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Society, Epistemology and Logic in Indian Tradition
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has a social aspect that motivates a man to become sensitive to others with compassion and friendliness.Violent behaviour is enemy for the society, but non-violence is a friend for it. For co-existence and peace of the society, nonviolent and friendly behaviour is essential. It applies for all the beings - be it mobile (trasa) or the immobile (sthāvara). In this way by developing empathy for other living beings, non-violence can play a big role in removal of conflict.
There is a misconception in our minds that violence and wars are the instruments for bringing peace in our life, but it is notable that violence can never bring peace in our minds and hearts. This thinking generates conflicts in our minds many times with other human beings, but a spot of blood on a cloth never can be washed by blood. Only nonviolence is helpful in establishing internal equanimity and peace. Actually impure thought injures the real nature of a soul by disturbing its equanimity. This is called sva-hiņsā i.e. violence of the self. This violence is more harmful, because it harms one own self and the others too. External violence occurs after internal violence. Hence, first we have to control the violence on internal level. Weapons and wars are not actual instruments for establishing peace. Ācārānga
Ācāranga and Sūtrakstānga sutras stress on the sensitivity of a living being and propound that every living being wants to live, nobody wants sorrow, as ācāranga (1.4.2) says- savvesim pāņānam savvesim bhutanam savvesim sattānam asāyam apariņivväņam mahābhayam dukkham ti, tti bemi. Acārāngasūtra : 1.1.2 : tam se ahităya tam se abodhiye. **Praśnavyākarana 2.1.3: esā sa bhagavai ahimsä ja så bhiyānam viva
saranam, pakkhinam viva gamanam tisiyānam viva salilam tasa-thāvarasavva-bhūya-khemarikari.
