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BANERJEE : JAINISM AND NON-VIOLENCE
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ahimsā vāň-mana-kāyaiḥ prāņi-mătra-prapidanam / svātmavat sarvabhūteņu kāyena manasā girā //
"Ahimsā means that not a single animal is to be hurt by speech, mind and body, and to behave all animals like ones own self with mind, body and speech is non-violence (ahimsā).” Ahimsā in the Mediaeval Jainism
In the mediaeval period (roughly started from the 10th cent. A.D.), the doctrine of ahimsā turned into a different direction. It was no longer a mere eulogy of ahimsā, nor was it regarded as a sort of moral ethics, as it was at the time of Mahāvīra. In the Hindu sources it was mainly argumentative as it was evidenced by the Mahābhāratatradition. But it was the Jains who turned ahimsā into a system of philosophy. And as a result, there were lots of changes in their philosophical ideas and ahimsä was described from various points of view.
The first philosophical text is the Tattvārtha-sūtra by Umāsvāti or Umāsvāmi belonging to the first or fifth cent. A.D. The text describes the nature of ahimsā as was current in his time. Umāsvāti defines himsā from the philosophical point view: pramatta-yogāt prāņa-vyaparopaņam himsā ll
(VII. 13)
"Injury is the severance of vitalities out of passion.”
When a person is actuated by passion he is called pramatta. Pramattayoga therefore means the activity of such a person. Therefore, the severance of the vitalities that are present is called injury.
It is said by Umāsvāti that himsā does not depend on acts alone. Himsā may bebhāva-himsā and dravya-himsă. Bhāva-himsā means the "intention to hurt”, whereas dravya-himsă means the "actual physical hurt.” Bhāvahimsă arises under the influence of anger and other passions as described by Umāsvāti in his book as
