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After hearing him patiently I asked, "Tell me one thing, if someone clobbers you with a stick what would you call this behaviour?" "Very bad, he replied. "If someone applies an ointment and dresses your wound what would you say?" "Very good," he said. Then I explained, "Yes, you have accepted that to cause pain or torture others is bad. We call it sin. To protect others and to love them is good. We call it dharma (religion according to you). In the same way to tell a lie, to steal, to look at sisters and daughters of others with bad intent, to accumulate excessive wealth and not to use it for public welfare, and other such deeds are considered sins and to avoid them is dharma. Is this dharma bad? or is such dharma is like opium?" He deliberated for some time and then said, "If this is religion it is very good. No one can call it opium. In fact, the world today needs such religion only."
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I further explained to him, "Brother, indeed, this is dharma. No one has ever gone to war or indulges in carnage for this religion. Yes, wars have been fought in name of religion not for religion. Tell me when and who has fought a war for altruism, truth, public welfare, or friendship? Religion is related to soul not body or some specific acts of the body. If the soul is religious the activities of the body become known as religious. When there is religion inside, there is religion outside also. If there is no religion inside what appears to be outside is not religion but mere hypocrisy.
I told him an example from Jain scriptures. Bhagavāna Mahāvīra was wandering in the state of Karnataka. During his wanderings he arrived at Rajpur, which was the capital city of Karnataka in those days. The ruler there was King Jivandhara Kumara. Hearing the news of Bhagavana's arrival, he collected the worship-material in a goldplate and walked to behold and offer homage to Bhagavāna. On the way he saw a pavilion where yajña rituals were being performed. Suddenly a dog entered the pavilion and touched the offerings with his mouth. Seeing the offerings spoiled the participants in the ritual got angry. Some Brahmins rushed to the dog with sticks in their hands and punished the dog for the horrendous crime. Before Jivandhara Kumāra could grasp the situation the dog was lying before him writhing and yelping in pain. Jīvandhara Kumāra realized that the dog was beyond any treatment and about to die. He put the gold plate aside, took the dog in his lap and started reciting Namokara mantra. He gave preference to nurse a being in pain over paying homage to Bhagavāna.
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