Question: When one is purposely attacked, should he remain silent?

Sri Chinmoy: If he is attacked on the physical plane, he has to protect himself. I am not going to attack anyone, but if somebody comes and unnecessarily attacks me, and if I allow him to kick me and kill me, then how am I going to represent or manifest God on earth? If somebody purposely comes and attacks me, self-defence is absolutely necessary. He who is attacking me or striking me is not my saviour — far from it. He has only surrendered to ignorance and that is why he is striking me, an innocent fellow. If I allow him to strike me as long as he wants to, it means that I am consciously helping him in his ignorance. No, I shall not attack anybody, but at the same time I shall not allow anybody to attack me because then I will not be able to do God's Will. If God wants me to do something for Him or God wants to act in and through me, then why should I surrender to somebody's ignorance and allow him to strike me? If I allow it then God's Purpose, God's Mission in me will remain unfulfilled and incomplete.

From:Sri Chinmoy,The height of silence and the might of sound, Agni Press, 1974
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/hs