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SVASTI – Essays in Honour of Prof. Hampa Nagarajaiah
ought to be enslaved or possessed, ought to be distressed or afflicted and ought to be put to unrest or disquiet." The sociopolitical organisations and the capitalistic set up can easily derive inspiration from this ethico-social statement. Thus the Ayāro (Ācārārga) 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. The Praśnavyākarana Sūtra designates Social Ahimsā as kindness, security, salutariness, fearlessness, non-killer, and so on.
The Ācārānga gives us certain arguments to renounce Himsā.
(1) 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 piecemeal, with the result that the armament race discontinues and comes to a stop.
(2) Psychological Argument against Himsā: After comprehending and beholding the significance of peacefulness of beings, one should renounce Himsā, inasmuch as Himsā causes suffering to beings and human suffering caused by theft, hoarding, falsehood, slavery, economic exploitation, social operation, curtailment of legitimate freedoms and the like is a great mental disturbance, is dreadful and is associated with unbearable pain and affliction. Since life is dear to all beings, pleasures are desirable, pain is undesirable for them, beings ought not to be killed, ruled, possessed, distressed and so on. It cannot be again said that human beings are engaged in actions and these actions are directed to different ends and some purposes. The Ācārānga expresses unpleasant surprise when it finds that there are human beings who are prone to realise ends and purposes through Himsā, such as killing, ruling, possessing, distressing and disquieting beings. They not only commit Himsā, but also they provoke others to commit Himsā and appreciate those who commit Himsā. The Ācārānga further tells us that these types of perverted actions defile human personality and thwart its proper development. We may thus conclude that the criterion of perverted action is Himsā, whereas the criterion of right action or ethico-social action is Ahimsā. It is of capital
s Ācārānga-sūtra, 132, (Agama Prakaśana Samiti, Beawer). 6 Ācārānga-sūtra, 196, (Agama Prakaśana Samiti, Beawer). 7 Praśnavyākarana Sūtra, 6.1.3, Pages 683-684, (Jaina Vishva Bhāratī, Ladnun under the title Amgasuttāni (3)). 8 Ācārānga-sūtra, 129, (Agama Prakaśana Samiti, Beawer).
Ibid. 49, 78. 10 Ibid. 13, 24, 35, 43, 51, 38.
