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BANERJEE : JAINISM AND NON-VIOLENCE
159
friend. Let us see each other devoid of malice with the eyes of my friend."
The same idea is echoed once by the Romans as the Latin sentence says -
homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum perto.
“I am a man, there is nothing about man whom I keep away far from me.”
The Atharvaveda says-let us not get any fear from any quarter of the globe :
abhayam mitrād, abhayam amitrad abhayam jñātād, abhayam parokşāt / abhayam naktam, abhayam divā naḥ sarvā āśā mama mitram bhavantu //
(AV. 19.15.6] "Let there be no fear from my friend, no fear from my enemy, no fear from my relatives, no fear from the unknown (quarters); there is no fear from night, no fear from day. Let all our hopes be friendly”.
In the post-Vedic stage, the same tone and tune of Vedic ahimsā was followed, but in a modified form. By that time (i.e. say 600 B.C.) the Vedic sacrifice had gained ground in the society; Out of many sacrifices, the animal sacrifice (paśuyāga) was also prevalent. By the time Manu wrote his book Manusamhitā where he has said that himsā in connection with animal sacrifice is not himsā at all, it is to be treated as ahimsā, and the mandate of Manu is often quoted for that: yajñārtham paśavaḥ sșştāḥ svayam eva
svayambhūvā / yajñasya bhūtyāi sarvasya tasmād yajñe
vodho’vadhaḥ || [V. 39]
"Svayambhū (the Self-existence) himself created animals for the sake of sacrifice. Sacrifices (have been instituted) for the good of this whole (world); hence the slaughtering (of beasts) for sacrifices is not slaughtering (in the ordinary sense of the word).”
