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Written by Sri Swami Chandrashekarendra
Saraswati |
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According to the Manusmriti, ahimsa is the foremost among the dharmas
that are common to all. It is included in the yoga of mind control.
Ahimsa
means much more than non-injury; it implies not doing harm to others
even by thought or word.
By nature none of us wants to cause any hurt to other people. But if
others do us harm we want to retaliate in anger. Suppose one of our
children sets fire to our house in all innocence. We do not punish it
but
try to extinguish the fire and thereafter take care to see that the
child is
kept away from fire and other dangerous objects. We must learn to think
that all those who cause us pain are like this child. If a person tries
to hurt
us, we must lovingly prevent him from doing so. We must not bear any
illwill
against him nor think of retaliating. This is true ahimsa.
The practice of ahimsa contributes greatly to the yoga of mind control.
The mind is like a demon. But see what wonders the demon- the
vetalaaccomplished
for Vikramaditya after he had been brought under control.
The mind will do us unlimited good if it is made subservient to us.
Anjaneya [Hanuman] acquired his immense strength and was able to
perform so many great and good deeds only because he had conquered
his mind. The mind's power is immeasurable. All the cosmos is the work
of the Supreme Goddess and in this creation of hers even the mind of a
tiny ant pervades the entire universe.
Many great men, many yogins, have stated that they were able to control
their minds by adhering to true ahimsa. When we practise ahimsa, anger
will naturally give way, the mind will become clear and will easily be
controlled.
Though the chief aim of non-violence the control of the mind, there is
another unexpected benefit that it brings. It is called "avantara
prayojana". All of you came to the Matha to see the puja. But with that
you listened to the nagasvaram music and saw persons whom you had
not seen for long - and now you listen to my discourse. All these belong
to the category of avantara prayojana. Thus if a man practises true
nonviolence
(by body, mind and speech), he will be rewarded with a benefit
that he had not expected. In his presence all creatures will forget
their illwill
and cease to cause hurt to any other creature.
Ahimsa- pratisthayam tatsannidhau vairatyagah -yogasutra.
-- Yogasutra, 2. 35
The minds of even cruel people will be transformed in the presence of
men practising utter ahimsa: in other words when a man is full of love
he
can make other people also loving and this is an avantara prayojana.
A sannyasin must observe total non-violence. He must not even pluck a
leaf from a tree and must not do violence to plants by cooking them. It
is
because of the rule of absolute non-violence enjoined on him that there
is an interdiction on his performing rites in the sacred fire. Tending a
fire
for the conduct of a ritual might unwittingly make us responsible for
the
destruction of some insects. It is because the sannyasin has no Agni
ceremony that when he dies his body is not cremated but interred. When
he is initiated into sannyasa he takes a vow that he shall never be the
cause of fear to any creature.
"Ahimsa paramo dharmah" (Non-violence is the supreme dharma).
Buddhism and Jainism impose total non-violence on their followers. Not
so our religion except in the case of ascetics. In Hinduism an exception
to
the general dharma of non-violence is made in the case of a righteous or
just war and in a sacrifice in which sometimes animals are killed. It is
to
fetch the divine powers to earth and to appease them that animals are
sacrificed in yajnas. It is our belief that the animals so sacrificed
will attain
to a high state that they cannot otherwise through their own efforts.
Altogether it means the good of the animals and the welfare of the
world.
In a war, heroes of the army sacrifice themselves in the cause of the
nation. Is it not better to lay down one's life for the sake of others
than
fatten oneself doing nothing?
It is easy to claim oral allegiance to the principle of non- injury but
difficult to practise the same. Quarrels and disputes are inevitable in
the
workaday world. In dealing with them action that is apparently violent
may have to be taken. In reality such action is not regarded as violent.
The intention or purpose is important here, not the action itself.
Certain
types of violence are justified according to the sastras and not
considered
sinful, because such violence is committed not for our personal delight
but in pursuance of our duty towards the society: the offering of an
animal in sacrifice, sentencing a murderer to death, killing an enemy in
war.
If a religion makes the practice of non-violence universally applicable,
there will be problems. Obviously, all cannot practise it at all times.
So
those who find it not practicable to follow this rule of ahimsa are made
liable to sin. Our religion has taken a more realistic view on the
question.
As we have seen, Buddhism imposes total non- violence on its followers.
But what do we see in practice? In all those lands where Buddhism has a
hold there are armies that take part in fighting. Besides, almost
without
exception, everybody is a meat-eater there.
If a great dharma or principle is made common to all, in the end it is
likely
to lead to a situation in which no one will respect it in practice. In
our
religion- to repeat- the rule of absolute non-violence is meant only for
sannyasins. Following their example, Brahmins, Vaisnavas in regions like
Gujarat and Sivas in the South like the Vellalas and Komutti Cettis
practise
ahimsa. Without being bound by any sastric injunction they have
voluntarily adopted the principle and practised it from generation to
generation. Influenced by the example of the sattva guna of ascetics
these communities have become vegetarians on their own. And,
following their example and without being compelled to do so, other
castes too abstain from meat on days likes the new moon, on the day of a
sraddha, and days sacred to the various deities. When a principle is
imposed only on a few, since it is difficult to make it universal it
becomes
an ideal for others to whom it may not formally apply: they try to
practise
it as far as they can. Non-violence is a samanya dharma( a dharma
common to all) in Hinduism. It is kept as an ideal though, on occasion,
adherence to it is not practicable.
In the Vedic dharma the definition of ahimsa is the absence of
ill-feeling
in all action. |
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