Importance of non-violence

Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is the mightiest weapon devised by ingenuity of Man, Mahatma Gandhi said. Tibetan spiritual guru the Dalai Lama has said that religions emphasise on the importance of compassion, a tool to curb violence.

Men kill men in the name of religion. The killing is justified as Dharma by the custodians of religions and they proclaim that it was for a righteous purpose. Amid all these hoopla, a question comes up - can we really stand and justify such a gruesome violence in a civilised society or can violence be completely rooted out.

We must understand what is right and what is wrong. The holy Quran says (Chapter Al Maida) we all must realise that good or evil are the traits of human soul and even after death, there is accountability. Any form of revenge is violence and it is bound to bring sorrow for the doer.

Non-violence is the personal practice of being harmless to self and others under every condition. Gandhi spread the non-violence through movements and writings. Mahavira (599 BC-527 BC), the 24th Theerthankara of Jain religion, was a torchbearer of non-violence. He taught that one must abstain from violence to attain Nirvana.

The term non-violence is often linked with or used as a synonym for peace. Non-violence is a powerful and just weapon. It is indeed a weapon which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.

Delivering a speech at the auditorium of University of Oslo in 1964, Martin Luther King said Gandhi led a long and successful non-violent struggle against British rule in India. He also said that he had adopted Gandhis non-violent method in the campaigns to win civil rights for African-Americans in the US.

We should not forget that we all are creations of the God who is an ocean of love. One should know that wars are not the curse of God, but results of our actions. India wants to be a country of peace, tolerance and prosperity.The only way to bring back peace is to empower ourselves spiritually and remove all negative qualities from our mind.