Below is the original quote in its full context. It seems to be maybe about preaching his spiritual view on the power of nonviolence, or about “how we experience the world is a reflection of our level of love and compassion.” Here it is in full:
Men have always feared snakes. There are countless superstitions, too, connected with the serpent. We are afraid even to mention its name. At night we refer to it as “the big creature”. Among Hindus, the snake is an object of worship. Nagpanchami is regarded especially as the day of snake worship. There is a popular belief that the earth is supported on the head of the serpent Sheshnag. God also is held to be Sheshshayi, i.e., lying on Sheshnag. God Shiva is said to wear a snake as a garland. “Sheshnag with his thousand mouths could not describe this”; in saying this we attribute intelligence and knowledge to the serpent. There is a similar idea in Christianity also. “Be wise as the serpent”, so runs a saying in English. The serpent Karkotak conferred a boon upon Nala by biting him, thereby making him so ugly and deformed through its poison, that none would look upon him with evil intent as he wandered in the forests. The serpent also stands, in the Bible, for the Devil. It was he who tempted Eve.
Thus, there are all kinds of beliefs and tales about this creature. It is easy to understand the dread of snakes. If a snake-bite takes full effect, death is inevitable, and no one wishes to die. Hence this fear. It is also easy to see how snakes have been worshiped out of fear. If the snake had been a tiny creature, it would not perhaps have inspired such worship despite its being the terror that it is. But being long, large, beautiful and of strange aspect, it is even ceremonially worshiped.
It is more difficult to say without thinking why the snake has been credited with intelligence. Modern scientists aver that it has none. According to them, a snake should be killed at sight. Government statistics show that in India 20,000 people perish annually from snake-bite. I think the figure must be higher. The Government offers a reward for every poisonous snake killed; it is doubtful, however, if the offer has served any useful purpose. This confirms the general experience that the snake does not bite without cause. It bites only if attacked or teased. Does this possibly indictate intelligence, or, if not that, harmlessness? It uses its fangs in its own defence. Man also uses teeth for that purpose often enough. To attempt to make India or any other place entirely free of snakes is like trying to wrestle with the air. Snakes can be prevented from coming to a particular spot. Killing the ones found entering the place will prevent others. They will come to realize that going to the place is like walking into the jaws of death. But this can be done only for a limited area. The attempt cannot be made over a vast country like India. To seek, therefore, to kill and extirpate the snakes entirely in this way from the country amounts to throwing money down the drain.
Moreover, it is the same God who creates snakes [as well as ourselves]. We cannot understand all the works of God. Surely, He has not created beings like tigers, lions, snakes and scorpions only so that we may kill them! If the snakes themselves were to get together and consider how men killed them at sight, they would ask if God had created man for the sole purpose of destroying them. Just as that would be a mistaken belief, so would be ours regarding snakes.
St. Francis was a great Yogi in Europe. He used to wander in the forests among reptiles, etc., but they never harmed him. On the contrary, they were friends with him. Thousands of yogis and fakirs live in the forests of India. They move fearlessly among tigers, wolves, snakes, etc., and one never hears of their coming to any harm on that account. It might be argued that there must be casualties even among them through snake-bites, or predatory animals; this is very likely. We know, though, that in comparison with the great number of reptiles, etc., the yogis and fakirs are so few that if these deadly creatures were set on destroying them, not one of them would survive. We are told — and we believe it to be true — that these yogis and fakirs keep no weapons with which to withstand these beasts. This proves that some dreaded beasts are friendly to or, at any rate, do not touch some yogis and fakirs. I personally feel that when we rid ourselves of all enmity towards any living creatures, the latter also cease to regard us with hate. Compassion or love is man’s greatest excellence. Without this he cannot cultivate love of God. We come to realize in all the religions, more or less clearly, that compassion is the root of the higher life.
Furthermore, is it not possible that the very existence of creatures like snakes or the cruelty in their nature reflects our own attitudes? Is there not cruelty enough in man? On our tongues there is always poison similar to a snake’s. We tear our brethren to pieces as wolves and tigers do. Religious books tell us that when man becomes pure in heart, the lamb and the tiger will live like friends. So long as in our own selves there is conflict between the tiger and the lamb, is it any wonder that there should be a similar conflict in this world-body? We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.
