Idea of Ahimsa and Asceticism in Ancient Indian Tradition

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

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REFORM RELIGIONS ....
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life, (Doctrine. S 164; for relevant details, see further Doctrine. SS 163, 165, 170-171). The importance of the knowledge of the self and the like, which is insisted at every step in the individualization or interiorization processes of the classical rituals, and in other texts, such as the upa nişads, dharma satras, smrtis, the MBH, puranas, etc. (see Chs. 2 and 3) is also advocated in Jainism. The brahmanical thinking concentrates on the knowledge (jñana) of the self, while the Jaina thinking, on the knowledge (parima) of the kammas or satthas, both types of thinking ultima y lead to renunciation (for relevant details, see Bhatt-2. p.151; cf. Bruhn's observations: knowledge, etc. p.38, lines 26-28).
It is quite obvious, that the Vedic culture that expanded in other parts of India from the north should have many encounters with and merged in it, various beliefs and practices of different forms of asceticism or renunciatory ideas. But they could not, in fact, change radically the interior structure religious thought. On the contrary, ascetic practices and ideas adjusted themselves into the main stream and emerged further in their distinct forms, without disturbing the internal developments of Vedic thought. Beliefs and practices of various ascetics were in principle, not different from those of the followers of even pre-classical ritualism (individualization and interiorization). The orthodox Brahmanism and the heterodox renunciatory ideologies had no conflicts and clash with each other. It seems highly probable that the brahmanical thinkers had shaped their own ascetic mode of life on the basis of the beliefs and practices of the non-Aryan ascetics of the time. But such an influence was very insignificant for any revolutionary changes inside the brahmanical religion itself (cf. Heesterman-2. p.24; Heesterman-3 p.40; Wezler-1. p.110, fn.304 and.p.127).
(e) Were the Vrātyas śramaņas ?
Earlier researches associated the vratyas of the Vedic literature with the non-Aryans, and considered them to be the exponents of the non-Brahmanical religions, such as Sivaism, Paśupatism, Tantrism, Yoga, etc. (cf. J.W.Hauer: "Der Vratya", Stuttgart 1927). But according to recent researches, vratyas and brahma carins belong to a pre-classical stage of the Vedic literature where the term: brahmacarin was not yet developed as a terminus technicus, as a novince learning the Vedas (cf.
Heesterman-3. p.40, fn.79). Heesterman studied carefully the