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yield nothing but the occupying of hospital beds. The ind of animal called mahatma can do the rope-walking, by intense study. And when people revere, one gets the incentive to go through the severest strictures. If a man starts waling on his head, and the people of Bombay start cheering and clapping, he wont bother to walk on his feet again. It does not imply that we all should follow suit.
The morality hasn't risen in spite of a host of saints and mahatmas in this country. That is because our saints have been extremists. They do their duties, pass away, but leave the followers in a lurch to co-op with the impossible ideals. And all mahatmas are extremists otherwise we will not acknowledge them as mahatmas. India is destroying herself by running after extremist tenets: life, character, everything is being deteriorated. Take for example the Gandhiji's ideal of complete non-violence. The Gandhian could not become completely non-violent. Not only he but even Gandhiji could not live complete non-violence. Violence to an extent is necessary if one has to live. Even which we term as an instrument of non-violence could be violence.
If I put a knife on your chest and as you to obey me, it is violence. And if I sit and starve at your doorstep, threatening to die if you do not do what I say? Is this not violence? The former goes out from me to you, the latter is going towards myself. The latter is self-violence. A forcible pressure, mental cruelty, it is!... I believe that Gandhiji also was not a complete non-violent man.... Nobody changed for truth but agreed lest Gandhi should not die. In this context, Dr. Ambedkar has stated clearly that he believed in what he believed in, but he obeyed only to save Gandhiji's life. Whose change of heart took place because of the non-violence of Gandhiji?
Gandhiji put extreme ideals in all matters. To stress complete non-violence was precarious. He did that and the country, at the time of partition, passed through full violence only in his lifetime.... Why? A very important psychic law, the law of reverse effect, is behind it. You pull the string to send that arrow forward. As much as you pull back the string, so much
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