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Jainism: The Cosmic Vision touches, will turn to ashes. Bhasmasur wanted to test the efficacy of the boon and thought to test it on Bhagwan Shiv. Shiv, realising the consequence, was on the run to avoid getting reduced to ashes. Well, the moral is that violence engulfs one and all, spreading its tentacles far and wide. The Bhasmasur story has the same message. At last Bhagwan Vishnu assumes the form of Mohini - feme fatale - and Bhasmasur, attracted by the seductive charm began to dance and placed his hand on his head. This resulted in his own destruction. Violence is like Bhasmasur, which ultimately consumes its perpetrator.
Bhagwan Mahavira taught the lesson of non-violence more than two millennium ago and which was the key to turn man into a superman. That lesson of non-violence preached by him was not confined to 'live and let live' for the human beings, but it encompassed all the living organisms such as birds and animals and the entire world of nature. Bhagwan Mahavira had
A Joumey of Ahimsa If victory was achieved, they would relish its fruit - riches and prosperity. In those days innumerable women were widowed and children rendered orphans. In the orgy of violence, innocent lives were lost.
Mahavira said: "You have no right to kill those whom you can not invest with life. Violence begets violence and revenge begets revenge. Non-violence is the supreme dharma (religion) and violence is the root of all evils."
He preached the message of non-violence and peace to the kings of his times. It was an all-encompassing creed extending to the entire living world. Acharang Sutra says : Brugt prconsider all living organisms to be as precious as your ownself. Those who can be cruel to animals can be cruel to human beings, too. Violence is not external behaviour or conduct, but inner evil instinct. One, who harbours cruelty or violence in the heart, will be violent to one and all and one, who has the spring of compassion in his the heart, will be compassionate to all living creatures, including the world of nature.
He also said that the soul happens to be in one Yoni (Tortoise like raised birthplace in this birth and it may be in another in the next birth. If one is a fly today, he is likely to be a human being in the next and hence a human being has no right to cause pain to non-human beings. One must, therefore, treat all creatures with love and compassion. In Aagam Sutra (Cononical Literature), Mahavira says: "You are the one whom you intend to kill, the one whom you want to rule over, the one you want to cause harm to. Therefore, one who is knowledge-able does not kill anyone or rule over others or cause any harm to others."
said:
तुंगं न मंदराओ, आगासाओ किसाभयं नत्थि ।
जह तह जयंमि जाणसु, धम्ममहिंसासमं नत्थि ।। [There is nothing in this world higher than Mountain Meru. Similarly there is no religion greater than non-violence.)
During Mahavira's time, animals were sacrificed in performing yagna (sacrificial fire) and mute animals were, thus, subjected to cruelty and torture at the altar. This was done in order to achieve moksha or a place in heaven. The kings would not hesitate to fight and kill to safisfy their greed for more lands and to realise their inordinate ambitions. It was believed that those, who died fighting on a battlefield, would earn a place in heaven and enjoy the proximity of devkanyas (divine women).
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