Idea of Ahimsa and Asceticism in Ancient Indian Tradition

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

Page 63

54
THE IDEA OF AHIMSA ....
problem of vratyas of the Vedic texts in detail and discovered some revolutionary facts which he published in his learned research: “Vratya and Sacrifice". We record here from it only some of the salient features.
"The vratya-stomas are primarily intended to celebrate the gathering and uniting of a vratya group at the beginning as well as at the end of ... their ... raiding expedition." (p.6) "... after performing the vratya-stoma the vratyas should resort to the way of living of those who know the Vedas ... ... ... they obtain access to social intercourse ..." (p.11) "The vratya-stoma represents a festival celebrating the alliance of the vratyas setting out on an expedition, and repeated at the end of their expedition." (p.14) “Vratyahood periods point at an older state of affairs as the diksa-periods. ... The vratya is no less orthodox, not more outside brahmanical religion and society, than the diksita." (p.15). There is no difference between the vratya and the diksita. (p.29) "The vratya-stoma seems to be twofold: the celebration of the alliance, ... at the outset of their expedition, and the ritual involving an opposite party which receives, possibly on return of the vratyas, the collected vratya property." (p.34)
... the vratyas, ... are ethnically through their connections with the Kuru-Pańcalas, as well as religiously, through their links with the Maruts, authentic Aryans." (p.18) “...vratya may be robbers on account of their violent character during expeditions." (pp.29-30) "Thus the vratya appear not so much as prototypes of the yogin (Hauer) or of the Saivite ascetic (Charpentier), but rather as the genuine predecessors of the srauta sacrificer and diksita." (p.34) “The vratya are authentic Vedic Aryans, ... Their later developments such as yoga and Saivism, shamanizing techniques, etc. are known in the brahmanical literature." (p.36)
(f) Ground for separation :
,
What were then the factors that played a prominent part in separating the two streams of reform religions from their Brahmanical origin? I would venture the following suggestion, and I think, it will be accepted. Here, the main factor is the dialect used by the religious leaders as a medium of expression and it was more responsible for separating Buddhism and Jainism from the Brahmanism, and established them as non
Vedic or anti-vedic religions. The dialects like Pali and (Ardha)