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of meat for the sake of pleasure or habit or normally, is clearly contrary to the teachings of Buddha as well as Mahavira It is also clear that the Jaina monks strenuously avioded the use of meat on principle36 Nor can there be any doubt that Jainism has been a principal factor in the spread of vegetarianism in India
Since Mahatma Gandhi the most important question discussed about Ahimsă has been its relevance to political life The two questions which arise in this connection are-can the government function without using violence to punish crime, can international disputes be settled peacefully?
A perusal of Jaina writings on politics such as Somadeva's Nitivăk yāmrta and Hemacandra's Laghiyai hannītı which claims to summarize Mahāvīra's advice to Bimbisåra, would reveal that the basic principles of the Arthasāstra are acceptable to Jaina scholars who only emphasize the King's duty of helping the cause of Jaina faith, being just and impartial and avoiding war as much as possible They do not envisage that the state can enforce laws or ensure the security of the country without violent punishment or war It is only in the prehistoric, mythical ages that men lived without violence and did not need the coercive machinery of the state As men declined in virtue this coercive machinery became necessary and has come to stay in the present epoch of history87
It is obvious that the practice of Ahimsă presupposes a person and a context where the loss of material things, social position or even life would be acceptable in view of a superior consciousness and its ideals This is a context where the egoistic and acquisitive attitudes are subordinated to the attitudes of transcendence, acceptance and giving up Now the political context is inherently different The state is not a person but an impersonal machinery charged with the duty of maintaining order and security and authorised to use violence as an ultimate resort The spread of pacifism can become effective only if human nature is sufficiently educated morally and spiritually not to seek the settlement of disputes even at the expense of others In other words, unless the
