Spiritual Awakening and other Essays

Author(s): Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 49

remarkably pronounces that none of the living beings ought to be killed, ought to be ruled, ought to be enslaved or possessed, ought to be distressed and ought to be put to disquiet. (सब्बे पापा ण हंतव्वा, ण अज्जावेतव्वा, ण परिघेत्तव्वा, ण परितावेयव्वा, OT Będucat)'s. The socio-political organisations and the capitalistic set up can easily derive inspiration from this ethico-social statement. Thus the Ayāro (Acārānga) conclusively pronounces that after understanding the importance of kindness to beings, the enlightened person should preach, disseminate and applaud it at all places in East-West and North-South directions. (EU TRI GIOTTI Yigui, uiui, gilgui satu 3119 ore fane Pore adt)6. The Praśnavyākaraņa Sūtra designates social Ahimsā as kindness, (दया) security (रक्षा) salutariness (कल्याण) fearlessness (अभय) and so on.!?
The Acārānga gives us certain arguments to renounce Himsā.
(i) Socio-political argument against Himsā : The Acārānga condemns Himsā by saying that its operation is without any stop, cessation and discontinuance and it goes on increasing to the extent possible with the political consequence that the race of armaments becomes unarrestable and continues to grow without any check. In contradistinction to this it eulogizes Ahimsā by saying that its observance is total and not piece-meal, with the result that the armament race discontinues and comes to a stop. (अत्थि सत्थं परेण परं, णत्थि असत्थं परेण परं) 18.
*** (ii) Psychological Argument against Hiṁsā : After comprehending and beholding the significance of peacefulness of beings, one should renounce Hiṁsā, inasmuch as Hiṁsā causes suffering to beings and human suffering caused by theft, hoarding, falsehood, slavery,
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Spiritual Awakening (Samyagdarśana) and Other Essays