Jaina Gazette 1928

Author(s): Ajitprasad, C S Mallinath
Publisher: Jaina Gazettee Office

Page 26

LORD MAHAVIRA
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going from place to place, preached this message of Ahimsa. The way in which he preachas it is significant to my mind. Let me ask you to remainber one o! his sayings. He says in one place --'Ahimsa is the condition of Knowledge.' That is a wonderfully beautiful way of expressing the philosophy of mercy. Mahavira indicates an important aspect of Ahimsa in the words * Ahimsa is the condition of knowledge.' That is perfectly true and lets you the secret of Nature. Il you will not feel your unity with Nature, Nature will not show any love of hers to you. Nature's laws are revealed to those who love her. So remember, love is the foundation of knowledge. To-day in schools and colleges young men think that in order to acquire knowledge they have only to study certain books. This external study will not give you true knowledge, I remember a beautiful saying of a Master of Natural Science, a beautiful saying of Huxley. He says if you would discover the laws of Nature you may sit before Nature as a child with reverence in your hearts; then will Nature reveal her secrets to you. So, if you want to know something of those laws of human evolution, and to make a proper study of humanity you must learn to love humanity. I know you young men, for to you specially do I speak, desire to know something of the ancient Indian Culture. Then put love in your practical daily lile as the ideal. If you want to know the secret of the treasures of Aryavartha, if you want to live a life of wisdom, a life according to the ancient ideal, then try to live that ideal life. Th: knowledge of India will not come to you through the study of meroly oi books; the condition of knowledge is Ahimsa. That to my mind is a very great truth, and certainly it is remarkably so with regard to higher knowledge or Tapasya too, as Patanjali points out. He points out that love is essential to Tapagnana. This truth was then preached by Mahavira. Another saying of his is also beautiful which to my mind gives us another aspect of the doctrine of Ahimsa. Mahavira says in one other place. Regard all creatures as thyself and harm no one. I do not know if the whole philosophy, if the entire metaphysics of Ahimsa, can be expressed in better words than
these. Harm no creatures because the creatures are thyself. Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat