________________
Vol. XXII, No. 4
197
somebody persisted in it he would continue exerting for peace, to the point of laying down his life, if the need arose, That he was not the first to be given this treatment; the same had happened with Lord Mahavir, Gandhij! and Vinobha Ji in the past. So, there was nothing new in this
The hight of his compassion and non-violence was seen when some people were arrested by the police and he in his compassion pleaded with police for their immediate release. Again, once when bis opponents burned bis Papdal', he sat through all that calmly and quietly, without exhibiting any perturbation as Ahimsa was not for cowards. On people requesting him to leave the place, he replied firmly that he was sitting through the fire and commotion and would see what was going to happen; seeing this the arsonists were put to shame for their own act. During all this he kept exhorting his followers to be non-violent and peaceful. A Liberal outlook
This is an acknowledged fact that only a liberal person can be non-violent. Without the liberality of mind one cannot tolerate any opposition. Gurudev Tulsi is an embodiment of open heartedness, the incidents of Mewad and Calcutta amply prove that. At Kanod village, where he was on move once with his followers, who were chanting usual slogans glorifying the path of non-violence, when they came to know, that a gathering of some monks of a different sect with their followers were holding a meeting on the path they were going on, he asked his followers to stop raising of slogans as he did not want the saints and their gathering to be disturbed by any. body. The argument was irrefutable. Slogan raising was stopped. The other side was impressed by this show of consideration. This was living non-violence.
In 1959, at the end of Calcutta chaturmas, a Journalist, who has written a lot of against Gurudev, approached Gurudev Tulsi and requested for his blessing. Gurudev replied that he had never entertained any ill feeling towards him, even when during the past four month-period, he had put all the vitriol and poison in bis writings against Gurudev; wasn't that the blessing enough. That he was in his sadhana before his writings and continucd in his sadhna after that also and he had nothing against him (the journa. list). The journalist was touched and begged forgiveness for his conduct.
When Gurudev was on his Mabarastra Yatra, Shivajee Bhave, younger brother of Vinobha Bhave came to meet him and explaining his purpose of coming said that a lot of published matter against
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
