Since the beginning of the world, there has been conflict. Saying that it’s impossible to totally eradicate it causes a lot of anxiety. But it’s the truth. The reason being that good and evil will always exist in the world. In our struggle to accept the good and reject the bad, the possibility of conflict cannot be completely ruled out. Such conflict has manifested in nearly all countries in forms such as internal strife, war and strikes. Although most wars are generally aimed at protecting vested interests, there have been rare circumstances where the needs of the people were taken into consideration and a greater good was achieved.
Unfortunately, the majority of wars waged by man have not been fought to uphold truth and justice but have been motivated by selfishness. From approximately 5,000 years ago until the rule of the great Indian king Chandragupta Maurya, founder of the Maurya Dynasty, truth and dharma played a central role in all wars fought in India. Even back then, defeating and, if need be, destroying the enemy was a part of war. However, there were clear rules that had to be followed on the battlefield and during combat.
For example, foot soldiers were only allowed to fight with foot soldiers and horsemen could only fight with horsemen. Warriors riding elephants or in chariots could only fight with similarly mounted opponents. The same rules applied to those fighting with maces, swords, spears and bow and arrows.Soldier was not allowed to attack injured or unarmed soldiers, nor would he harm women, children, the elderly or the sick. Battles began at dawn with the blowing of a conch and ended exactly at sunset, with the soldiers of both sides forgetting their mutual enmity and dining together as one. Battle would then resume the next morning at sunrise.
There were even incidents of victorious kings happily returning the entire kingdom and all the riches they had won to the king they had defeated, or his rightful heir. Such was the great tradition of dharmic wars, in which the enemy was considered with respect and kindness, both on and off the battlefield. The sentiments and the culture of the citizens of the enemy kingdom were also respected. Such was the courageous outlook of the people living then.
These days, to prevent terrorist attacks, strict security measures are implemented at airports and other establishments. While such measures are necessary for our physical safety, they are not a final solution. In fact, there is one explosive in particular that is the most destructive of all. No machine can detect it. It is the hatred, loathing and vengeance found in the human mind.
In wars today, the enemy’s country is destroyed in every possible way. Conquerors plunder and monopolise the land, natural resources and wealth of the defeated country and use them for their own selfish enjoyment. The culture and traditions that have been passed down for generations are uprooted, and innocent people are killed without mercy.
Furthermore, we cannot begin to fathom the amount of toxic fumes emitted by bombs and other weapons of war, filling the atmosphere and polluting the soil. How many generations are forced to suffer physically and mentally as a consequence. In the wake of war, all that is left are death, poverty, starvation and epidemics. Such are war’s gifts to humanity.
No matter what action we perform, even if it be war, the goal should be the protection of truth and dharma. Amma’s not saying that war is unavoidable. In principle, there is never a time when war is necessary. But will we ever be able to completely eradicate war from the external world as long as conflict remains in the minds of man? This is something we really should contemplate.
The writer is a world-renowned spiritual leader