Awaken non-violence within
Children, non-violence is the highest dharma. Whether one is leading a spiritual or worldly life, one must try not to hurt any living being. The waves of pain arising from even the smallest being who is hurt create ripples in the atmosphere, and will adversely affect the one who hurt it. Therefore, do not hurt any creature in thought, word or deed.
That said, we must first understand correctly what violence and non-violence actually are. Violence is hurting others through indiscriminate or selfish action. But actions done with the intention of helping others cannot be considered violence. What determines whether an action is violent or non-violent is the attitude behind it.
Amma can give an example. A woman gave her maid, a young girl, a lot of work. Though she tried hard, the child could not finish her chores on time. The mistress scolded her, making her cry. The same woman spanked her daughter for neglecting her homework and playing instead. The daughter sat in a corner of the room and started crying.
Here, both children were crying. The mother’s spanking of her child cannot be considered violence because she had spanked her daughter with a good intention: she wanted her daughter to have a bright future. This is not violence, only a reflection of her love for the child.
That said, though the woman did not spank her maid, her behaviour towards the girl was callous and violent. Would a mother treat her child this way? Here, we must consider the attitude behind the different treatments meted out to the two children.
While planting a fruit-bearing sapling, we might uproot many small plants around it. But when the sapling becomes a tree, how beneficial it will be to society! Not only that, many small plants can grow in its shade. Looked at from this perspective, uprooting the small plants was no loss and cannot be considered violence.
Even hurting a few individuals for the selfless purpose of safeguarding the well-being of society cannot be considered violence. This is why the Mahabharata war is considered a righteous war.
There are those who ask if the Lord was not abetting violence when he urged Arjuna to fight. The Lord never wanted war. His path was one of patience. He kept forgiving. He pleaded with Duryodhana to give the Pandavas at least one hut. But Duryodhana adamantly declared that he would not give them so much as a hair’s breadth of land.
If the patience of a strong man emboldens a person to be cruel or to harm people, then that patience is the worst violence. However, we should not harbour enmity or jealousy towards anyone.
We must censure the wrongdoing, but not have any anger towards the wrong-doer. Some people might wonder if it is possible to become totally non-violent in our actions. Even if we cannot rise up to that level, we must keep non-violence as our goal, and strive constantly to love and serve others.
You can awaken only one who is sleeping, not one who is pretending to be asleep. Today, most people are pretending to be asleep. They must awake, arise and act; only then can their dreams be fulfilled. We dream of a tomorrow that is filled with peace and happiness. May we develop the self-confidence and ability to realise this dream. Let us begin working towards this goal with faith and surrender from now onward.
The writer is a world-renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian.
We should not harbour enmity or jealousy towards anyone. We must censure the wrongdoing, but not have any anger towards the wrong-doer