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TWO DEFINITIONS OF AHIMSA
Dr. Unto Tahitnen University of Jyvaskyla, Finland
There are two different ideas of ahimsa in Indian thought. We may name them "Śramanic" and "Vedic". The former is for instance mentioned by SandilyaUpanisad.] It means not to cause suffering to any living being at any time either by mental, vocal or bodily activities. The Jainas, Buddhists and Yogins approve the idea of ahimsă in this sense. The point is that any intentional act causing harm or suffering to any living being is to be named as "himsā". Therefore also ahimsā as a concept is applied to all living beings.
However, the moral tradition based on the originally Vedic sources is different. In the Chandog ya-Upanisad we find an important Vedic statement regarding the meaning of ahimsā. He who practises ahimsā towards all creatures, except at holy places (tirtha), does not return to this world again.2 "Holy places." refers here to the place of animal sacrifice.
Manu says that the himsă prescribed in the Vedas should be construed to mean ahimsā, because moral duties spring out from the Vedas. 8 This Vedic conception of non-violence appears in a clear form also in the Mahābhārata: the violence done to an evil-doer (asādhu-himsā) for maintaining wordly affairs (loka-yātrā) is ahimsa.4 This appears to mean that "violence to an evil-doer" is bracketed into the concept of ahimsā.
The Vedic conception af ahimsā is hence not universal. It means "refraining from causing harm to a living being in the way not enjoined by the Vedas". We can draw the (rather surprising) conclusion that according to the Vedic concept of ahimsā killing an enemy in a war, executing a criminal or killing an animal in a sacrifice are indeed all acts of "ahimsa" provided they are performed according to the commands of the authorative scriptures.
Thus there are two different definitions of ahimsā. The term when used does not simply mean the same in all contexts. There are other differences of opinion also. The Vedic idea is motivated by social concern, whereas the sramanic idea refers to an individual motivation.
The Jainas have very laboriously dealt not only with ahimsā but also with the meaning of himsā. Himsā, to them, means the hurting of life-principles (prāna-vyaparopana) due to the passionate activity pramatta-yoga). Another later 71
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