3. AHIMSA CAN WARD
OFF ALL KINDS OF FEAR .
Fear is not the characteristic of soul
. It is animal instinct of mundane being . Soul is all powerful in its nature
and cannot be swayed by any kind of fear . Thus a man of spiritual awakening
and Ahimsa persuasion feels not a tinge of fear ; because he discriminates
between soul and body . He believes rightly that his soul is all powerful and
indestructible . It is only the physical body that can be hurt , which he will
have to leave one day in order to occupy a new body , until and unless he wipes
off all dirt of Karmas . Lord Mahavira declared that a true believer harbours
no fear , since he remines always aware of his soul nature and becomes Nissanka
( Fearless ) and Nikkanchhi ( non-ambitious ); because the fear in itself is an
offspring of imagination based on wrong belief of regarding body as one’s Self
. This wrong imagination creates all kinds of evil ; for a man who dreads ,
knows nothing about what he dreads and the real cause of the same . Consequently
he behaves beyond all reason , simply to foster his wrong belief and to serve
his lowest selfishness . This in not the way of Ahimsa ; but the pity is that
it is the evil which has dominated the present world .
Lord Vardhamana Mahavira , the last
Jaina Tirthankara showed the Right way of Ahimsa and for His fearless attitude
of Ahimsa . He came to be known as the Great Hero-Mahavira . He made one and
all free of fear and danger . Generally courage and bravery for the right cause
pass for heroism ; but with Mahavira the condition for being a fearless hero
was to subdue one’s lower nature and conquer one’s own self ; because by
conquering the self through Ahimsa only a being can fully manifest the all
powerful nature of one’s Soul . The Great Soul of Mahavira imbibed this humance
spirit from a previous birth , when his soul was embodied in the body of a lion
. Saint Ajitanjaya discoursed to that lion on the nature of soul and Ahimsa
principle , which went deep into the heart of that lion and forthwith it
stopped to kill animals and took to vegetarian diet . Likewise people , whether
placed in precarious situation like the Eskimos of Greenland , if they would
imbibe the Truth of Ahimsa then certainly they would endeavour to follow a life
of Ahimsa , caring least for the body . Fear is connected with body and a true
believer of Soul knows it well . He sheds away the shackles of false fear and
becomes an ideal hero and an embodiment of safety and security for all living
beings . Mahavira’s life incidents vouchsafe this fact .
From the very boyhood , Shri.
Vardhamana Mahavira was an ideal youth full of enthusiasm to help the needy and
to serve the afflicated one . Once he subdued a cobra , which threatened his
play mates and thus made them free of danger and fear . On another occasion he
ran to rescue his people , when he heard that a mad elephant was harassing them
and tamed it through his Ahimsa . Lord Vardhamana Mahavira saw the reign of
animosity and inequality prevailing around ; instantly he left home , giving
away all his clothes and seclusion to study the nature of things and
practicability of Ahimsa . He heard that people of Ladha country are harsh and
cruel in their behaviour ; forthwith He retired to that country and offered passive
resistence in the way of Ahimsa . Lost in meditation He was standing but the
Anaryan people of Ladha , hurled their hounds upon him , but they were helpless
before the Ahimsa of Mahavira . His silence and fearlessness changed the heart
of those people . Mahatma Gandhi also , encountered and boldly faced a similar
incident in
In our days Mahatma Gandhi made
wonderful experiments in Ahimsa life and showed us the
“ Right
Path ” by his humance and marvellous deeds of courage . Sectarian animosity
worked havocs at Noakhali and other places . People forgot that they were human
beings and not brutes . Nature has not created them as fanatical sectarians or
hostile nations ; but the flesh-food , drinks and other wrong beliefs have made
them so . The curse of the slaughtered milions of animals had made the animal
instinct of barbarity to cloud their sense of humanity . People became bitter
enemies of each other and ruthless massacre took place . Dread and disharmony
ruled over men . Mahatma Gandhi saw all this and he ran to the spot
single-handed and unprotected . His immense love and Ahimsa worked out miracles
. People came to their senses and recognised their mistake . Right knowledge of
human nature and soul culture , as well as its power is thus most essential to
elliminate the prevailing dread and fear in the world .
In fact , dread and fear are the
outcome of ignorance of soul-force . The moral force of Ahimsa is more
effective than the brutal physical force . Brute force breeds hatred and
disharmony , which result in conflict and distress . Look at the animal world :
there too , the dread and disharmony prevails only through the carnivorous
animals , such as tigers , wolves etc . Birds and animals of the type of
sparrows , cows , horses and others always live in peace and never molest each
other . Carnivorous animals are ferocious and they are a menace , a source of
fear and dread to humanity , whether they be man or beast . Experience shows
that the family environment and its influences are very effective in forming a
character and habits of the man . Children reared up in a family where meat
dishes are served and begged carcasses of animals are brought from sport ,
become hardhearted and aggressive in nature . They take delight in destroying
the life . On the other hand , the children of vegetarian parents are found
more humance , rational , kind and morally courageous . A boy of a carnivorous
neighbour of my vicinity was always seen prowling to catch hold of birds and
pigeons . His mouth always became watery at the sight of poor pigeons . Once he
pounced upon a pigeon babe . My daughter was standing by , who has been taught
the animals way of life . Although she was younger in age than the boy , she
could not bear the sight . Her humance instincts were roused . She proved
herself morally more courageous and instantly tried to save the poor bird ; but
physically she was not a match for that aggressive boy . finding herself
helpless , ahe raised a cry and her attendant turned up and rescued the pigeon
. It shows that cruel and aggressive element , which creates fear and dread
predominates only among those beings , who are addicted to meat eating and
killing life . They are a real cause of fear to their own soul and to their
neighbours too . As the Ahimsa manner of life is peaceful and is morally of
high standard , so it alone can save humanity from dreadful aggressors .
These are facts of Truth ; but the modern
enlightened persons are less inclined to listen to them . Howsoever good and
rational teaching it may be , yet it won’t appeal to a modern mind ; because it
is not proved in a Science laboratory . No doubt , the achievements of Science
are great and convincing yet being shorn of humance and spiritual
considerations they had so far been the main cause of wars and conflicts .
Great Scientists like Eddington and Ainstein admitted that modern science had
achieved nothing to know about man and his nature . And so rightly Dr. O. E. H.
Rydbek , eminent Swedish Geo-Physicist advised young scientists of India “ not
to copy blindly Western methods . ” He remarked further that “ While scientists
must work for the betterment of their nations , they should not function in a
narrow nationalistic way , because worst may come of that .” He continued : “
India is fortunate in her leaders ... I believe , if you will never forgot the
teaching of Mahatma Gandhi and Gurudeva Tagore and never be followed by
materialism or fall a prey to the temptations that follow in the wake of
industrial development , you will be good and happy scientists.” This applies
equally to all the scientists of the world . In fact , researches of Science
must be butteressed with the humance teaching of Ahimsa . West is West ,
because it denied the spiritual aspect of human teaching and remained absorbed
in material progress , which has ended only in cruel barbarity of wars
anddreads . And East is East so long as it cared little for material aspect ,
and realising the soul and its unforseen powers , made high strides in the
realm of spirituality . But a synthesis of material and spiritual knowledge is
vital for the full manifestation of divine nature of soul . The Jaina
Tirthankara recognised this Truth and discouraged upon the realities of Soul
and matter in a scientific way . With them Religion was a Science based on a
sound reasoning of cause and effect . They gave a very unique system of Thought
in Their Knowledge of Anekanta logic . Modern education can derive great
benefit by a unbiassed study of this
Science of Religion .
Today nobody can deny the gravity of
the hour , since a race of making progress in atomic weapons of warfare is
rampant in every nation of the planet . Certainly the present situation demands
constant readiness to think and act seriously , so that the dread and fear of a
very severe third World War could be avoided . Is it possible to avoid this
catastrophical disaster by hairsplitting researches in atomic theories of
destruction or by the creation of piles of atom-bombs ? Certainly not . These
armaments only go further to frighten the common man . The only solution for
this dreadful entanglemant and calamity is to spread the Right Knowledge of
Soul and Matter . This knowledge , when it dawns in the minds of the scientists
, will make them use their genius for the good of all . Atomic achievements
must be utilised only to alleviate the pain and misery of the humanity . Lord
Boyd Orr , winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for 1949 , is reported to have said
that .
“ The nations of the world are insane
they are applying their energies to building up a war machine , instead of
applying world’s steel industrial production to conserving the resources of the
land .”
He seems to suggest that with greater
production of the land , the present food-problem would be solved and the
present unrest would be subsided to some extent ; but unless and until the real
cause of fear , dread and scarcity of commodities is removed , goodwill cannot
prevail and the permanent peace cannot be established in the world . It will be
the glory of man , when he will believe in the true natures of Soul and Matter
and live a life of Ahimsa . Then and then alone peace and prosperity will
pervade the universe .
Ahimsa reconciles soul to soul and
removes the ill caused by any kind of fear . Common man , who wants to be happy
, has to learn this Truth and it would make him free and courageous to think ,
speak and act for the good of all . He would live in peace and would help
others to live in peace ; since in the present age it is the common man who
creates the Government . If the common man of the world , who stands in need of
mutual goodness and cooperation , believes in Ahimsa mode of life , he should
strive hard to raise the public opinion in favour of the sublime and glorious
principle of Ahimsa so that the Government of the future may come to be ruled
by politicians of Ahimsa leaning and tendencies . This situation of national
government’s of a World Government . Then , in the words of Mahatma Gandhi :
---
“ Fear gone , there can be no hatred
.”
Then humanity would rule over nations
and the common man would be happy .