Vijyanandsuri Swargarohan Shatabdi Granth

Author(s): Navinchandra Vijaymuni, Ramanlal C Shah, Shripal Jain
Publisher: Vijayanand Suri Sahitya Prakashan Foundation Pavagadh

Page 882

self realisation as stated above is Himsa. Ahimsa as defined in the Acaranga Sutra by Lord Mahavira is that 'no living beings, no animate objects, no sentient being, no life should be slain or treated with violence, or tormented or abused or driven away.' In the Avashyaksutra Ahimsa has further been conceptualised as not committing Himsa by thought, speech and action and it extends further to: (a) 1. no Himsa by thought;
2. not causing others to commit Himsa by thought;
3. not approving Himsa by thought; (b) 1. no Himsa by speech;
2. not causing others to commit Himsa by speech;
3. not approving Himsa by speech. (c) 1. no Himsa by action;
2. not causing others to commit Himsa by action;
3. not approving Himsa by action. In this way there are nine different ways by which Himsa is to be shunned and Ahimsa to be observed.
This strict adherence to the concept of non- violence in Jainism provides us a key to the understanding of their attitude towards animals including birds and fish. Without having this knowledge of the belief in the principle of Ahimsa it is almost impossible to have a clear concept about the evolution of their attitude towards not only the animal world but even the vegetable world which is also considered as having one sensed beings (Ekendriya Jiva).
The Jaina system as made applicable to the householders leaves some leeway for their practice. It is called as Ahimsanuvrata in Jainism, according to which certain latitude is granted to the Jaina householder from the practical point of view. Since it would be almost impossible to shun Himsa strictly in accordance with the Jaina tenets, a Jaina householder has to keep away from the deliberate commission of Himsa of the two sensed to five sensed beings. Even in the realm of one sensed beings (Jivas) i.e. the vegetable bodied, the air bodied, the fire bodied etc., he should manage to confine his operations in such a way that the existence of a very limited number of jivas is affected. The emphasis is, however, on alleviating the amount of injury and not on total relinquishment
Jaina Attiiude To Animal World: Impact On Social Life In India
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