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90
BHAKTI-YOGA.
sects, who do not bathe lest the vermin on their bodies should be killed, never think of the discomfort and disease they bring to their fellow human beings ! It is a comfort to think, however, that they do not belong to the religion of the Vedas.
The test of Ahimsa is absence of jealousy. Any man may do a good deed or make a generous gift on the spur of the moment, or under pressure of some superstition or priestcraft ; but the real lover of mankind is he who is jealous of none. The so-called great men of the world may all be seen to become jealous of each other for name, fame, and a few bits of gold. So long as this jealousy exists in the heart, no matter even if one is a vegetarian, one is far away from the perfection of Ahimsa. The cow does not eat meat, nor does the sheep. Are they great Yogins, great non-injurers for that? Any fool may abstain from eating meat ; surely that alone gives him no more distinction than to herbi
