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identify himself with others and should try as far as possible not to harm any body with the intention of harming and should live in this world in such a way. that one may kill the other living beings with the kind feeling for them and only when it is unavoidable. With this view of non-violence in their mind the propagators of non-violence have first tried to find out for what purpose the people resorted to killing of the living beings. They have noted that people resort to killing with no purpose at all. When we read the Acaränga it is clear that for various purposes or without any there was killing of all types of living beings. In daily life the use of earth, water, fire, wind etc. was there without any sense of violence. For the purpose of food and drink and even for the religious ceremony the killing of living beings was allowed. Only for the sake of game and pleasure the performance of violence is noted in the Acäränga. War was also one of the cause of violence. When Lord Mahavira noted all these types of violence he renounced the world and took only such food, shelter etc. what was not prepared for him and that also only when there was utter neccessity. He made a rule not to accept any food or shelter etc. in which the killing of any living being, for his sake, was involved. As a general rule he was not in favour of accepting the meat, fish or wine. In this way he became an example of non-violent life, and then he propagated the non-violence in daily life to the people of East India, and was really responsible for propagation of religion rooted in non-violence. So we find that the Jaina religion is described as a religion rooted in non-violence."
In this way in India the importance of ahimsa instead of satya (truth) was accepted in religion due to the propagation of the religion rooted in ahimsa. It may be noted here that before the time of Mahavira and the Buddha in Vedic religion the satya was most important.
ŚRUTA-SARITĀ
But after Mahävira and Buddha we find the importance of Satya as well as as of the Ahimså, recognized in the Epic literature and the Purāņas. It is quite clear that this is due to the influence of the Jaina and the Buddist religion.
In view of the theory that the internal passion is the real violence and not the killing of the other living being it was clearly stated by Lord Mahavira thatpurisă tumam eva tumm-mittam kim bahiyam mittam icchasi ?
(Acā. 1.3.3.4) tumam si näma tam ceva hantavvam' ti mannasi... tamha na hantä na vi ghāyae (Ácă. 1.5.5.4)
"Man, Thou art thy own friend; Why Wishest thou for a friend beyond thy self"
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