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souls are massacred, the looks of panic, the dumb appeal in the eyes as they are dragged away from their dear ones would be enough to melt the hardest heart into love," Gurudev said. “Any income earned in this way can never be a blessing to anyone. Mahāvir said, 'Do not take what you cannot give back.' If people take the lives of others, will they not have to pay? You cannot give back life. So do not take it. Think of it, for a few minutes' joy to the tastebuds, somebody's whole life is destroyed. Is this justice? Moreover, those who are employed in this way spend their whole lives focusing on killing instead of on loving service to life. What will become of such a person?”
Elections were approaching. Politicians saw a benefit in taking up this non-violent issue. They began to trumpet from their loudspeakers, “The cow is sacred. Let us not permit cowslaughter.” Gurudev soon realized that behind most of their effort was the power motive. So he warned the people to beware of opportunists and to keep in mind the real issues. After the elections, he was not surprised to find that the politicians allowed these concerns to fade from public view.
Out of reverence for Mahāvir's exemplary life, Gurudev kept a great dream in his heart-to have the slaughterhouses closed on Mahāvir Jayanti. In 1964, this became a possibility, with the help of a liberal-minded Moslem gentleman, Mr. Eshakbhai Bandukwalla, who was candidate for Mayor of Bombay. The Citizens' Committee organizing the Jayanti celebration to be held once again on Chowpatty Beach asked him to be their chairman. Before the election day, Gurudev and the citizens asked Mr. Bandukwalla if he would be willing to advocate publicly the closing of the slaughterhouses on Mahāvir Jayanti. Though he was not a vegetarian, he respected Gurudev very much and answered that if the butchers themselves agreed, he would be glad to support this plan as a legal resolution, if he became Mayor.
The day of election came. Mr. Bandukwalla invited Gurudev and a few members of the Committee to the building where the election results were to be announced. In a separate
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