198 A PILGRIMAGE FOR PEACE ;
II
AHIMSA — ITS NATURE
AMmsa (Non-violence) — A Positive Virtue
4. In its positive form ahimsa means the largest love,
the greatest charity. If I am a follower of ahimsa, I must
love my enemy. I must apply the same rules to the
wrong-doer who is my enemy or a stranger to me, as I
\voald to m}7 wrong-doing father or son. This active
ahimsa necessarily includes truth and fearlessness. As
man cannot deceive the loved one, he does not fear 'or
frighten him or her. Gift of life is the greatest of all
gifts ; a man who gives it in reality, disarms all hostility.
He has paved the way for an honourable understanding.
And none who is himself subject to fear can bestow that
gift. He must therefore be himself fearless. A man can-
not then practise ahimsa and'be a coward at the same time.
The practice of ahimsa calls forth the greatest courage.
Power of Non-violence
5. With Satya combined with Ahimsa, you can
bring the world to your feet.
6. Ahimsa, truly understood, is panacea for all evils
mundane and extramundane.
7. Non-violence in its dynamic condition does not
mean meek submission to the will of the evil-doer, but it
means the pitting of one's whole soul against the will of
the tyrant. Working under this law of our being, it is
possible for a single individual to defy the whole might
of an unjust empire to save his honour, his religion, his
soul and lay the foundation for that empire's fall or its
regeneration.
8. It is a profound error to suppose that whilst the
law is good enough for individuals, it is not for masses
of mankind.
9. It is the acid test of non-violence that in a non-
violent conflict there is no rancour left behind, and in the
end the enemies are converted into friends.