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(Violence) DHARMA HIMSA TATHAIVA CA by Swami Chinmayananda

Sacrificer           Swami Chinmayananda
Sacrifice code       wfor0435
Sacrifice date       25 march 2009

(Violence) DHARMA HIMSA TATHAIVA CA
by Swami Chinmayananda

Shri Krishna Maheshwariji,
When we say "Ahimsa Paramo Dharma", we should complete the sentence with "DHARMA HIMSA THATHAIVA CHA", which says that to defend Dharma, violence is justified.

Quoting only AHIMSA PARAMO DHARMA has enough harm to the WEIRDLY TOLERANT hindus, making them almost impotents against aggressors......

The following article from Chinmayananda Swamiji is worth considering... in this context.
rgds,
vm



(An article worth reading, especially for Indians)
Article Title: DHARMA HIMSA TATHAIVA CA
Article Author:Swami Chinmayananda

Article Text:

Personally, I am no advocate of violence. But violence, too, has its
rightful place in life, life does not preclude death. The average
Indian has been moulded into a particular national mentality of
quixotic tolerance. His attitude is shaped into its distinct pattern
by the ideologies and moralities preached in our national literature.
And no single work in our classics has gained such a wide influence
on our people as the Bhagawad Gita: and in, this century, no other
single message had such a universal appeal to our countrymen as the
single line, "Ahimsa Paramo Dharmah" -- "Non - Violence is the
greatest Dharma."

This line in its over - emphasis, has sapped both initiative and
energy in our millions, and, instead of making us all irresistible
moral giants, we have been reduced to poltroons and cowards. And
banking on this cowardly resignation of the majority, a handful of
fanatics have been perpetrating crimes which even the most barbarous
cave dwellers would have avenged. To clothe our weaknesses, we
attribute to them glorious names and purposefully persuade ourselves
to believe that they are brilliant ideologists !

Let us for a moment go to the original sacred verse and investigate
the significances of the moral precept: Ahimsa Paramo Dharmah. This
is the opening line of a stanza, and the very next line reads: Dharma
himsaa tathaiva cha. "So too is all righteous violence." Indeed, non -
violence is the supreme policy to be adopted by man to foster
enduring peace in the world; but there are certain dire moments in
the life of individuals, as of nations, when we will have to meet
force with force in order that justice be done.

To every individual his mother, wife and children are the nearest
dependents and to guard their honour and life is the unavoidable
first moral duty of each head of the family. This is an obligation
whether the victim be a member of the majority or of the minority
class within a country, province or city.

By the over - emphasis laid on non - violence we have come to witness
the pathetic situation of today, when thousands, in cowardly fear
take to precipitate flight, leaving their innocent children to be
butchered and their unarmed helpless women to be dishonoured or
converted or killed. Under the cloak of glorified non - violence, an
entire nation of cowards fly from their homes, when a small sect of
fanatic barbarians boldly stalk in and out of their open undefended
thresholds to kill, to rape, and to loot. When will we learn to fully
interpret our Vedas, scriptures and Upanishads. If only we all learn
that dharma - himsa is equally noble as ahimsa.

To me it seems that the only solution for the day's internal chaos is
to bring home to the people the significance of the much neglected
teaching of dharma - himsa. As it is, a misled and over - excited
minority in the country has the sole monopoly of violence; and non -
violence is a dangerous folly. However ideal a moral precept may be,
so long as, in a society, innocent children, helpless women and
defenceless old are left to be butchered dishonoured and tortured,
while the youth of the land is made to watch impassionately the
hellish scene, we are to conclude that either the idea is a dangerous
one, or that we have not rightly understood the full meaning of the
precept.

Under the present available scheme of chaos in this country, when
under the planned instigation of a few power blind, reckless men, a
minority community is rendered into a murderous gang of fanatics, it
is the duty of the majority to win back the erring thousands. The
cure depends upon the disease; the potency of the medicine is decided
upon the virulence of the illness. Today when looting, arson and rape
are the dharma of a few, it is rank cowardice for the many to suffer
the tyranny of the unprovoked violence in meek submission. In the
battlefield, when violence is rampant, it is the dharma of everyone
to meet that maniacal violence with determined, restrained, violence
not only in self - defence but also to convince the aggressive
vicious few that 'it rarely pays to be violent.'

--- On Fri, 1/2/09, kkm <kkm5848@gmail.com> wrote:

From: kkm <kkm5848@gmail.com>
Subject: RFC: ahimsa paramo dharma
To: hindupedia@googlegroups.com
Date: Friday, January 2, 2009, 12:51 AM
I have written an article on "Ahimsa Paramo Dharma". Please review and comment:

  • http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Talk:Ahimsa_Paramo_Dharma
  • http://www.hindupedia.com
  • Krishna

    ...as always, 'talk' pages are not for public consumption but for our internal review

    ***


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