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JAINA CULTURE
food and drink after sunset. The five great vows are pertaining to non-violence, non-falsehood, non-stealing, non-copulation and non-possessiveness. The ascetic is forbidden to commit any sin, subtle or gross. He is enjoined to refrain from all sinful activity, physical, vocal or mental. He should not commit a sin himself nor cause others to commit it nor approve of its committal by others.
Non-violence :
The vow of non-violence or non-injury (prāņātipata-viramaņa) is the most important of all the vows. It is safeguarded by the vows of non-falsehood, non-stealing etc. Violence is defined as the severance of vitalities out of passion. The vitalities or life-principles are ten : five senses, energy, respiration, life-duration, speech and mind. Violence is condemned, as it causes pain and suffering to living beings. Mere severance of vitalities is not sinful. When an ascetic goes on. foot with carefulness, sometimes small insects get crushed under his feet and die. Still there is no bondage of sin in his case. Really speaking, passion is the cause of sin. Mere passionate attitude even without the severance of vitalities constitutes violence. One who acts with passion or negligence commits sin whether death, injury, harm or trouble is caused to living beings or not. He who acts with proper care does not commit the sin of violence by mere injury. Non-falschood :
Speaking what is not laudable is falsehood. That which causes pain and suffering to living beings is not laudable, whether it refers to actual facts or not. Hence, the vow of non-falsehood (mrşādāda-viramana) includes the abstention from untruth spoken out of passion, and from truth, too, if it provokes the destruction of a living being. It enjoins the avoi. dance of harmful, harsh or cruel speech and the use of balanced language that gives satisfaction to all living creatures,
