Jain Journal 1990 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 36

APRIL, 1990
like a fly. The five-sensed soul has nine, the sense of hearing being added to these, e. g., irrational animals. All rational animals and human beings have all the 10 vitalities.
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If existing separately, by itself, neither the soul, nor the body is susceptible to any injury at all. Injury is caused to the vitalities in an embodied soul, which feels pained at such injury. The amount of injury caused, and of the pain thereby occasioned would depend upon the number of vitalities, and the scope and capacity of the vitalities to which injury is caused.
The above-numerated ten are material vitalities-dravya prāṇa. As distinguished from these, a soul has conscious vitalities, bhāva prāṇa, which are the very attributes of Jiva, such as consciousness, peacefulness, happiness, power. And with reference to the conscious vitalities, the himsă caused is called bhāva himsā, as distinguished from dravya himsa which arises from causing injury to the material vitalities.
Every evil thought every evil word, and every evil act causes himsā. "Do to others as you expect others to do unto you. Don't do to others, what you do not approve for yourself", should be the guiding principles in all affairs of life..
Bhāva himsa is caused by entertaining impure thought-activities such as anger, pride, deceit, greed, sorrow, fear, disdain, sex-desires. Such thought activities injure the real nature of the Soul, purity, perfection, direct knowledge of all substances, in all their varying conditions at one and the same moment, infinite power, unruffled peacefulness, and bliss everlasting and unmixed. Dravya himsă proceeds from bhāva himsā, which precedes it. The thought is a father to the act. An evil thought vitiates the purity of the Soul, and is followed by a sinful act varying in its degree of evil, with the vicious intensity of the thought. Equanimity, non-attachment, self absorption, self-realization would make the commission of dravya himsă an impossibility.
Ahimsă means abstention from himsā. Ahimsa in its full significance has been realized, preached, and practised only by, and in the Jaina religion. Jainism is synonymous with Ahimsa. It is Ahimsa Dharma, the religion of Ahimsā. ‘Ahimsā Parmo Dharmah'-Ahimsā is the Highest Religion-is emblazoned on the banner of Jainism. Its philosophy and conduct are broad-based on the solid foundation of Ahimsā, which has throughout, and consistently, been followed to its logical conclusion.