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Non-Violence
you must not kill it. Do you understand this?
Questioner: Yes, I understand.
Dadashri: Secondly, do not eat after sunset.
Thirdly, in practicing ahimsa, you must exercise control over
your speech. How do you feel when someone tells you that you
are worthless?
Questioner: I feel very hurt.
Dadashri: So in the same way you must realize that others
too feel hurt if you said such things to them. Hurting people is
violence, so you should not utter such words. If you want to
practice ahimsa then you should be very conscious about violence
in speech. You cannot say to others anything that hurts you yourself.
You should not have bad thoughts either. Nor should you
entertain thoughts about cheating someone of his possessions or
taking things from people without compensating them. Even
thoughts about accumulating or hoarding money are considered
violence, because it deprives others of their share. You should not
have any such thoughts or intentions.
Questioner: Are these the only three things I need to
observe for ahimsa?
Dadashri: No, there are still some more points. You should
never eat meat or eggs. Nor should you eat potatoes, onions and
garlic, even when you have no choice. Onions and garlic are
considered hinsak foods because they contain properties that
incite anger in a person, which in turn hurts others. Any other
vegetable is acceptable.
Try to Save Larger Life-Forms First
The Lord tells you to first take care of human beings. Here
is a guideline: Be aware to not hurt any human being, even in the