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Non-Violence : A Way of Life
जो देवाणवि देवो, जं देवा पंजलि नमसंति । तं देवदेवमहिअं, सिरसा वंदे महावीरं ।।
[I bow down my head in obeisance to Mahavira, who is worshipped by the great gods, who is the god of gods and to whom gods pray with folded hands.]
TBefore Bhagwan Mahavira was born, every soul upon this earth was in intense distress. A few men in their vain belief of so-called heaven turned life on earth into hell. Men had given up all efforts and believed in fate entirely. Their hands, legs and minds had become inert. He believed that everything is shaped by destiny, but not by self
help.
In those days temples had become haunts of trickery and deceit. All religious lives were reduced to the performance of sacrificial rites and offerings. The way to redemption lay through sacrificial killings, people believed. Many living beings were consumed by the blazing fire of sacrifices. Thousands of beasts lost their lives on the altar.
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