10
Non-Violence
when a thorn pricks them, what do they do? There is no difference
between a thorn and a mosquito. They are both the same in the
Lord’s eyes. The soul within them does not bite. Everything that
hurts you is merely a ‘thorn’. Why do you not blame a thorn when
it pricks you?
Questioner: Because we do not perceive it as being a
living nimit (one instrumental in delivering a karmic account)?
Dadashri: The mosquito appears as a living entity and so
the person assumes, ‘this is what bit me.’ Not knowing the reality,
he is under the veil of illusion. So the world appears real to him.
The real Self never does anything. It does not bite anybody. The
world is simply an interaction of non-self elements, and it is there
that the accounts are ‘caused’ and settled. The Self never punishes
anyone. The world is constantly hurt by the sharp ‘thorns’.
If a person is struck by a falling rock, he will look up to see
who threw the rock at him. He says nothing because he does not
see anyone, he stays quiet. But, if he caught someone throwing
even a small pebble at him, he would be very angry. Why does he
react differently in each situation? This is all because he has a false
perception.
According to Akram Vignan, the thorn that pricks you
and the person that hurts you are both nimits (they become
instrumental in the process when vyavasthit brings to you the results
of your own past karma). The fault is really yours. If you stepped
on a flower, it would not hurt you, but if you stepped on a thorn,
it will prick you for sure. The same applies to people, so you must
be careful when you interact with anyone. When a thorn pricks
you or a scorpion stings you it is the result of your past karma.
Whose past karma? -Your own past karma. Others are just
instrumental in delivering the results of your own past deeds. Why
is the ‘instrument’ (nimit) at fault?
So cautious. This is a very different kind of world