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188 RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE JAINAS or subtle. Prāņātipāta means separating the prăņas (life forces). Viramaņa means giving up. So the name of this vow means choosing to refrain from some killing; to refrain from destroying life, but not in a literal or strict sense.
Now the next thing is to know what killing is; and then what particular kinds or forms of killing shall be refrained from. What is killing?
Killing is the tearing asunder or separating of the pānas through negligent activities. The word 'negligent' here has a particular technical meaning. Negligent activities
They are activities which take place when a person is in a state in which care and caution cannot be used. When a person is in any of the five following states he acts without care or caution; he does not exercise care and caution :
1. Mada : Pride, through which a person kills. It implies arrogance and is a state which ignores the right of other living beings.
2. Visaya : Sense pleasure which leads to killing.
3. Kasāya : The kasāyas anger, greed, deceit, etc., lead to killing in their intense degrees where the reason is lost as in wrath and anger.
4. Nidrā : Sleep. We cannot exercise care and caution when asleep and may kill a living thing, if it gets in the bed, Mothers. even kill their babies in this state.
5. Vikathā : Undesirable coversation which leads to passion, lust and excitement of mind, and then to killing. For instance, duels, fights and rows.
These five kinds of activities are what is meant above by negligent activities. Life Forces (Prāņas)
Different living beings have different numbers of prānas (life forces) as follows :
Beings with only one organ of sense possess four prānas, namely : 1. Touch 2. Respiration
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