Positive Non Violence

SR No.: 006917
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Kanhaiyalal Lodha, Dalpatsingh Baya
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy
Publication Year: 2011
Total Pages: 344
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 5 MB

Page 149

This feeling of affection is their power and their wealth. The mothers inherit this feeling of affection from the time when they were breast fed by their own mothers. This feeling of affection itself is variously called as humanity or humaneness. The development of affection itself is the development of humaneness. Without the feeling of affection a person does not only becomes inhuman but also descends below the animal level to become demonical, which is innumerable times worse than being an animal. An animal does not resolve to harm anyone: it attacks or harms another creatures only when either it is hungry or when its own safety is threatened. It does so for satisfying its needs and not for accumulation whereas the selfish human beings exploit the world for accumulation and for the sake of their insatiable greed. In this process they cause a great deal of harm to the others. Their hearts are very hard and cruel.
The Lords Tīrthankaras observe the vow of non-violence in three ways and by three means. The canonical works have especially used the epithet of 'universally affectionate' for them. From this it is clear that the Lords' activities were for the general weal of the living beings of the world. As has been said in this aphorism from the Samvara dvāra of the Praśnavvākaraṇa sūtra, "Esā Bhagavati shimsā jā sā aparimiyanāna-damsanadhrehim silaguna-vinaya-tava-sajamanāvakehim Titthankarehim savvajagavacchalehim tiolgamaliehim JinaCandehim sutthu ditthā", meaning that the Tirthankaras that are endowed with unlimited knowledge and vision, that are leaders in righteousness, humbleness, austerity, restraint and renunciation, that are universally affectionate and are venerable in the three worlds - upper, lower and middle - of the universe have rightly seen or known and preached the importance of the goddess non-violence. In this quotation, there is a special meaning attached to calling the Tirthankaras, the preachers of non-violence as universally affectionate. This speciality of theirs points at their unlimited kindness and love for all.
Affection is the prescriptive or practical form of non-violence. This is also known as love. Purification of attachment results in love.
Positive Non-Violence