Similarly there are many people but they possess the same divine spark, the soul, whose source is God. On that basis of this metaphysical idea he accepts the essential unity of mankind.
Accepting the dichotomy of the body and the soul Gandhi maintains that man as the soul is non-violent. The spiritual element in human nature stands for all good qualities like love, rationality, non-violence etc. He not only accepts the spiritual unity of mankind but also accepts that mankind as a whole is working towards the promotion of love and non-violence.