Idea of Ahimsa and Asceticism in Ancient Indian Tradition

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

Page 82

AHIMSA MISCELLANY
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(cf. Della Casa. p.192).
Examples of the type can be gathered and enumerated in this context, e.g. "insane" (Latin: "insanus") which originally means: "not (in-) healthy (sane/sanus)", but it denotes only a positive sense: "mad" or "crazy".
As a matter of fact, though concepts with privative prefixes express an idea of contradiction, but they do not distinguish between the contradictory terms, e.g. hot and not-hot, and the contrary terms, e.g. hot and cold (Gonda-1. p.98). Generally, we reply "not bad" in the sense of that what excludes bad, and we mean thereby only "good" in response to anybody's question like "How are you?" or "How is it?"
Concepts with privative prefix and negative meaning, but at the same time expressing a positive sense or "an auspicious aspect" abounds in Sanskrit and also in old Greek language. They play a significant role in these languages (Gonda-1. p.101).
Man is confronted with evils and ever aspires in achieving what is good. The evil is an enemy of the good, which is accepted by the absence of the evil, e.g. we mean "peace" for "an absence of civil disobedience or war-fare" (Gonda-1. p.114).
The negative concept of the word ahimsa may be interpreted also in a different way. I think, the natural instincts like: fear, injury to anybody, revolt or assault, stealing or getting something somehow in one's own possession, sex, etc. are primitive instincts which have to be avoided by persons in a society. This is suggested by the privative prefix to be connected with them. For total abstinence from, or control over the primitive instincts, living beings should pass through severe discipline and proper training. As such, human qualities are cultivated and their field of application is widened. Ultimately such persons acquire love, compassion, friendship, etc. for all living beings. These qualities are refined, their field of practice is wider, and through constant and continuous practice, they become innate human nature. Accordingly, hims a is a primitive instinct, ahimsa is a cultivated refined nature. Probably due to this reason, words in the sense of "hims a" may be traced in the earlier available sources in different languages, but it is hardly the case for the word "ahimsa" with a privative prefix, e.g. the verb: himsa is used in the Brahmanical texts in the most general sense: "to injure" (cf.Bruhm, p.38, For Private & Personal Use Only