The story of the Mahabharata represents the struggle that takes place on the battlefield of every thinking man or woman's mind, when desires, expectations and vices try to get the better of the innate virtues of the soul. In Mahabharata, non-violence has been described as the highest duty of an individual. However, in real life, most people think that it is not feasible to be totally nonviolent. Is it so? However, looking at the situation of world that we live in today, one factor that can be considered as the biggest cause of our downfall from an exalted stage of a divine being, is violence in all its forms. Hence, when we decide to be non-violent in every situation, it influences our speech and behaviour. A person who wishes to be nonviolent will not do anything that may get him into a situation involving violence, whether it is emotional, verbal or, in an extreme case, physical violence. As a result, such a person is likely to be affable, humble, patient, tolerant, considerate and loving.
On the other hand, a person who believes that one may need to use force sometimes, even if only in self-defence, and therefore carries a weapon, may feel emboldened to act aggressively at times. Such behaviour is obviously not going to win him/her any friends, and will only feed his/her insecurity and aggression. One may argue that even if we are nice to everyone, someone may try to harm us due to a vested interest or evil intentions. Being good, they say, is no guarantee of having good done to the self. Then what? It is here that subtle forces come into play. We must understand that a person who has removed violence from his feelings, thoughts, words and deeds will naturally be peaceful and hence subtle waves of peace emanate from such persons and influence the atmosphere and people around him. The proof of this phenomenon can be found in places of worship. These places soothe the mind and provide respite from the hustle and bustle outside. The atmosphere in these places is such because the people who go there create positive, holy or peaceful thoughts while they are there. Hence, in actual sense, it is human thoughts that create the atmosphere or vibration of a place. That is why there is tension in the air in places where people tend to be tense, angry, irritated or frustrated. That’s something that can be seen in most workplaces and places like public transport. It should thus be understood that when we interact with others, it is the subtle energy we radiate that has the biggest influence on their behaviour towards us.
(To be continued)
The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal and the UK, and has written more than 8,000 columns. He can be contacted at nikunjji@gmail.com / www.brahmakumaris.com
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