What actually is non-violence?

    Srila Prabhupada explains herein, the importance of being harmless and non-violent. Of course Prabhupada explains that we have to have not a sentimental but a philosophical understanding of what it means to be non-violent. It means to actually protect and have respect. But at the same time to protect others sometimes; taking physical action is non-violence. Prabhupada gives that example often times about the newspaper reporter who approached one of the greatest proponents of non-violence in India ‘since you are preaching this ahimsa, I ask you a question. If I come to violate your daughter's chastity and the only way to stop me is through physical force, will you take to physical force?’ He said ‘absolutely not, under no circumstance will I ever break my vow of resorting to physical force’. And then this reporter who happened to have some common sense said, ‘that is violence’. To do nothing when somebody is exploiting another, that is violence and to take physical action to stop that; that is non-violence. That is principle of Bhagavad Gita.