Why and how to stop violence caused by killing insect pests?

Generally, when mosquitoes, flies, ants, bedbugs, cockroaches, or lizards are seen in the house, we immediately, out of fear or irritation, resort to methods to kill them. In the market too, chemical sprays as well as battery-operated electric devices are available for killing insects like mosquitoes; upon coming into contact with them, those living beings die immediately. Spraying medicines to kill cockroaches, pouring water where ants cause nuisance, hitting cockroaches or lizards with tools like a broom, and crushing mosquitoes to kill them with both hands—all these are methods of violence. These living beings are of three or four senses, whereas lizards or snakes are five-sensed living beings. To have the intent to kill them or to kill them is a crime. So, it is essential to stop violence of insect pests.

Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan says, “You can destroy whatever you can create. You cannot destroy whatever you cannot create.” That is, if you can create something, then you can also dissolve it.

He says that if you yourself cannot make even a single bedbug or mosquito, then you have no right to destroy it. To take away anything of anyone beyond the limits of our right is a crime. He explains with another example that suppose in someone’s farm, a vine of gourds or bottle gourd has been planted along the boundary. The vegetables grown on that vine may be hanging outside the boundary of the farm. Now, if a person passing from outside the boundary plucks those vegetables, then legally he is plucking them from someone else’s owned farm. If the owner sees it, he will definitely penalize him. In the same way, this entire world is God’s farm, and every living being residing in it has a complete right to live. Just as stealing a bottle gourd or a gourd from someone else’s owned farm is a crime, in the same way, if we kill any living being in the world, it is equivalent to robbing God’s farm, and its punishment is definitely received.

Even students studying in agriculture colleges have to kill living beings like butterflies for the purpose of study and make an album of them. The more and the better butterflies they catch, the more marks they receive. Similarly, in medical studies, frogs and cockroaches have to be dissected, in which there is apparent violence. Can we ourselves create a moth or a cockroach in any scientific laboratory? If not, then there is no right to kill them. If, for the sake of education, one has to unwillingly become a participant in such violence, then as a remedy for that, Param Pujya Dadashri says to pray to God every day, “From where did this violence come into my share? O God, I ask for forgiveness; please ensure that this does not happen again.” Violence committed along with true repentance incurs a lesser liability. When violence is committed willingly and with pleasure, the liability is greater. The more happily the act is done, the same amount of bitterness will have to be endured. To avoid this bitterness, we must stop violence of insect pests.

God resides in every living being. On one hand we practice religion and take God’s name, and on the other hand we kill the very living being in whom God is seated, what kind of justice is that? Therefore, toward any living being, no matter how small or tiny it is, we should maintain such conduct that it is not caused any pain at all.

Maintain cleanliness instead of killing creatures

If the nuisance of flies, mosquitoes, or other insect pests increases in the house, diseases spread. Detailed guidance on which non-violent methods should be adopted to remove them is available to us here from Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan.

The main reason for insects occurring in the house is that there is not sufficient cleanliness. Bedbugs are svedaj, that means they are born from the very sweat that is produced by the human and bite only humans, because the food of living beings like bedbugs or mosquitoes is human blood itself. Even if you serve them khichdi with plenty of ghee, they will not eat it!

Therefore, cleanliness should be maintained in the house so that bedbugs, flies, or mosquitoes do not dwell. Param Pujya Dadashri says that remedies should be done by any means whatsoever, but living beings should definitely not be killed. He suggests that in order for living beings like bedbugs, mosquitoes, and cockroaches to not occur, the house should be mopped and regular cleaning should be done. If cleanliness is not maintained in the corners and crevices of the house, dust and moisture accumulate, it starts decaying, and then insects are produced. Therefore, maintaining cleanliness is the best remedy, by which the nuisance itself will be reduced. Even then, if insects do happen to occur, they should be caught and thrown somewhere far away from home, but they should definitely not be killed.

Even if insect pests like bedbugs are killed, their population does not decrease. The very next day, just as many bedbugs are seen again. These insects are seasonal. When their season arrives, they proliferate. Then, no matter how much medicine is sprayed, they continue to proliferate. Therefore, one should not increase one’s wrongdoing by spraying medicines.

Due to lack of cleanliness in the hair on the head, lice and nits occur. Instead of killing them by picking them out one by one, non-violent methods should be adopted, and regular steps for cleanliness of the hair should be taken to prevent their occurrence.

Adopt other measures instead of killing

Even after maintaining cleanliness, if insects are seen in the house, other measures should be adopted in which there is no violence toward them, for example catching them and placing them outside the house. We can also have the inner intent that those insects should find food elsewhere. By doing so, we too feel the satisfaction of having placed them outside our house, and no harm is caused to the insect.

Intelligence has developed in human beings. If we decide that we definitely do not want to commit violence toward insects, then other remedies will definitely be found. If the liability of killing any living being is properly understood, we stop violence automatically.

If ants proliferate excessively in the house, the place where their nuisance is present should be kept closed. Naturally, the nuisance continues for a few days; then, when its time is over, it comes to an end. Even then, if needed, other measures may be adopted, but the ants should not be killed.

Some people believe that if we take God’s name and kill a mosquito, it attains a higher life-form and we are able to sleep peacefully. Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan gives the right understanding against this.

Questioner: And what about these mosquitoes that harass us a lot?

Dadashri: The fact is, anything that harasses you in this world does not do so outside the law [of nature]. So it is not outside the law [of nature]. You are being harassed according to the law [of nature]. Now, if you want protection, then use a mosquito net, use other things, use other means. However, it is an offense to kill them.

Questioner: So we should preserve their life, we should not kill them.

Dadashri: Yes, you should preserve their life.

Questioner: But if we utter ‘Shri Ram’ as we kill a mosquito, will it attain a higher life-form [in its next life]?

Dadashri: But that action will make you regress to a lower life-form, because the mosquito has suffered.

By killing any living being, demerit karma is bound for us, the result of which is a lower life-form. Therefore, one should not adopt methods of killing living beings after being influenced by advertisements or by listening to people; rather, methods to stop violence and yet get rid of these insect pests should be adopted.

Clear the feeling of hatred

Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan says that this is such an independent world that without an account, not even a single mosquito can bite you. Even enlightened beings like Shrimad Rajchandra, ascetics who perform penance in forests, and even Tirthankara Lord Mahavir were bitten greatly by mosquitoes, because where an account is to be settled, even God Himself cannot make a change.

But where can we make a change? In changing the intent. Param Pujya Dadashri says that if you do not interfere, not even a single mosquito can touch you. Whenever we have had the wish to kill insects, those are called interference. As long as there is a feeling of hatred toward these insects within us, they will continue to bite. If our feelings of hatred toward these insects come to an end, then those insects will stop troubling us. Because we make preparations to suppress the nuisance, it is because of that very reason that the nuisance does not stop. When the intent to kill the nuisance stops, the nuisance will on its own gradually reduce, that is the science.

Repent for the violence caused

After attaining an understanding of the liabilities of violence, we decide that we definitely do not want to commit violence by any means whatsoever, but what about the violence that has already occurred until now?

Its remedy is found from Param Pujya Dadashri Himself. Whatever violence toward insects has occurred until now should be recalled and repentance should be done, and a resolve should be made that such violence does not occur again.

If insect pests have been killed by spraying, killed using electric devices, killed by crushing, killed out of fear of living beings like snakes, or if violence toward small or large living beings has occurred for any other reason, repentance should be done for that. Moreover, for killing larger living beings, repentance should be done for one full hour for each such act.

If living beings have been killed outside, or even if the intent to kill them has been made, then repentance should be done for having spoiled one’s intent, and the intentions should be changed, so that one can become free from the liability of violence.