Ahimsa in Scriptures
Ahimsa <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Ahimsa> is mentioned many times in
different scriptures ranging from the Sruti such as the Rig Veda
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Rig_Veda> to Smriti
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Smriti> such as the Patanjali Yoga
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Yoga> Sutra to itihaas such as the
*Mahabharata* <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Mahabharata>*.*
Vedic examples are when Mitra is called "*ahimsanasya*" ("*compassioniate*"),
and the terms ahimsyamana, ahimsanasya, ahimsantih, ahimsantam, ahimsantih,
ahimsanta.
आदिन मातॄराविशद यास्वा शुचिरहिंस्यमान उर्वियावि वाव्र्धे |
अनु यत पूर्वा अरुहत सनाजुवो नि नव्यसीष्ववरासु धावते ||1 141 5 RV
ādin mātṝrāviśad yāsvā śucirahiṃsyamāna urviyāvi vāvṛdhe |
anu yat pūrvā aruhat sanājuvo ni navyasīṣvavarāsu dhāvate || as above
yan nūnam aśyāṃ ghatim mitrasya yāyām pathā |
asya priyasya śarmaṇy ahiṃsānasya saścire ||RV 5 64 3
2 Despite the fact that ahimsa is considered to be a
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/A> fundamental concept, however, there is no
single place where it is exhaustively dealt with. Rather, it is mentioned
across the breadth of scriptures, each time, in relationship with other
topics that are under discussion. For example, Lord Krishna
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Lord_Krishna> states in the Bhagawad Gita,
*ahimsa* <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Ahimsa>* is among the various
qualities of living beings are created by Me alone *.Manusmruti considers
ahimsa <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Ahimsa> foremost amongst the 5
restraints (yama <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Yama>) necessary in
personal behavior. The other 4 being truthfulness (satyam), nonstealing or
not coveting (asteyam), purity of mind and body (shoucham) and control of
senses (indriyanigraha)
ahimsa
*samata tushtis tapo danam yasho ’yashah bhavanti bhava bhutanam matta eva
prithag-vidhah B G 10 4 5 *
Translation
*BG 10.4-5**: From Me alone arise the varieties of qualities in humans,
such as intellect, knowledge, clarity of thought, forgiveness,
truthfulness, control over the senses and mind, joy and sorrow, birth and
death, fear and courage, non-violence, equanimity, contentment, austerity,
charity, fame, and infamy.*
अहिंसाप्रतिष्ठायां तत्सन्निधौ वैरत्यागः
ahi <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Ahi>ṁsāṣṭhāyām tatsannidau vairatyāgaḥ
As a Yogi becomes firmly grounded in ahimsa, other people who comes in
contact with him will naturally lose any feelings of hostility.
हिंसा परमो धर्मः
धर्म हिंसा तथीव चAhimsa Paramo Dharma
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Ahimsa_Paramo_Dharma>
Dharma <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Dharma> himsa tathaiva
chaNon-violence is the ultimate dharma. So too is violence in service of
Dharma.
- 3 "If the diet is pure the mind will be pure, and if the mind is
pure the intellect also will be pure."
- ahimsa <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Ahimsa> is a
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/A> duty for all of the four varna-s. The
texts declare that ahimsa <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Ahimsa> should
be extended to all forms of life. They also give attention to the
protection of plants.
- The Manu Smriti <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Smriti> prohibits
wanton destruction of both wild and cultivated plant
- Violence against domestic animals is considered to be himsa
1. Ahimsa <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Ahimsa> satyam-asteyam
shoucham-indriyanigraha, Mausmruti - 10:63
2. ↑ <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Ahimsa_in_Scriptures#cite_ref-12>
Manu Smriti <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Smriti> 10.63
3. ↑ <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Ahimsa_in_Scriptures#cite_ref-13>
Manu Smriti <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Smriti> 11.145
4. ↑ <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Ahimsa_in_Scriptures#cite_ref-14>
Manu Smriti <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Smriti> 5.27-4
4 Tiru Kural
- "It is the principle of the pure in heart never to injure others, even
when they themselves have been hatefully injured."
- "If a man inflicts sorrow on another in the morning, sorrow will come
to him unbidden in the afternoon."
- "What is virtuous conduct? It is never destroying life, for killing
leads to every other sin."
- 312 Though malice work its worst, planning no ill return, to endure,
And work no ill, is fixed decree of men in spirit pure. It is the
determination of the spotless not to do evil, even in return, to those who
have cherished enmity and done them evil.:
- kaRuththuinnaa seydhavak kaNNum maRuththinnaa
seyyaamai maasatraar koaL 312
- 319 If a man inflict sorrow upon others in the morning, it will come
upon him unsought in the very evening.:
- piRarkkinnaa muRpakal seyyin thamakkuinnaa
piRpakal thaamae varum 319
5 Mahabharata <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Mahabharata>
- "One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to
one's own self. This, in brief, is the rule of dharma
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Dharma>. Yielding to desire and acting
differently, one becomes guilty of adharma
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Adharma>." [
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Ahimsa_in_Scriptures#cite_note-18>
- "Those high-souled persons who desire beauty, faultlessness of limbs,
long life, understanding, mental and physical strength and memory should
abstain from acts of injury."
- "Ahimsa is the highest dharma <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Dharma>.
Ahimsa is the best tapas <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Tapas>. Ahimsa
is the greatest gift. Ahimsa is the highest self-control. Ahimsa is the
highest sacrifice. Ahimsa is the highest power. Ahimsa is the highest
friend. Ahimsa is the highest truth. Ahimsa is the highest teaching."
- Those high-souled persons who desire beauty, faultlessness of limbs,
long life, understanding, mental and physical strength and memory should
abstain from acts of injury.
- Ahimsa is the highest dharma <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Dharma>.
Ahimsa is the best tapas <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Tapas>. Ahimsa
is the greatest gift. Ahimsa is the highest self-control. Ahimsa is the
highest sacrifice. Ahimsa is the highest power. Ahimsa is the highest
friend. Ahimsa is the highest truth. Ahimsa is the highest teaching.
- One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to
one's own self. This, in brief, is the rule of dharma
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Dharma>. Yielding to desire and acting
differently, one becomes guilty of adharma
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Adharma>.
6 Dharma Shastra
- *"The twice-born* should endure high-handed criticism*; he should
insult none*. While yet in his body, he should not pick enmity with
anyone; he should not return anger with anger; decried, he should say a
good word."
- "Without doing injury to living things, flesh cannot be had anywhere;
and the killing of living beings is not conducive to heaven; hence eating
of flesh should be avoided."
- "Nonviolence, truthfulness, nonstealing, purity, sense control--this,
in brief, says Manu, is the dharma of all the four castes.’
7 Rigveda <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Rigveda>
- "Without congestion, amidst men, She who has many heights, stretches,
and level grounds, who bears herbs of manifold potency, may that Earth
spread out and be rich for us. Let all the people milk Her with amity."
- "The peace in the sky, the peace in the mid-air, the peace on earth,
the peace in waters, the peace in plants, the peace in forest trees, the
peace in all Gods, the peace in Brahman
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Brahman>, the peace in all things, the
peace in peace, may that peace come to me."
- "Let your aims be common, and your hearts be of one accord, and all of
you be of one mind, so you may live well together."
- saṃ-samid yuvase vṛṣannaghne viśvānyarya ā |
iḷas padesamidhyase sa no vasūnyā bhara ||
saṃ ghachadhvaṃ saṃ vadadhvaṃ saṃ vo manāṃsi jānatām |
devā bhāghaṃ yathā pūrve saṃjānānā upāsate ||
samāno mantraḥ samitiḥ samānī samānaṃ manaḥ saha cittameṣām |
samānaṃ mantramabhi maṇtraye vaḥ samānena vohaviṣā juhomi ||
samānī va ākūtiḥ samānā hṛdayāni vaḥ |
samānamastu vomano yathā vaḥ susahāsati ||R V 10 191
8 Atharvaveda <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Atharvaveda>
- "Peace be the earth, peaceful the ether, peaceful heaven, peaceful the
waters, peaceful the herbs, peaceful the trees. May all Gods bring me
peace. May there be peace through these invocations of peace. With these
invocations of peace which appease everything, I render peaceful whatever
here is terrible, whatever here is cruel, whatever here is sinful. Let it
become auspicious, let everything be beneficial to us."
- "Let us have concord with our own people, and concord with people who
are strangers to us; Asvins <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Asvins>,
create between us and the strangers a unity of hearts. May we unite in our
midst, unite in our purposes, and not fight against the divine spirit
within us. Let not the battle-cry rise amidst many slain, nor the arrows of
the War-God fall with the break of day."
- "Whatever I dig from Earth, may that have quick growth again. O
Purifier, may we not injure your vitals or your heart."
- "Ahimsa is not causing pain to any living being at any time through
the actions of one's mind, speech or body."
9 Yajurveda <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Yajurveda>
- "May all beings look at me with a friendly eye. May I do likewise, and
may we all look on each other with the eyes of a friend."
- "The injury that we have caused to heaven and earth, mother or father,
from that sin may the domestic fire ceremony pull us out."
- "Do not injure the beings living on the earth, in the air and in the
water."
- "Everyone should make offerings to all creatures; thereby one achieves
the propitiation of all creatures. Every day one should make gifts, even if
it be only with a cup of water: thus one achieves the propitiation of human
beings."
- In the Taittiriya Samhita, , where it refers to non-injury to the
sacrificer himself. It occurs several times in the Shatapatha Brahmana in
the sense of "non-injury" without a moral connotation.
- In the Kapisthala Katha Samhita, there is a reference to non-violence
to animals in a moral sense.
10 Samaveda
The Chandogya Upanishad <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Upanishad> uses the
word ahimsa. Later, it bars violence against "all creatures" (sarva-bhuta
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Bhuta>) and the practitioner of ahimsa is
said to escape from the cycle of reincarnation. It also names ahimsa as one
of five essential virtues .
- he who, after leaving the teacher’s house
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/House>, has settled down into a
householder’s life and continued the study of the Vedas
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Vedas> in a sacred spot and made others
(i.e. his sons and disciples) virtuous; he who has withdrawn all the sense—
organs into the Self; he who has not given pain to any creature except as
approved by the scriptures—he who conducts himself thus, all through his
life, reaches the World of Brahman
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Brahman> after death and does not return,
yea, does not return. violence against domestic animals
- Chandogya Upanishad: It bars violence against "all creatures" (sarva-
bhuta <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Bhuta>) and the practitioner of
ahimsa is said to escape from the cycle of reincarnation
- It also names ahimsa as one of five essential virtues, ahimsa as a "
dakshinA
<https://www.hindupedia.com/index.php?title=DakshinA&action=edit&redlink=1>"
for the priests
अथ यत्तपो दानमार्जवमहिंसा सत्यवचनमिति ता अस्य दक्षिणाः ॥ ३.१७.४ ॥
atha yattapo dānamārjavamahiṃsā satyavacanamiti tā asya dakṣiṇāḥ || 3.17.4
||
4. Next, austerity, charity, straightforwardness, nonviolence, and
truthfulness—these are his *dakṣiṇā
<https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/dakshina#hinduism>*.
तधैतद्ब्रह्मा प्रजापतयै उवाच प्रजापतिर्मनवे मनुः प्रजाभ्यः
आचार्यकुलाद्वेदमधीत्य यथाविधानं गुरोः कर्मातिशेषेणाभिसमावृत्य कुटुम्बे शुचौ
देशे स्वाध्यायमधीयानो धर्मिकान्विदधदात्मनि सर्वैन्द्रियाणि
सम्प्रतिष्ठाप्याहिंसन्सर्व भूतान्यन्यत्र तीर्थेभ्यः स खल्वेवं
वर्तयन्यावदायुषं ब्रह्मलोकमभिसम्पद्यते न च पुनरावर्तते न च पुनरावर्तते ॥ ८.
१५.१ ॥
॥ इति पञ्चदशः खण्डः ॥
tadhaitadbrahmā prajāpatayai uvāca prajāpatirmanave manuḥ prajābhyaḥ
ācāryakulādvedamadhītya yathāvidhānaṃ guroḥ karmātiśeṣeṇābhisamāvṛtya
kuṭumbe śucau deśe svādhyāyamadhīyāno dharmikānvidadhadātmani
sarvaindriyāṇi sampratiṣṭhāpyāhiṃsansarva bhūtānyanyatra tīrthebhyaḥ sa
khalvevaṃ vartayanyāvadāyuṣaṃ brahmalokamabhisampadyate na ca punarāvartate
na ca punarāvartate || 8.15.1 ||
|| iti pañcadaśaḥ khaṇḍaḥ ||
1. Brahmā <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/brahma#hinduism> taught
this knowledge of the Self to Prajāpati
<https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/prajapati#hinduism>, and Prajāpati
taught it to Manu <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/manu#hinduism>.
Manu, in his turn, taught it to all human beings. A young man goes to live
at his teacher’s house and serves him, and when he is free he studies the
Vedas <https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/vedas#hinduism> in the
prescribed manner. After finishing all his studies, he goes back home and
marries. But he continues to study the scriptures in a sacred place. He
also teaches his children and disciples in such a way that they will be
religious. He keeps all his senses under control and avoids violence unless
he is at a holy place. This is how he lives his whole life. Then after
death he goes to Brahmaloka
<https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/brahmaloka#hinduism>, and he is not
born again, he is not born again.
11 Kautilya Arthashastra
- ahimsa is a duty for all the four classes (Varnas) of society. The
texts declare that ahimsa should be extended to all forms of life. They
also give attention to the protection of plants.
12 Vasishtha Dharmasutr
- ahimsa is a duty for all the four classes (Varnas) of society. The
texts declare that ahimsa should be extended to all forms of life. They
also give attention to the protection of plants. [45]
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Ahimsa_in_Scriptures#cite_note-45>
13 Bhagavad Gita <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Bhagavad_Gita>
- ahimsa is among the various qualities of living beings are created by
Me alone
- ahimsa is in a list of things that Lord Krishna
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Lord_Krishna> declares to be knowledge,
and besides this whatever there may be is ignorance
- ahimsa is in a list of transcendental qualities, the Lord declares
that belong to godly men endowed with divine nature
- ahimsa is one of the qualities of austerity of the body
- Gita again includes Ahimsa in the effects of attaining Dnyana, the the
knowledge of Self (aatman) and thus becoming - Kshetradnya.
13 8 12 amānitvam adambhitvam
ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam
ācāryopāsanaṁ śaucaṁ
sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ
indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam
anahaṅkāra eva ca
janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-
duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam
asaktir anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ
putra-dāra-gṛhādiṣu
nityaṁ ca sama-cittatvam
iṣṭāniṣṭopapattiṣu
mayi cānanya-yogena
bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī
vivikta-deśa-sevitvam
aratir jana-saṁsadi
adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ
tattva-jñānārtha-darśanam
etaj jñānam iti proktam
ajñānaṁ yad ato ’nyathā
Humility; pridelessness; nonviolence; tolerance; simplicity; approaching a
bona fide spiritual master; cleanliness; steadiness; self-control;
renunciation of the objects of sense gratification; absence of false ego;
the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease;
detachment; freedom from entanglement with children, wife, home and the
rest; even-mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and
unalloyed devotion to Me; aspiring to live in a solitary place; detachment
from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of
self-realization; and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth – all
these I declare to be knowledge, and besides this whatever there may be is
ignorance.
Srimad Bhagavatam
- Prohibit violence against innocent animals
- Self-controlled persons who are attached to the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
can all of a sudden give up the world of material attachment, including the
gross body and subtle mind, and go away to attain the highest perfection of
the renounced order of life, by which nonviolence and renunciation are
consequentia
- One should practice nonviolence and truthfulness, should avoid
thieving and be satisfied with possessing as much as he needs for his
maintenance. He should abstain from sex life, perform austerity, be clean,
study the Vedas <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Vedas> and worship
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Worship> the supreme form of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead
- These are the general principles to be followed by all human beings:
truthfulness, mercy, austerity (observing fasts on certain days of the
month), bathing twice a day, tolerance, discrimination between right and
wrong, control of the mind, control of the senses, nonviolence, celibacy,
charity, reading of scripture, simplicity, satisfaction, rendering service
to saintly persons, gradually taking leave of unnecessary engagements,
observing the futility of the unnecessary activities of human society,
remaining silent and grave and avoiding unnecessary talk
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Talk>, considering whether one is the
body or the soul, distributing food equally to all living entities (both
men and animals), seeing every soul (especially in the human form) as a
part of the Supreme Lord, hearing about the activities and instructions
given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead (who is the shelter of the
saintly persons), chanting about these activities and instructions, always
remembering these activities and instructions, trying to render service,
performing worship <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Worship>, offering
obeisances, becoming a servant, becoming a friend, and surrendering one's
whole self. O King Yudhiṣṭhira, these thirty qualifications must be
acquired in the human form of life. Simply by acquiring these
qualifications, one can satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Nonviolence, truthfulness, honesty, desire for the happiness and
welfare of all others and freedom from lust, anger and greed constitute
duties for all members of society
- The main religious duties of a sannyāsī are equanimity and
nonviolence, whereas for the vānaprastha
<https://www.hindupedia.com/en/V%C4%81naprastha> austerity and
philosophical understanding of the difference between the body and soul are
prominent. The main duties of a householder are to give shelter to all
living entities and perform sacrifices, and the brahmacārī is mainly
engaged in serving the spiritual master.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Nonviolence, truthfulness,
not coveting or stealing the property of others, detachment, humility,
freedom from possessiveness, trust in the principles of religion, celibacy,
silence, steadiness, forgiveness and fearlessness are the twelve primary
disciplinary principles. Internal cleanliness, external cleanliness,
chanting the holy names of the Lord, austerity, sacrifice, faith,
hospitality, worship <https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Worship> of Me,
visiting holy places, acting and desiring only for the supreme interest,
satisfaction, and service to the spiritual master are the twelve elements
of regular prescribed duties. These twenty-four elements bestow all desired
benedictions upon those persons who devotedly cultivate them KR
IRS 26123
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Thatha_Patty" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZopA74pKj-wsBT%3D7bB4hWQnZJX-TB%3DrK%2B9O1T-LDtu6SwA%40mail.gmail.com.
