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RELEVENCE TODAY
“The concept of ahimsa has become irrelevant in modern world' - many people support this idea. There is a genuine basis for this, because this is the age of competition, the economic mindset, and technological progress. All this steers towards the mundane or materialism which, in turn, is conducive to violence (himsa) rather than ahimsa. The supporters of ahimsa are being consigned to oblivion.
However, if we profoundly and pragmatically study the true situation, and if we sincerely try to diagnose the ailment, another reality will be revealed to us. In fact, it is the present condition that needs ahimsa most. It would not be out of place to recall that the famous phrase "Ahimsa is the loftiest among duties or religions.' (Ahimsa paramo dharma.) is from the epic Mahabharata, which is about a great war. We find many historical instances of war-torn, violent and complex periods in which ahimsa has provided far-reaching solutions. Why not look into them and analyze them?
How to affect the spread of ahimsa? It is a tough problem, especially in the present circumstances when violence is widespread and ever growing. It is impossible to change the complete life style of the whole society overnight. Then should we just wait for the change to come naturally in due course? But that would mean going for reconstruction only after complete destruction.
When we look into the past, we find this to have been a possibility. This was because, even after destruction, enough was left to facilitate reconstruction or regeneration. But the destructive machinery we have created today is all consuming. It will probably destroy the atmosphere on which all life depends. From the scale of centuries or millenniums,
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