Jaina Path of Ahimsa

Author(s): Vilas Sangve
Publisher: Bhagwan Mahavir Research Centre

Page 84

Social Significance Of Ahirsā
sacrifices, became a very slow process, effecting only a very small minority, intellectual section of the people, and might not have succeeded at all if Jainism and Buddhism had not over-whelmed the country and the mass of people with the teachings of Ahimsā and inefficacy of sacrificial rites."
(2) Acceptance of Dignity of Living Beings
Through the preachings of Ahimsā the Jaina scriptures and Acharyas emphasised the basic fact that every living being has a sancity and a dignity of its own and therefore one must respect it as one expects one's own dignity to be respected by others. The Jaina sacred works also firmly exphasised that life is sacred irrespective of species, caste, colour, creed or nationality. On this basis they advocated the principle of “Live and let live” and it was slowly accepted by the people.
In this way the Jaina teachings convinced the people that the practice of Ahiṁsā is both an individual and a collective virtue and showed that Ahimsä has a positive force and a collective appeal.
(3) Improvement in Moral Behaviour
Jainism has laid great stress on the observance by the householders of Right Conduct consisting of twelve vows, viz., five main vows known as Aņuvratas, and seven supplementary vows known as Silavratas. Among these twelve vows primacy has been assigned to the first vow of Ahiṁsā and the remaining vows are also manifestations of Ahiṁsā in one form or another. It is enjoined upon the householders to practise these vows in their daily life with utmost care so that even the atichāras, i.e., the transgressions of these vows can be avoided to a great extent. It means that the observance of these vows has to be made as faultless as possible.
Obviously these vows are of a great social value as they accord a religious sanction to some of the most important public and private interests and rights which are, in modern times, safeguarded by the laws of the State. It could be seen that these vows merely reproduce the unwritten moral code of the best societies of men, though they make transgressions, a little more difficult. They also cover the entire range of modern society's penal restrictions, so that one has merely to adopt them to avoid transgressing all criminal laws of all countries whatsoever. For example, all offences against persons are banned under the vow of Ahimsā, even injuring an animal is covered by the inhibition. Similarly, offences against property are covered by the vow