Paramacharya

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Ahimsa from Hindu Dharma

 

According to the Manusmriti, ahimsa is the foremost among the

dharmas that are common to all. It is included in the yoga of mind

control. Ahimsa means much more than non-injury; it implies not

doing harm to others even by thought or word.

 

By nature none of us wants to cause any hurt to other people. But if

others do us harm we want to retaliate in anger. Suppose one of our

children sets fire to our house in all innocence. We do not punish

it but try to extinguish the fire and thereafter take care to see

that the child is kept away from fire and other dangerous objects.

We must learn to think that all those who cause us pain are like

this child. If a person tries to hurt us, we must lovingly prevent

him from doing so. We must not bear any ill-will against him nor

think of retaliating. This is true ahimsa.

 

The practice of ahimsa contributes greatly to the yoga of mind

control. The mind is like a demon. But see what wonders the demon-

the vetala- accomplished for Vikramaditya after he had been brought

under control. The mind will do us unlimited good if it is made

subservient to us. Anjaneya [Hanuman] acquired his immense strength

and was able to perform so many great and good deeds only because he

had conquered his mind. The mind's power is immeasurable. All the

cosmos is the work of the Supreme Goddess and in this creation of

hers even the mind of a tiny ant pervades the entire universe.

 

Many great men, many yogins, have stated that they were able to

control their minds by adhering to true ahimsa. When we practise

ahimsa, anger will naturally give way, the mind will become clear

and will easily be controlled.

 

Though the chief aim of non-violence the control of the mind, there

is another unexpected benefit that it brings. It is called " avantara

prayojana " . All of you came to the Matha to see the puja. But with

that you listened to the nagasvaram music and saw persons whom you

had not seen for long - and now you listen to my discourse. All

these belong to the category of avantara prayojana. Thus if a man

practises true non-violence (by body, mind and speech), he will be

rewarded with a benefit that he had not expected. In his presence

all creatures will forget their ill-will and cease to cause hurt to

any other creature.

 

Ahimsa- pratisthayam

 

tatsannidhau vairatyagah -yogasutra.

 

-- Yogasutra, 2. 35

 

The minds of even cruel people will be transformed in the presence

of men practising utter ahimsa: in other words when a man is full of

love he can make other people also loving and this is an avantara

prayojana.

 

A sannyasin must observe total non-violence. He must not even pluck

a leaf from a tree and must not do violence to plants by cooking

them. It is because of the rule of absolute non-violence enjoined on

him that there is an interdiction on his performing rites in the

sacred fire. Tending a fire for the conduct of a ritual might

unwittingly make us responsible for the destruction of some insects.

It is because the sannyasin has no Agni ceremony that when he dies

his body is not cremated but interred. When he is initiated into

sannyasa he takes a vow that he shall never be the cause of fear to

any creature.

 

" Ahimsa paramo dharmah " (Non- violence is the supreme dharma).

Buddhism and Jainism impose total non- violence on their followers.

Not so our religion except in the case of ascetics. In Hinduism an

exception to the general dharma of non-violence is made in the case

of a righteous or just war and in a sacrifice in which sometimes

animals are killed. It is to fetch the divine powers to earth and to

appease them that animals are sacrificed in yajnas. It is our belief

that the animals so sacrificed will attain to a high state that they

cannot otherwise through their own efforts. Altogether it means the

good of the animals and the welfare of the world.

 

In a war, heroes of the army sacrifice themselves in the cause of

the nation. Is it not better to lay down one's life for the sake of

others than fatten oneself doing nothing?

 

It is easy to claim oral allegiance to the principle of non- injury

but difficult to practise the same. Quarrels and disputes are

inevitable in the workaday world. In dealing with them action that

is apparently violent may have to be taken. In reality such action

is not regarded as violent. The intention or purpose is important

here, not the action itself. Certain types of violence are justified

according to the sastras and not considered sinful, because such

violence is committed not for our personal delight but in pursuance

of our duty towards the society: the offering of an animal in

sacrifice, sentencing a murderer to death, killing an enemy in war.

 

If a religion makes the practice of non-violence universally

applicable, there will be problems. Obviously, all cannot practise

it at all times. So those who find it not practicable to follow

these rule of ahimsa are made liable to sin. Our religion has taken

a more realistic view on the question. As we have seen, Buddhism

imposes total non- violence on its followers. But what do we see in

practice? In all those lands where Buddhism has a hold there are

armies that take part in fighting. Besides, almost without

exception, everybody is a meat-eater there.

 

If a great dharma or principle is made common to all, in the end it

is likely to lead to a situation in which no one will respect it in

practice. In our religion- to repeat- the rule of absolute non-

violence is meant only for sannyasins. Following their example,

Brahmins, Vaisnavas in regions like Gujarat and Sivas in the South

like the Vellalas and Komutti Cettis practise ahimsa. Without being

bound by any sastric injunction they have voluntarily adopted the

principle and practised it from generation to generation. Influenced

by the example of the sattva guna of ascetics these communities have

become vegetarians on their own. And, following their example and

without being compelled to do so, other castes too abstain from meat

on days likes the new moon, on the day of a sraddha, and days sacred

to the various deities. When a principle is imposed only on a few,

since it is difficult to make it universal it becomes an ideal for

others to whom it may not formally apply: they try to practise it as

far as they can. Non-violence is a samanya dharma( a dharma common

to all) in Hinduism. It is kept as an ideal though, on occasion,

adherence to it is not practicable.

 

In the Vedic dharma the definition of ahimsa is the absence of ill-

feeling in all action.