I have no disciples, Being myself an aspirant after discipleship and in search of a guru. But that is irrelevant to the issue raised by my friend . To say or write a distasteful word is surely not violence, especially when the speaker or writer believes it to be true as I did when I spoke to Deenabandhu as reported in the quotation. But even if it were found that what I said was an exaggeration,or worse still, an untruth, it would not be violent in the sense used by my correspondent. The essence of violence is that there must be a violent intention behind a thought, word, or act, i.e., an intention to do harm to the opponent so called. Here there was and could be no such intention. I was engaged in a friendly conversation with two good Christians, both missionaries in their own way.
I have used much stronger language about sanatanist behaveiour towards Harijans and quite latterly about the acts of dear co-workers. But there has been no violent intention behind the use of my language. And generally I have been acquitted by
my critics of any violent intention.Indeed the acid test of non - violent is that one thinks , speaks and acts non -violently, Even when there is the gravest provocation to be violent.There is no merit in being non-violent to the good and the gentle . Non - violence is the mightiest force in the world capable of resisting the greatest imaginable temptation. Jesus knew ΓÇÿthe generation vipers', minced no words in descring them but pleaded for mery for them before the Judgement throne, for they knew not what they were doing.ΓÇÖI gave the company chapter and verse in support of the statements I made. I regard myself as a friend of the missionaries. I enjoy happy relations with many of them. But my friendships have never been blind to the limitations of my friends or the systems or methods they have supported. False notions of propriety or fear of wounding susceptibilities often deter people from saying what they mean and ultimately land them on the shores of hypocrisy.. But if non-violence of thought is to be evolved in individuals ot societies or nations, truth has to be told, however harsh or unpopular it may appear to be for the moment. And mere non-violent action without the thought behind it is of little value. It can never be infectious. It is almost like a whited sepulchre. Thought is the power and the life behind it. We hardly know that thought is infintely greater than action or words.,When there is correspondence between thought, word and deed, either is a limitation of the first. And the third is a limitation of the sceond. Needless to say that here I am referring to the living thought which awaits translation into speech and action. Thoughts without potency are airy nothings and end in smoke.
