But if the interests of the British take a beating will they not destroy all these establishments – much like the way they destroyed our textile industry? The British have enough firepower - arms and ammunitions, aircrafts – quite easily they can spoil all our efforts. If we venture into making of guns and shells, obviously they will oppose that – so what is the way out?

Question: But if the interests of the British take a beating will they not destroy all these establishments – much like the way they destroyed our textile industry?

Shri Shri Thakur: Whatever has been destroyed is verily due to our own fault. Had there been no blemishes within us nobody could have ever destroyed that.¹

Question: The British have enough firepower - arms and ammunitions,  aircrafts – quite easily they can spoil all our efforts. If we venture into making of guns and shells, obviously they will oppose that – so what is the way out?

Shri Shri Thakur: If we do something which can apparently create a barrier in the path of life and growth of all the living beings, such things most definitely should be destroyed; because it is a fact that ultimately no one wants to die. Even if we do embrace death that is only to lead us to the path of eternal life. So if we can discover something which can further enhance the unabated pace of our being and becoming,  then it readily occupies the centre stage of everybody's interest – everyone welcomes it. Nobody will break it into pieces – and even if someone attempts to do that his own living will no longer remain alive.

Holding guns in poor health will only cause one's own demise.  If we eat something that we cannot digest or if we try to lift heavy dumbbells like a big-burly man,  it will cause damage to our own health instead of proving beneficial. First and foremost we need proper education, health, industry and society.

 Foot notes:

¹ – "Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners: so that if we will plant nettles, or sow lettuce, set hyssop and weed up tine, supply it with one gender of herbs, or distract it with many, either to have it sterile with idleness, or manured with industry, why, the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills." ¯ William Shakespeare, Othello

"Uddharedatmanatmanam natmanamavasadayet;

Atmaiva hyatmano bandhuratmaiva ripuratmanah.

Bandhuratma'tmanastasya yenatmaivatmana jitah;

Anatmanastu satrutve vartetatmaiva satruvat."  

-      Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, Chapter VI

["One should exalt the self by the Self. One should not deprecate the Self, for the Self alone is the friend of the self, and the Self alone is also the enemy of the self. The Self is the friend of him whose self has been conquered by the Self. Where the self remains unrestrained, the Self would behave as its enemy, as an external foe."]

[Ref: Nana Prasange Vol.1, Ninth Edition, Dec-2001, Page 42-43]