Ahimsa and Jainism

Author(s): Vijayvallabhsuri
Publisher: Vallabhsuri Smarak Nidhi

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Every living being, from the minutest to the highest embodied one, is the centre of innumerable potential and actual energies, which are called karmas in the Jain philosophy. The word “ Karma" has an interesting history. In the Vedas it means the performance of sacrifices, offering of oblations to nature-gods and names of deceased ancestors. Karma-marga—the path of works—is nothing but ritualistic. Brahmanisn. In the words of Sir Monier Williams “Not even Jewish literature contains so many words relating to sacrifice as the literature of the Brahmins. The due presentation of sacrificial offerings formed the very kernel of oll religious service. Hymn, praise, and prayer, preaching, teaching and repetition of the sacred words of Scripture were only subsidiary to this act. Every man throughout his whole life rested his hopes on continually offering oblations of some kind to the gods; and the burning of his body at death was held to be the last offering of himself in fire (antyeshti )” In later literature, Karma, in addition to the above meaning also meant duty and good and bad actions in the Jain literature we have a fuller meaning. It is any energy which an embodied being generates—be it vital, mental, or moral—and which keeps him in the mundane world--the Sansara, Karma, in short, is : the