Spiritual Awakening and other Essays

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

Page 91

performance of domestic activities, and (3) by defending oneself, one's neighbour, one's country, one's belongings and the like from one's foes is denominated as (1) Udyami, (2) Ārambhi, and (3) Virodhi respectively.
Ahimsāņuvrata:-Now the householder, being snared in the meshes of infirmities, is incapable of turning away completely from Himsā; hence he should keep himself away from the deliberate commission of Himsa of the two-sensed to five-sensed beings.10 The commitment of Himsā in being engaged in a certain profession, in performing domestic activities, and in adopting defensive contrivances, cannot be counteracted, by him. Thus he commits intentional injury to one-sensed Jivas, namely, the vegetable-bodied, the airbodied, the fire-bodied etc. and non-intentional injury in performing Arambha (domestic activities), Uddyoga (profession) and Virodha (defence). He can, therefore, observe the gross form of Ahimsa which is known as Ahimsāṇuvrata. Even in the realm of one-sensed Jivas and in the realm of non-international injury he should so manage to confine his operations as may affect the life and existence of a very limited number of Jivas." In these two provinces the point to note in that of alleviating the amount of injury that is apt to be caused and not that of total relinquishment which is not possible without jeopardizing the survival of man. Nevertheless, Himsā, even in the realm of one-sensed Jīvas and in the realm of non-intentional injury, is unjustifiable. If we reflect a little we shall find that man is subject to Himsa by the very condition of his existence. Yet instead of aggravating the natural weight of Himsa by falling foul upon one another and by our cruel treatment with the animal and vegetable kingdoms, we should endeavour to alleviate this general curse to the extent to which we are
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Spiritual Awakening (Samyagdarśana) and Other Essays