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Bhagawan Mahavir ]
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responsible for such a great loss of life.
But people should not misunderstand this pious forbearance of the Lord to be cowardice, for in that case bravery shall lose its importance in this world. On the contrary, it can be proved that forbearance has always been the characteristics of the brave and the strong and never of the coward and the weak. Can this laudable quality be ever found among those cowards who are frightened to hear cry of a cat or a mouse, who conceal themselves in the corner of their house,for fear of blows,or who act like women in taking shelter in various places in order to save their life! Their very heart throbs with fear; they do not know what forbearance is. Only the strong and the brave, who are also able to punish the culprit in any way they like, know the real value of it. But if those people talk of forbearance, who are afflicted at heart on the one hand, and are cursing their antagonist on the other, as well as who are afraid of coming out of their homes, they simply ridicule it, give it another name of impotency, and bade goodbye to heroism.
Revenge has got no place in forebearance. As long as there is the least sign of revenge in the heart, forbearance can not take its root; and until and unless forbearnce is fully established, there is every possibility of revenge, evil, and corruption taking possession of it.
Let us now examine the exterior of revenge. Revenge can be seen in its naked form when one man uses abusive language in return for the abusive language of another. There are many other forms of revenge which are fully described in the Jain Scriptures. For example, in the above
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