4
Non-Violence
That is why I do not try to resist them. I let them bite me
when I am awake, or else they will bite me in my sleep. At least
they do not bring containers to carry away extra food with them.
All they do is eat their share and go home. There is a sense of
satisfaction that this body has fed so many other lives. These days
it is hard to feed even two individuals.
Bedbug Killer, Are You the Creator of Bedbugs?
Questioner: What steps should we take to deal with all
the bedbugs, mosquitoes and cockroaches in the house?
Dadashri: To prevent them from infesting the home, you
should clean your house and keep it clean. You should catch the
roaches, take them outside and throw them far away, but you
should not kill them under any circumstances.
A prominent man once invited me to his home. He made a
statement that one should kill bedbugs because they are parasites.
I asked him where it was written that the bedbugs should be killed.
I explained to him that a person has a right to kill a bedbug only if
he can create one. The general rule is that you cannot destroy
what you cannot create.
Questioner: So why do the bedbugs bite?
Dadashri: They bite you because you have a pending debt
with them. Your body does not belong to you alone. It is not your
property in the first place, you have ‘stolen’ it and so the bedbugs
are stealing from you. When they bite you, your accounts are
being settled and your debts are being paid off. So from now on,
do not kill them.
One Cannot Steal from the Lord’s Garden
Let us say there are mangos growing in your neighbor’s
garden, and some are hanging over the fence that separates your
yards. Your neighbor’s religious beliefs are different. He does not
believe in ahimsa and so he is quick to punish and hit anyone who