Non Violence

Author(s): Dada Bhagwan
Publisher: Dada Bhagwan Foundation

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Ahimsa
For the time being, more than protecting the cows, it is very important for you to focus on how to increase their population. The benefits derived from their milk and dairy production is invaluable. Instead of forcing people, if you were to explain to them and ask them to volunteer to help establish a custom of keeping cattle in all the villages, then the population would increase. All one needs to worry about is protecting the cows and educating people about the benefits of increased dairy production. At the moment there is no increase in the population of cows and yet the slaughtering continues. We may hesitate in speaking up against the violence, but at the same time it is a sin to remain silent. We are not doing anything wrong, we are trying to prevent violence.
Questioner: We are not asking that the cows be set free from the clutches of the butcher, but we are trying to prevent new cows from reaching them.
Dadashri : Yes do try to save the new ones from reaching the slaughterhouse. You should explain to the real owner that he should not do such things. For the time being you just need to concern yourself with protecting the cows and trying to increase their population. Everything else is secondary. Once these rules are established, then you can go on to do other things.
Questioner: 'Govardhan', this is a completely new meaning of this word.
Dadashri : Yes, these are all just various events, which took place but they can only be beneficial if they are interpreted correctly. People turn them into mere folklore and scientists dismiss such stories as myths. Naturally they will question how a person can hold up a mountain on his fingertip! And if Lord Krishna did carry it on his fingertip, why then did he not carry
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the Himalayas? And if he could perform such incredible feats, why then did he get shot with an arrow and die? But in reality it is not like this.
He enforced Govardhan - the propagation of cows in a wonderful manner because during that time tremendous violence was occurring. It is not just the Moslems who commit violence, but some Hindus do also.
One should not have any violent intent. Man should be non-violent in intent. One is considered to have non-violent intent when one dedicates one's life towards the cause of nonviolence.
Is There Sin In Picking Flowers For Worship?
Questioner : Is there sin in offering flowers when we pray at the temples?
Dadashri : It is a sin to pluck flowers and it is also a sin to buy flowers, but when it comes to offering flowers in worship, one has to look at it in a different light.
When one offers flowers devotionally, one derives benefits. Many believe that it is a great sin to pick flowers and yet so many others use them in their worship. This spiritual path is that of the Vitrag Lords, which takes into account benefits over nonbenefits. There is violence in picking flowers, but when those flowers are offered to the Lord or even to the Gnani Purush, it is considered worship visible to all. There is benefit in such worship. After all the person is not using the flower for his own benefit. For example he incurs a five percent liability from the violence in picking flowers, but when he offers the flowers to a Gnani, he earns a benefit of thirty percent or when he offers it to the Lord, he earns a benefit of forty percent. So overall he