Religion Practice and Science of Non Violence

Author(s): O P Jaggi
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt Ltd

Page 67

Practice of Non-Violence
being angry If I succeed in curbing my temper every time and though able to give blow for blow, I refrain, I shall develop the ahimsa of the brave which will never fail me and which will compel recognition from the most confirmed adversaries."
"... If one does not practise non-violence in one's personal relations with others and hopes to use it in bigger affairs, one is vastly mistaken. Non-violence like charity must begin at home."
With such lofty ingredients of Truth and non-violence, Gandhi created the concept of satyagraha.
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Satyagraha, based on the twin fundamental concepts of truth and non-violence, aims at seeking a resolution of the conflict not by injuring, crushing, or humiliating the opponent or by breaking his will, but by helping him change his understanding and his sense of values, so that he will join whole-heartedly with the satyagrahi in seeking a settlement truly amicable and truly satisfying to both sides. The satyagrahi seeks a solution under which both parties can have complete self-respect and mutual respect. The function of satyagraha is not to harm the opponent nor to impose a solution against his will, but to help both parties into a more secure, creative, happy and truthful relationship.
In satyagraha, it is the satyagrahi who volunteers to suffer, and he avoids inflicting needless suffering on the opponent. Gandhi would not allow a movement aimed directly at Englishmen to continue during Easter Sunday, and, out of respect for his opponent's susceptibility to tropical heat, he would call off action during the hottest hours of the day.
While a satyagrahi starts satyagraha because according to him the basic concepts of truth are being challenged, yet he is always prepared to revise his opinion if he is persuaded of its falsity. This is, however, not to suggest that a satyagrahi is a weak or easy opponent; he may persist unto the last without relaxing his hold on the original position which he takes to be the truth. His insistence is on the means-truth and nonviolence, not on the goal. A satyagrahi does not aim at victory over his opponent but rather for a synthesis of the two opposing claims. He does all he can to persuade the opponent of the correctness of his own position, but, while he carries on