Ahimsa

(“refraining from harm”) Ahimsa refers
to the conscious commitment to
refrain from harming other living
beings, either directly or indirectly. The
emphasis on ahimsa originated with
the Jains, for whom all actions carry
karmic consequences, but who also
believe that the karmic consequences
generated by intentional evil acts are
far more severe than those from unintentional ones. Jain and Buddhist commitment to ahimsa brought it further
into Indian society, and it has been an
important feature of Hindu practice for
well over two thousand years. In the
Yoga Sutras, Patanjali mentions ahimsa as one of the restraints (yama) and
thus recommends it as one of the basic
foundations for religious life. This
commitment to ahimsa is believed to
be one of the major forces responsible
for the decline of animal sacrifice,
which was one of the most important
types of religious practice as described
in the Vedas, the oldest Hindu scriptures. Far more recently, in the twentieth century, ahimsa was one of the
guiding principles of Mohandas
Gandhi during the struggle for Indian
independence. Although Gandhi did
not rule out the use of violence in principle, his commitment to ahimsa
reflected his judgment that means and
ends are karmically linked, and that
the means one employs will determine
both the nature and tone of one’s ends.
See also karma.
18
Ahimsa
Temple to the goddess Durga in the city of Aihole.