Idea of Ahimsa and Asceticism in Ancient Indian Tradition

Author(s): Bansidhar Bhatt
Publisher: B J Institute

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THE IDEA OF AHMSA ....
according to which they gather the husked rice or seeds from virtuous persons. This sort of food being "killed" (cooked) by others, but not by themselves, does not bring about any evil or impurity (BDS 3.2.13; cf. Wezler-1 pp.99-102; Wezler-3 p.474).
The vanaprasthas living in huts in the forest have to observe many vows among which the ahimsa is also traceable. They do not accept food prepared in a village (? gramyam a haram, MS 6.63: cultivated in village ?), probably the vanaprasthas do not visit villages nearby (cf. Sprockhoff-2 pp. 19-90, and see above 2.9.2. iv; cf. also Wezler-1 p.87, fn.252). The food either cooked on fire or ripened in course of time by natural way is permitted for them (cf. MS 6.21), or, they subsist only on flowers, roots, and fruits, etc. which are ripened on their own and fallen on the ground. They are compassionate towards all living beings. However, they can eat meat of animals provided the animals are killed by others (cf. GDS 3.31; see also Wezler-1 p.100). According to Wezler, the vanaprast has would have developed a practice of eating the kuna på hara - the left over meat of animals killed by wild beasts in the forest. The kuna på hara is prohibited in Jainism (Viyahapannatti-S.1.8.9.350, p.568 and Aupa patika S 51; see Alsdorf-1 p.13), but earlier it was included in the ucchista - bhojans - the left over food 15. According to the BDS (3.3.6) such vanaprast has cook their own food. Among the other rules prescribed for the brahma-vaikha nasa type of the vana prasthas the rules such as not injuring gadflies and mosquitos (BDS 3.3.18-19) and entering into the water slowly (carefully), without beating it (ADS 2.9.22.13) imply the concept of ahimsa (for details, see Wezler-1 pp.107-108).
(h) Gșhasthas (brahmins) :
We have seen how the ritual (magico-ritualistic) ahimsa-theory of the ritualists (householders, Vedic students, etc.) in the early Brahmanical literature developed gradually in a form of the so-called meta-ritualism of the early Upanişa dic literature, where it was accepted by the ascetics including the hermits - vanaprasthas. The ahim sa doctrine of the ascetic order again influenced the brahmin class (varna) of the society. The rules for the brahmins of the time are found in the dharma satras and
15. For the details, see Wezler-1 pp.104-105, 116 fol.; cf. Vighasa
jätaka No.393; MBH 12.11.7 and Wezler-2 pp.401 fol.; cf. also references to "man-eating or partaking of a corpse ..." in
Heesterman-1 p.25.