Journey Of Ahimsa

Author(s): Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: Jaibhikkhu Sahitya Trust

Page 28

said; Jain philosophy says parigraha possessiveness is the mother of violence. Gandhi also said the same thing. One who hoards things more than required, resorts to violence. What is, therefore, needed is self-restraint and a sense of sacrifice coupled with compassion. Man must realize that there are other means - not violence - through which man can overcome his innate weaknesses and evils lying buried deep into consciousness. This was Gandhi's message to humanity and he succeeded in his experiment not only with truth but with non-violence too. His is an example worth emulating in the present violentprone society.
He considered non-violence to be a powerful force. It does not mean that one should not resist evil or injustice. He told the villagers, who had fled the village Betiya when the police attacked them and raped the women, that they had not done the right thing. It was an act of cowardice. They should have stayed on and offered resistance without the thought of revenge. Those who are prepared to die, can only teach the lessons of non-violence, not those who are afraid of death. Once a Pathan
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