Non-Violence
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is how the Gnanis assess a situation, whereas nowadays people
ignore this and preach that it is wrong to eat onions and potatoes.
For heaven’s sakes! Why? What do you have against potatoes
and onions? On the contrary, when a person is forced to sacrifice
the things he enjoys, he will constantly think about them, instead
of thinking about the Lord!
I Too Observed These Rules
Although I was not born a Jain, I too observed the rules of
not eating root crops, practicing choviyar (not eating after dark)
and I always drinking boiled water, whether I was at home or
away. My business partner and I would always carry a flask of
boiled water wherever we went. We observed the Lord’s
prescribed rules. This is what I practiced even before the
Enlightenment.
If someone finds these practices too rigid and difficult, I
would tell him that he is not obligated to follow them, but if he did,
he would indeed benefit from it. The Lord has given us these rules
so that we may recognize their benefits and not so that we become
dogmatic about them.
The Gnani Purush does not need to renounce or acquire
anything. Even then I observe choviyar because occasionally
someone will tell me that it upsets him to know that I do not stick
to the timings. When you reach the level of a Gnani, sacrifices and
renunciation are no longer significant. People interpret and practice
these rules according to their level of understanding. The Gnani
Purush does not lack anything. The Lord calls the Gnani Purush,
the non-violent One in an ocean of violence. From the very
beginning I have observed choviyar, but nowadays because of
my satsang schedule, I can only do it on certain days. My intention
is to observe it completely, and that is what counts!
Boiled Water, Drinking Water
Questioner: Why are we told to drink boiled water?