Jainism and Democracy

Author(s): Indra Chandra Shastri
Publisher: I A S S Jain Conference New Delhi

Page 64

THE VOWS FOR A HOUSEHOLDER
Non-violence
According to Jainism life is divided into two broad divisions of stationary beings (74176) and moving beings (519). The former group includes the four elements viz. earth, water, fire and air along with vegetable life; while in the latter are included all the moving animals begining with Amoeba upto human and divine beings.
The first vow of a householder is related with nonviolence. Abstinence from 15 types of acts causing violence is included in it. A householder decided to refrain from deliberately killing all innocent living beings. Here the adverb deliberately and the adjective innocent are significant. In case an animal is killed without intention to do so or is killed by way of punishment the vow is not broken. Thus a king is permitted to punish the offender or his enemy. In the war he can attack the fighting men only. To kill innocent women and children is against the code. (In the present atomic warfare uninvolved population in the cities is the main target).
There are five transgressions related with the vow of non-violence concerned with household animals and slaves. These are :--
(i) to tie the animal or a slave tigtly, (ii) to beat him severely, (iii) to cut his lines or tail, (iv) to load him with heavy burden and
(v) to keep him hungry or thirsty. Truth
The second vow is pertaining to truth. The observer makes a decision (29) not to speak gross untruth