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JAIN AHIMSA
131
Shastras, Jnana (knowledge or consciousness) is described as the Svabhava (Real nature) of Atman. Sansari Atman (worldly or embodied soul) is, owing to Raga (desire or attachment), and Dvesha (hatred) in bondage with matter-Karma and hence it does not possess Sarva-Jnana (Omniscience). The embodied soul knows only something of the objects through its senses. But the real nature of Atman is to know all to know directly all the objects of the universe-objects of all times and of all places at one and the same time; in short, Omniscience is the Svabhava or real nature of Atman and this is what is called Parmatum-Saroop (Godhead) and to attain to this Godhead or Divinity is the Final Goal of the embodied soul. Now what is that which preven's the embodied soul from attaining to this Godhead. It is Raga and Dvesha (love and hatred) and their resultant other passions, affections, and desires which tend to do so; and as in the act of killing or injuring other living beings, in the soul of both the killer and the killed or the oppressor and the oppressed, various passions are necessarily produced whereby they both are dragged away from Omniscience the Divine Status, Himsa is therefore condemned. It is an admitted fact that when lust, anger, greed, pride, and deceit enter one's mind, he becomes blind and loses Jnana (power of discrimination) and to destroy one's power of discrimination is the highest type of Himsa. When man in order to fill up his own stomach or for the relish of his tongue, kills another living being and eats its meat, he though not physically but spiritually kills himself before he kills that other living being. When one, in order to obtain meat, wishes to kill an animal he argues within himself thus:"I am a creature of a superior kind and this animal belongs to an inferior class, there is no harm, if for my benefit, this animal may be killed." But it is his mistake. He regards soul and matter as one. He thinks that a thing which benefits matter, does benefit soul also. When he after having killed an animal, eats its dead body and praises its taste highly, he being enslaved by the feeling of taste, loses his power of discrimination and thinks that this taste will benefit his soul. But this is his mistake. An attribute belonging to matter, cannot become an attribute of soul, Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
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