________________
attended Gurudev's talk in Bhavnagar expressed it in this way, “Even more than your words, the love you radiate when you speak has touched my heart.
If Gurudev had been an orthodox monk, he never would have left the upasray after dusk, but he gave many evening talks to comply with the times in which people were free from their work. He took his teaching to the people rather than wait for them to come to him. Crowds formed by day and by night, both in the bazaars and in the open fields, eager to hear him. He continued to lead the itinerant life, walking to every talk, spending a night or two at one or another of the more than fifty Jain centers in and around Bombay. His walks from one spot to another often turned into parades.
Scholars, religionists, and teachers invited him to speak at their colleges and universities. People of different faiths invited him to their own places of worship to talk about the principles of their own religion. Hindus of all sects asked him to celebrate special holidays with them.
The Parsees, who are worshippers of Zoroaster, invited him to speak to them on ahimsa. Major Rustom Bamji introduced him with these glowing words, “I have often attended Gurudev's lectures and I have hardly seen such a selfsacrificing spirit as he has. People from everywhere respect and love him. He has such an obliging and forbearing nature. Today he will draw from our own Gatha to tell us of the evolution of soul, for he is a profound student of all religious scriptures.”
Gurudev centered his talk on the symbol of light, fire, which Parsees keep in their houses of worship without allowing it to die out
“The light which you worship is truly the light of compassion and love. It illumines man's understanding and enlightens the world. Its nature is ahimsa, for it hurts none and imparts life to all. It neither burns nor consumes anything; it remains ever in its own nature, undying and immortal. This is the real meaning of Zoroaster's teaching. It is not the worship of fire. Rather, it is the revering of God as light, as a pure symbol of the divine. "Zoroaster himself said, 'O God! How I would love to give
225
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org