Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 3

SR No.: 522603
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: R P Poddar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur
Publication Year: 1982
Total Pages: 294
Language: English, Hindi
Classification: Magazine, India_Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin, & India
File Size: 6 MB

Page 22

THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IMPLICATIOAS OF NON-VIOLENCE
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political life. If Swaraj could be achieved by non-violence then, the Swaraj polity had to be increasingly based on the principle of Ahimsa. Hence be emphasized the application of honesty, integrity and beneficent purpose in public administration.
3. Reservations to the Applicability of the Absolute law of Ahimsa
Gandhi believed in a spiritual purposive universe and was an ethical absolutist. He regarded the vows of truth and Ahimsa to be eternal and unimpeachable. In their conceptual essence these Vratas do not require any compromise or modification. But the world and human society do not yet represent the field for the perfect concretization of Ahimsa. In the animal world, the ferocious animals like lions, tigers and leopards feed on the weaker ones. Microscopic observations reveal that the atmosphere is full of germs. They have to be destroyed for the safety of human lives. Even in the processes of his very existence man is trarnpling upon various worms. Hence some destruction is immanent in the very process of human life. Furthermore sometimes dacoits engag. ing in a mad pursuit of man-slaughter have to be killed. Hence the morally imperfect consitution of the world and human society does necessitate some compromises with the eternal maxim of Ahimsa. But here also, man has to pursue the moral path humbly and tenaciously and increasingly dedicate himself to realisation of Ahimsa. Some inevitable occasional compromises are not the opportunities for complaisance but incentives to further rigor in the pursuit of the moral path.
Gandhi was an ethical intuitionist and hence he believed in the sanctity of inner motivations and intentions. It may be possible that in certain situations some actions might be performed which although apparently transcending the law of non-violence may actually be in conformity to its inner requirement. For example, once, he allowed a calf to be killed because it was suffering great pain and there was no hope of its recovery.
Although a great moral idealist Gandhi had also a realistic preception of things. He had an intuitive perception of the social and political situation in India and knew about the social structure and hence his Ahimsa was never a plea for sentimental utopianism in other cou tries, He wrote: "Thus for food we take life, vegetable and other, health we destroy mosquitos and the like by the use of disinfectants and not think that we are guilty of irreligion in doing so....... for the benefit of the species we kill carnivorous beasts.......Even man-slaughter may be necessary in certain cases. Suppose a man runs amuck and goes furiously about sword in hand and killing anyone that comes in his way, and no one dares to capture alive. Anyone who despatches this lunatic