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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
157
place your steps, millions of people follow you, crores of people are ready to go to jail in obedience to your words. In whatever direction you look, crores of eyes converge towards the same direction. From where do you get such strength ?”
Mahatmaji said, "That is not my strength. It is the strength of dharma or truth. I live according to truth and non-violence. I believe that truth is God and my strength is derived from truth."
The same gentleman asked him again, “Where can I find truth?”
Gandhiji replied, “One can find truth in one's own heart.”
Like the quality of peace even truthfulness or love of truth is a natural quality of the soul. A child speaks the truth naturally. There is no need to think before speaking a truth. Thinking is necessary only to itter a lie. We have to utter a lie to conceal another and a third lie to conceal the second one. We have to search for new pretexts. A man reels under the weight of worries and his inborn, instinctive, natural peacefulness is lost.
. Speaking the truth is natural to man. Nobody need be taught the way to speak the truth. Hence truth is the natural quality of the soul. It is right to do one's duty. There are hundreds of meanings that can be given to the word dharma but here is a brief statement of its meaning, “Dharma which is characterised by non-violence, self-discipline and austerity brings the highest happiness. Even gods salute one, who walks on the path of dharma or righteousness.”-Daśvaikālikasūtra
Non-violence is a natural quality of the soul because all living beings love to live; not to die'. Just as we love to live, all other beings also love to live. Just as we do not like to be killed, all the other beings also do not like to be killed. We should do to others as we would be done by.
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