Idea of Ahimsa and Asceticism in Ancient Indian Tradition

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

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MBH 14.28 contains a heated contest between the adhvaryu priest and an ascetic (yati) on the matter of offering a goat in the sacrifice. The priest on the Vedic authority explained the ascetic, how the ritual assured the victim a best possible life and enjoyment in the heaven. Being not convinced, the yati pleaded again for the ahimsa, but the priest replied that there is not a single gesture in man's normal behaviour which would be without himsa - injury:
násti cesta, vina himsam ... /
Complete non-injury to all living beings is hardly possible (cf. Schmithausen-2 p.29, fn. 153). The only remedy against such an evil is to live together with good persons (?). It is here difficult to understand what the priest intended by the word: good ! (for "good", see Wezler-1 p.109; for a similar contest, see in Jainism: Utt. Chs. 12, 25 below 5.b).
Another episode (MBH 12.246) teaches that the ahimsa is the dharma complete in itself, the himsa, therefore, should have no place in sacrifices :
jahimsa sakalo dharmo hiņsa yajne 'sama hita /
vegetarianism, see
(for ritualism versus ahimsa vis-a-vis Alsdorf-1 p.37 and Wezler-1 p.106).
In an episode of a shopkeeper: Tuladha ra and an ascetic: Jajali (MBH 12.253 fo.), truthfulness, namaskara (homate), and dama (self-restraint, control over senses) are considered much valuable as a sacrifice in general (cf. Winternitz-2 pp.697 fol.; Schreiner. pp. 296-298 and fn.15).
In the Vicakhnu-gita (MBH 12.257, see also Schreiner. pp.298299), king Vicakhnu disputes the cow-offer in sacrifice and reiterates that Manu evaluated the ahimsa as the best of all dharmas:
a himsaive hi sarvebhyo dharmebhyo jya yasi mata /
The meat, honey, wine, fish, rum, etc. are adopted as means of enjoyment in life by the wicked persons, but these means are in fact not ordained in Veda (vs.9). The brahmins knew among all sacrifices only the one that is Visnu, to whom milk and flowers are traditionally enjoined as an offer (vs. 10). Here we have
early sources of Vişnuism connected with vegetarianism (cf.