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જૈન યુગ
એપ્રિલ ૧૯૫૯
the meat-eater it still exists but not in the degree in which it exists in the vegetarian. Repeated acts dull the sense. The same is the case with other acts of the human society. The leaders of the world forget that their policies which guide the world, are only encouraging callousness, with whatever high-sounding name like service of mankind, peace among nations, or progress of sciences, etc., etc., they may call it. It looks as if to hide the hideousness of their crimes, they have invented high-sounding slogans. Colonial nations proclaim that they keep undeveloped nations, under their sway for their good, just as a priest says that he slays a goat before a goddess for the latter's nirvana. Powerful nations keep thousands of planes hovering in the sky loaded with nuclear bombs for the proclaimed object of protection of mankind, but in fact to spread fear and callousness. Big industrialists all the world over pretend to work for the service of the consumers and to feed the labour while in fact their real motive is to exploit both as much as they can in their own interests to amass wealth and power.
In every-day life it is a normal thing to notice that the strong bully the weak, the intelligent exploit the simpler people, just as the 'advanced' nations exploit the backward ones. Everywhere the same principle kill or be killed' prevails. And yet the statesmen the leaders of mankind talk of peace on earth, while all the time they are propagating this principle of callousness.
It must be clearly understood that it is merely an idle dream to expect peace in this World unless the basic principle that every living being is desirous to live a life free from fear of any kind' is fully respected and all acts, policies, the ways of thought and the ways of living of individuals or nations are framed
bearing this principle in mind. This means that callousness must be replaced by compassion, Himsa by Ahimsa, and unless this is done even in every-day acts of life, it is idle to expect the world to change its complexion, howsoever one may swear by co-existence or Panchasila or other high principles like the principles of UNO.
Wars start in human mind and not elsewhere and if the human mind is tuned to Ahimsa all the world over, there would be no callousness and no wars. But the mind cannot be so tuned merely by chanting the word 'Ahimsa'. Ahimsa has to be practised in word, thought and in daily action by each individual with a conviction that it is a law of nature, breach of which will be avenged by nature and that the imbalance and explosiveness we see in the world is nothing but the vengeance of nature. There is no need to bring in a God or a Supreme Being or any religious commandments or a fear of hell in the next world, for those who commit Himsa. Himsa has created hell in this very world. What was Hiroshima if not hell? Is this world anything but hell for the poor, the exploited, the residents of the slums, all of which are the results of man's Himsa and exploitation and callousness. If man had appreciated this law of nature, viz. Ahimsa, there would have been no hell either in this world or the next. This is not a commandment of any God, that may or may not exist, or that may be bribed by prayers and offerings, but it is an immutable law of nature just as the law of gravity is a law of nature, the only difference is that while the latter concerns matter, the former concerns non-matter or soul.
This law has been recognised by the various seers and sages, prophets and preachers of the world. So far as India
