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COMPENDIUM OF JAINISM
immobile beings possess four vitalities viz., touch, energy, respiration and life-duration. The mobile beings possess besides the above. any two or more of the senses viz., senses of taste, smell, sight, hearing and speech. Those endowed with the mind have in all ten vitalities. Thus injury is caused by severance of any of the vitalities in a mobile or immobile being. Such injury causes pain and suffering to life. He who causes injury with passion or through carelessness is guilty of himsā. Himsā may be either bhāva-hiṁsā under the influence of passions, or dravyahiṁsā where there is physical injury.
Umāsvāmi has prescribed five rules of restraint for being firm in the observance of the vow of non-injury. Control of speech, control of thought, regulation of movement, care inlifting and placing things or objects and examination of food and drink before taking in, are the five observances. 8 Self-control is of vital importance. Since one is required to refrain from hurting the feelings of others to observe the vow of Ahimsā, control of speech and thought are quite essential. Everyone ought to be careful in his movements for fear of causing hurt or harm to a living being through carelessness. Similarly one ought to be careful while placing down things or objects lest they should hurt some tiny being. Such precaution has also to be taken even while lifting up any object. Similarly it is necessary to examine minutely one's own food or drink before taking it in, making sure that there is no tiny being in it.
Jainism makes a distinction between bhāva-hiṁsā (intention to hurt) and dravya-hiṁsā or the actual causing of hurt. That is why five kinds of restraints have been expressly mentioned above as the cautions to be observed by one who wants to desist from causing hurt. Similarly, a distinction is made between sūksmahimsã and sthūla-hiṁsā. The former requires abstention from causing hurt to life in any form while the latter requires abstention from hurting forms of life possessing two or more senses. It is not possible for a house-holder to refrain from causing hurt to forms of life with one sense like plants, trees, crops etc. He must
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