Loosely based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, it forms the second part of Glass's "Portrait Trilogy" of operas about men who changed the world, which also includes Einstein on the Beach and Akhnaten.

The work is scored for 2 sopranos, 2 mezzo-sopranos, 2 tenors, a baritone, 2 basses, a large SATB chorus, and an orchestra of strings and woodwinds only, no brass or percussion.

The title refers to Gandhi's concept of nonviolent resistance to injustice, satyagraha, and the text, from the Bhagavad Gita, is sung in the original Sanskrit.

A new production by Folkoperan and Cirkus Cirkör, directed by Tilde Björfors [sv] and conducted by Matthew Wood premiered in Stockholm on September 14, 2016.

The production also went on tour to Stora Teatern in May 2017,[15] to the Copenhagen Opera Festival in August 2018 and to the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Harvey Theater in October – November 2018.