Jain Journal 2000 04

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

Page 10

JAIN JOURNAL: Vol-XXXIV, No. 4 April 2000 exploitation and so on. The Praśnavyākarana17 gives nearly thirty Prakrit equivalents or synonyms to the word himsā. Of these the following are considered important destruction of life forces (prāṇavadha), carelessness (asamjamo), wheel of birth and death (parabhavasamkamakarao) and that which makes one devoid of virtues (Guṇānām Virahana). Himsā is the destruction of life forces caused by carelessness actuated by passion like attachment and aversion. 18 It destroys goodness and purity of the soul. In Buddhist tradition, destroying life intentionally is termed as violence. 19 In other places20, it is understood as cruelty, harming (killing), hurting, etc.
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3.3. Aspects of violence
Himsa is both mental and physical in Jaina tradition. Himsā does not depend on acts alone. The law of love will be broken by the absence of compassion shown when a person is carried away by anger. Hence a distinction has to be made between the intention to hurt (bhāva himsā) and the actual hurt (dravya himsā).21 Violence is committed when either the inner self of a being (bhavaprāna) or the outer vehicle of it, namely, the body (dravyaprāna) is in anyway hurt.22 If one acts carelessly moved by passion, himsā is certainly present whether a living being is killed or not.23
In the Sutrakṛtānga24 there is a long discussion between Sudharmā and Jambusvami as regards the judgement of an act whether it is violent or not. It finally concludes that there is sin though [the preceptor of an action] does not possess sinful thoughts, speeches etc. And those creatures such as the earth-bodied, etc. which have no development or mature reason nor consciousness nor intellect, nor mind, nor speech (those which lack judgement) are still full of hostility and wrong against all sorts of living beings. Thus even senseless beings are reckoned instrumental in bringing about slaughter of living beings.25
17.
Praśnavyakarana, Prathamaśrutaskandha, Asravadvāra, Ch. I, Sūtra 2, in Early Jainism by K.K. Dixit, L.D. Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad, 1978.
18.
Tattvärthasūtra, Ibid., 7.8.
19.
Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 13, Vinaya Part I, p. 235.
20. Dhammapada, 129-130, Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 10, Part I. Tattvarthasutra, ibid. 7, 8.
21.
22.
H. Bhattacharya, Sri Mahavira Commemoration Volume I, Article on "Jaina view of Ahimsa", p. 161-162.
23.
Jaina Gazette, Vol. 26, p. 77.
24. Śutrakṛtānga, 2.4.2, Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 45.
25. Ibid., 2.4. 9-10.