Jain Moral Doctrine

Author(s): Harisatya Bhattacharya
Publisher: Jain Sahitya Vikas Mandal

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CARDINAL VIRTUES
of a body, knowing that the operation would be painful; a teacher scolds, sometimes assaults-a student; a religious preceptor wounds the feelings of one by turning him away from the ways of the world; in these cases, although violence is committed and that, intentionally, there is no Himsă because the real purpose at the back of these acts is not to commit injury but to do some real good. Not mere commission of injury nor even an intentional commission of injury is in all cases violence but cases in which the intention is permeated by Kaşāya or passions, i.e., a conscious resolve to hurt, are cases of Himsā. It is said that where there is this Kaşāya or violent attitude, we have a case of Himsā, no matter even if no outside being is injured thereby; for, the presence of the Kaşāya in the person has actually hurt his own subjective self, although there is no overt act of violence, done to any other person. Himsā is thus distinguishable from crime; the former is committed as soon as there is the violent intention, even though the intention may not be manifested or translated in an overt act, while crime does not look to the motive unless and until it ushers into an overt act.
In this connection, it would be interesting to note the Jaina distinction between the following four forms of the Himsā. (1) The Sankalpini or intentional. In cases where the act of violence to a being is actuated by an intention to injure him, we have this kind of Himsā, which is its worst form. (2) The Virodhini or a return of violence in self-defence. Where acts of violence are done for one's own defence against violent attackers, we have the second mode of Himsā. The state laws in all civilised countries entertain the plea of self-defence, in all fit cases. The Jainas do not say that the Virodhini is not Himsā but look upon it as much milder than the Sankalpinī; they admit that the Virodhinī may be unavoidable in all ordinary people but insist, like the administrators of the criminal laws in a civilised country, that the Virodhinī-violence should not exceed the strict requirements of self-defence; in cases where the Virodhini goes beyond such limits and transforms itself into vindictive activity, it becomes as bad as the Sankalpinī. (3) The Ārambhinī or acts of violence which are connected with the ordinary daily acts of a person. Thus, a house-holder, in his daily life, sweeps his floors, washes his clothes, lights up his oven and so on and thereby injures innumerable organisms daily. (4) The Udyoginī, a violence, which is connected with purposeful undertakings like the tilling of lands, construction of mills, digging of wells etc.*
* The four types of Himsă, described here, viz., the Sankalpinī, the Virodhinī, the Arambhini and the Udyogini, are not specifically mentioned in the religious books of the Svetämvara Sect.
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