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Therefore, to believe in such erroneous belief is against the canonical dictates, principle of karma theory, constitution, moral principles, reason, commonsense and principles of natural justice. It amounts to making the noble principle of non-violence a laughing stock in the eyes of the common people. This belief is absolutely baseless and a figment of some overactive brain's imagination. In the ancient age there was sect of elephant eaters called 'Hastitapasa' that went according to this belief and its followers, in order to escape the sin of killing innumerable living beings of the vegetable origin, used to kill an elephant and eat it for a long time. They used to consider themselves as non-violent and those who did not follow this principle as violent.
The reality is that the soul is eternal, immortal and indestructible. Therefore, it cannot be killed or destroyed. What is killed or destroyed are the senses like ears, eyes, nose, etc., and vitalities like body, mind and speech and the abilities to breathe, live etc.,. That is why the Jaina scriptures have used the term deprivation of vitality (Prāṇātipāta) rather than killing for violence and the minor or major vow of non-violence is also in respect of this depriving of vitalities only, which is meaningful and as it should be. As a rule, the stage of development of a living being is indicated by the number of vitalities and consequent power of sensitivity it possesses and the amount of violence in killing a living being is exponentially proportional to its stage of development. The vital power or sensitivity in a two sensed living being like earthworm, etc., is infinite times that of a one sensed living being and they have been considered as infinitely more meritorious as compared to the one sensed beings. Hence killing a two sensed being is infinitely more sinful than killing a one sensed being. This very sense has been conveyed in the Praśnavyākaraṇa sūtra in the aphorism 'Egam isim haṇamāne aṇante jive hanai' that is one who kills one sage (a living being at a higher stage of evolution) incurs the sin of killing infinite number of living beings (at a lower stage of evolution). Similarly, the sin of killing a three sensed living being like an ant, etc., is infinite times that of killing a two sensed one; the sin of killing a four sensed
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