________________
Religion, Practice and Science of Non-Violence
fight for righteousness. War is an open door to heaven. Moreover, as a house-holder (grihastha) he should not follow the ideals of a monk (sannyasin).1
According to the Gita, a Kshatriya whose duty is to fight to protect dharma cannot think in terms of ahimsā. For him, even killing an enemy in war, is a necessary act, a duty.
The law scripture of the Hindus, Manu-Smriti goes a step further in this direction. It says:
6
Ya vedavihitā himsā niyatāsmimshcarācare ahimsāmeva tām vidyād vedad dharmo hi nirbabhau.
Because the whole Law has sprung from the Vedas, that violence which has been enjoined by the Vedas themselves in this mobile and immobile world must be accepted or recognised as non-violence.
As regards the six systems of Hindu philosophy (Darshanas), the Purva Mimamsă which accepts the authority of the Vedas, also takes a similar view of duty versus ahimsā. According to it, destruction of life which has scriptural sanction (sāstriya himsā) is good (artha) and justified because it causes more pleasure than pain. Killing an enemy is evil (anartha) only if it is not permitted by the scriptures (sastras). Thus ahimsă, in the proper sense, is totally subordinated to Vedic justice and is part of it.
The Vaiseshika system of Hindu philosophy, on the other hand, differs from the limited view of ahimsă of the Mahābhārata, Manu-Smriti and the Purva Mimamsă. According to it, observance of ahimsā is a duty of all castes (varnas) and in all stages of life (ashramas). Sāmkhya and Yoga, the two other orthodox systems of Hindu philosophy, attach even greater importance to the unlimited and unrestricted observance of ahimsā.
From the above discussion it will be seen that while Hindu religion and social order regarded the observance of ahimsa as a virtue, it did not allow it to stand in the way of one's observance of one's duties (svadharma) if there was a conflict between the two. On the other hand, Hindu philosophy (except for Purva Mimamsā) enjoined upon all, irrespective of caste and stage of life, the strict observance of ahimsā.
1 Bhagavad Gita, II. 32.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
