Book Title: Jaina Mysticism and Other Essays
Author(s): Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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Page 43
________________ Hiṁsā may be defined as the committing of injury to the physical and psychical aspects of oneself and others through the operation of passion-ineffected activities of mind, body and speech. This means that if, in spite of the dispassionate activities of mind, body and speech any living being is injured, it cannot be called himsā, since the infecting element of passion is missing. 85 On the contrary, even if the activities of mind, body and speech are passion-infected, and no living being is oppressed, even then the actions are called himsā. Here though the soul has not injured others, yet it has injured itself by defiling its own natural constitution. Thus we may say that it is only on the basis of the internal state of mind that the acts of himsā and ahirsā are to be judged. This should not be taken to understand that external behaviour is of no significance since in human life the outward commission of himsā without the pursuance of internal corruption cannot be vindicated. He who exclusively emphasizes the internal at the expense of the external forgets the significance of outward behaviour. Thus both the internal and external aspects should occupy their due places. Himsă is of two kinds — intentional and non-intentional. The latter has again been divided into udyami, arambhi and virodhi. Intentional hiṁsā implies the voluntary commitment of hirsă by one's own self along with the provocation and endorsement of the acts of hiṁsā. Besides, hiṁsā which is unavoidably committed by reason of one's own profession, by the performance of domestic activities, and by defending oneself, one's neighbour, one's country, one's belonging, and the like from one's foes is called udyami, ārambhi and virodhi hirsā respectively. 3(1) Ahimsā (Aņuvrata-Mahāvrata) : Now the householder is incapable of turning away completely from hissä, hence he should keep himself away from the intentional commission, of himsā of the two-sensed to five-sensed beings. Hiṁsā owing to profession, domestic activities, and defensive measures cannot be counteracted by him. Thus he commits non-intentional injury to jīvas, namely, the vegetable-bodied, the air-bodied, the fire-bodied, Jaina Mysticism and other essays Jain Education International For Personal & Private Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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