Jainism Some Essays

Author(s): A S Gopani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 44

Jaina Theory and Practice of Non-Violence
Aca anga declares that: "The Arhatas and Bhagavatas of the past, present, and future, all say thus, speak thus, declare thus, explain thus; all breathing, existing, living, sentient creatures should not be slain, nor treated with violence, nor abused, nor tormented, nor driven away. This is the pure, unchangeable, eternal law, which the clever ones, who understand the world, have declared."4
The question is asked to the propagators of violence: "Ye professor ! is pain pleasant to you, or unpleasant ?" And on right reply it is clear that "For all sorts of living beings pain is unpleasant, disagreeable and greatly feared"5-So why should one kill others?
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In this way killing of living-beings of all types was denounced and non-violence was accepted as the principle of good life.
But was it possible to live without any harm to any body? While answering this question the attention was given to, the problem of sin. The violence or the killing itself is not the sin but the passion in the self is the cause of sin or the passion itself is sin. This theory of sin is found in Sūtraktiānga when it says that the pamāya (pramāda) is the karma or sin (pamayam kammam ahamsu 1.8.3). The word pamāya is translated as carlessness but it means much more than that. We are convinced of this fact when we take into consideration the sayings of the Buddha regarding this pramāda. He says that all the akusalas are due to pramada: not only that but it destroys all the kusalas, (Anguttara; 1.6,8-9). In Sthānanga (502) the Jaina text pramada is described as having six types: 1. mada-intoxication or arrogance, 2. nidrā - slumbar, 3. viṣaya-sensuality, 4. kaṣāya-passion, 5. dyūta-gambling and 6. pratilekhana -pramāda-idleness in inspection.
Keeping in view this definition of sin we should define the violence which is counted as sin. This is the reason why Umasvati in his Tattvarthasutra defined the violence as pramattayogāt prāṇavyaparopaņam hiṁsā –
4. SBE Vol. XXII, p. 36. “ जे य प्रतीता जे य पडुपन्ना जे य आगमिस्सा अरहंता भगवंतो ते सव्वे एवमाइक्खति एवं भासंति एवं पण्णविति एवं परूविति - सव्वे पाणा सव्वे भूया सव्वे जीवा सव्वे सत्ता न हंतव्वा, न अज्जावेयव्वा न परिधितव्वा न परियावेयव्वा न उव्वा, एस धम्मे सुद्धे 'नइए सासए समिच्च लोयं निउणेहिं पवेइए......."
प्राचा० 1.4.1.1. 5. SBE Vol. XXII, p. 39; Acārāiga 1.4.2 : “पत्त यं पुच्छिस्सामो । हं भो पावाउया, किं भे सायं दुक्खं उयाहु प्रसायं ? समिया पडिवण्णे यावि एवं बूया - " सव्वेसिं पाणाणं सव्वेसि जीवाणं सव्वेसि सत्ताणं असायं अपरिनिव्वाणं महब्भयं दुक्खति । "