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34
THE WAY OF LIFE
Ayyu threw away his revolver. He came out of his house with the members of his family. He set free all his cows and bullocks from his cattle-shed. Someone set fire to Ayyu's house. Ayyu was standing silently. The people plundered his house and the house was burning. Then, the villagers returned to their respective houses.
Ayyu had another house on the bank of the river where a dam had been built. He went away to that house with his family.
Someone conveyed the information to the police in the nearby town. Soon, a police van arrived in the village. An inspector came accompanied by a number of policemen. The villagers gathered there. “Who set fire to the house of the landlord ? The police officer made an enquiry. Ayyu also was sent for. The villagers came to their senses. They thought, “Now we have to go to jail and our families will be ruined".
The Inspector said to Ayyu, "Sir, who are the offenders ? Who set fire to your house ? "
AYYU'S KINDNESS SAVED ALL
Ayyu looked at the people of the village. Gulla stood at the head of the crowd. The faces of the villagers fell. The eyes of all villagers were fixed on the ground. Ayyu thought for a while calmly. His heart overflowed with kindness and compassion. He thought "I should not hate even those who cause sorrow to me. I should forgive even offenders. I should not act in a way that causes misery to others. I should not cause pain to innocent birds and animals. I cannot bear to see violence done to any jiva. That is why, I prohibited the practice of animal sacrifice. Violence is not good in any situation".
Ayyu said to the police-inspector, "Dear Sir, these people of my village are innocent. They have not committed any offence. No one set fire to my house. My house caught fire on account of my own mistake. I went into my cattle-shed to see my cows
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