Acharya Tulsi
Non-violence is light and violence is darkness. Non-violence is righteous, violence is evil. Non-violence is nectar, violence is death. Non-violence is compassion, violence is hatred non-violence is interdepend ability, violence is isolation. Non-violence is equality, violence is cruelty, Non-violence is invisibility and violence is visible. What joy lies in unseen can never be found in seen. The happiness and peace that is found in non-violence can never be found in violence. This is an eternal truth. Tirthankaras have sung the glory of this truth. Those who ignore it even after having heard this song can never find the way for peace and contentment.
In the text of Ayurveda it is written—Maritki is beneficial for human beings like a mother. It is also possible that a mother having got angry with her son may cause harm to him but ‘Maritki’ never causes harm after getting into the stomach. This example can be associated with non-violence. Non-violence is beneficial for a person almost like his mother. Even a mother can cause ham to her child but if one follows non-violence it can never prove detrimental for oneself. Non-violence is our mother. The biggest mistake that we have committed is that we have not learned to respect non-violence. Non-violence is the only way to joy and peace, but we have also started looking for its alternative. The political parties are looking for an alternative of leadership. They might find an alternative but non-violence has got no alternative. If the world needs to live peacefully then it has to take refuge in non-violence.
Non-violence is an eternal and universal means to solve critical and difficult problems of life. The peace treaty signed between the Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi and the President of Sri Lanka at Colombo, on 29th July, 1987 could be a living example of it. The violent conflict that had been going on for four years at a stretch between Tamilians and Sinhalis had been resolved through non- violence. It bears testimony to the fact that non-violence has got no substitute and the failure of no-violent means is inevitable. In such contexts if non-violent perspective is brought to the fore then violence never gets a scope to emerge and cause havoc.
Man leads a dual life. He wants light in his life but he nourishes darkness. He wants peace but is looking for the ways to be in turmoil. He talks of non-violence and is busy employing all his strength in creating arms. Arms create competition. If any person, society or nation gets involved in manufacturing arms, its neighbour would also take a plunge in this competition, whereas everyone is worried about the peril that is the outcome of the uncontrolled use of arms. To deal with such contradictions focus must be on that consciousness which gets busy in creating arms, not on arms. When the thought of arms would get out of human mind then only non-violence would get a chance to work freely.
If man needs to work then he has to make himself strong. The power of non-violence also depends on the power of each and every individual who follows the ideals of non-violence. The sincerity that a violent person shows towards violence, is the same sincerity shown by non-violent people towards non-violence? If a person has started following non-violence without sincerity then what would be the result of it? If there is steadfast faith and sincerity to follow non-violence then under any circumstance violence would never erupt.
Non-violence is an indivisible reality. It cannot be split into segments. Non-violence could never be different in Asia, Europe and America. If we want to have a strong influence of non-violence at the international sphere then three steps must be taken—research, training and application. If all non-violent powers get together and make researches on the subject, apply non-violence then the popularity of non-violence would certainly be established.
Our last destination is non-violence. If we move step by step in this direction then we can easily get the security of non-violence. A small earthen lamp can also dispel the darkness, in a similar way each step taken in the direction of non-violence would provide success in reaching the final destination.
