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The Concept of Pancasila in Indian Thouhgt
evolved. Likewise it is equally difficult to conceive nonviolence in a purely positive form. The only justifiable .conclusion would be that non-violence is both positive and negative because both these aspects originate in the very moral sense of a human being, the distinguishing feature of humanity, though there might have been certain reasons for this negative nomenclature. However, non-violence in the negative aspect in the Sramaņical trend is fundamentally based on the principle of equality (or Samatā) for all living beings. No living being, smaller or greater, lower or higher, significant or insignificant, should be injured. The Vedic society allowed violence in some form, as in the form of Yajñas etc., that mant negligence towards the principle of non-violence, but the Sramanical tradition remained emphatic on non-violence throughout the history. Not only this, but with the increase of the Sramanical influence on the Brāhmanical system, it pervaded the entire Indian culture, and violent Yajñas etc. became obsolete.
So far as the implementation of the positive aspect of love and compassion in the form of saving a life is concerned, it .cannot be ignored that the Sramanical systems give due importance to this positive aspect. And it has also been remarked that the life of a higher living-being is given first preference, as it is natural that the higher the creature the greater the feelings of love and compassion for it. Instances can be found in some scriptures which suggest that for saving a human life the life of a smaller creature may be overlooked. It should be borne in mind, however, that this injuring of the life of smaller creatures is not a negligently performed task. Proper attention and respect are given to the life of these lower creatures.
The second moral principle of non-stealing, it seems, is merely a duplication of the principle of non-violence, at least for the Šramaņical trend, which itself is very broad and extensive. If the implications of the principle of non-violence are
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