This article contains Indic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text.
Ahimsa (Sanskrit: अहिंसा, IAST: ahiṃsā, lit.'nonviolence'[1]) is the ancient Indian principle of nonviolence which applies to actions towards all living beings. It is a key virtue in Indian religions like Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism.[2][3][4]
Ahimsa is one of the cardinal virtues[2] of Jainism, where it is the first of the Pancha Mahavrata. It is also one of the central precepts of Hinduism and is the first of the five precepts of Buddhism. Ahimsa is[5] inspired by the premise that all living beings have the spark of the divine spiritual energy; therefore, to hurt another being is to hurt oneself.
Ahimsa is also related to the notion that all acts of violence have karmic consequences. While ancient scholars of Brahmanism had already investigated and refined the principles of
ahimsa, the concept reached an extraordinary development in the ethical philosophy of Jainism.[2][6] Mahavira, the twenty-fourth and the last tirthankara of Jainism, further strengthened the idea in the 5th century BCE.[7] About the 5th century CE, Thiruvalluvar emphasized ahimsa and moral vegetarianism as virtues for an individual, which formed the core of his teachings in the Kural.[8] Perhaps the most popular advocate of the principle of ahimsa in modern times was Mahatma Gandhi.[9]
Ahimsa's precept that humans should 'cause no injury' to another living being includes one's deeds, words, and thoughts.[10][11] Classical Hindu texts like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, as well as modern scholars,[12] disagree about what the principle of Ahimsa dictates when one is faced with war and other situations that require self-defence. In this way, historical Indian literature has contributed to modern theories of just war and self-defence.[13]
^Rune E. A. Johansson (2012). Pali Buddhist Texts: An Introductory Reader and Grammar. Routledge. p. 143. ISBN 978-1-136-11106-8.
^ abcPhillips, Stephen H.; et al. (collaboration) (2008). Kurtz, Lester (ed.). Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, & Conflict (Second ed.). Elsevier Science. pp. 1347–1356, 701–849, 1867. ISBN 978-0-12-373985-8.
^Dundas 2002, p. 160.
^Bajpai, Shiva (2011). The History of India – From Ancient to Modern Times(PDF). Hawaii, USA: Himalayan Academy Publications. pp. 8, 98. ISBN 978-1-934145-38-8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2019.
^Arapura, John G. (1997). "The Spirituality rof Ahiṃsā (Nonviolence): Traditional and Gandhian". In Sundararajan, K.R.; Mukerji, Bithika (eds.). Hindu Spirituality: Postclassical and Modern. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. pp. 392–417. ISBN 978-81-208-1937-5.
^Chapple, Christopher Key (1993). "Origins and Traditional Articulations of Ahiṃsā". Nonviolence to Animals, Earth, and Self in Asian Traditions. State University of New York Press.
^
"Mahavira", britannica.com, archived from the original on 21 June 2019, retrieved 2 May 2018
Patel, Haresh (2009). Thoughts from the Cosmic Field in the Life of a Thinking Insect [A Latter-Day Saint]. Strategic Book Publishing. p. 271. ISBN 978-1-60693-846-1.
^Das, G. N. (1997). Readings from Thirukkural. Abhinav Publications. pp. 11–12. ISBN 8-1701-7342-6.
^Gandhi, Mohandas K. (2002). The Essential Gandhi: an anthology of his writings on his life, work, and ideas. Random House Digital, Inc.
^Kirkwood, W.G. (1989). "Truthfulness as a standard for speech in ancient India". Southern Communication Journal. 54 (3): 213–234. doi:10.1080/10417948909372758.
^Cite error: The named reference kaneda2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Struckmeyer, F.R. (1971). "The 'Just War' and the Right of Self-defense". Ethics. 82 (1): 48–55. doi:10.1086/291828. S2CID 144638778.
^Balkaran, R.; Dorn, A.W. (2012). "Violence in the Vālmı̄ki Rāmāyaṇa: Just War Criteria in an Ancient Indian Epic" (PDF). Journal of the American Academy of Religion. 80 (3): 659–690. doi:10.1093/jaarel/lfs036. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2019.
misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text. Ahimsa (Sanskrit: अहिंसा, IAST: ahiṃsā, lit. 'nonviolence') is the ancient Indian principle of...
In Jainism, ahiṃsā (Ahimsā, alternatively spelled 'ahinsā', Sanskrit: अहिंसा IAST: ahinsā, Pāli: avihinsā) is a fundamental principle forming the cornerstone...
Ahimsa silk (ahiṃsā: Sanskrit for 'nonviolence') is a method of nonviolent silk breeding and harvesting. Wild silk moths are bred rather than the domestic...
2017". Official Charts Company. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2023. "Ahimsa – Single by U2 & A. R. Rahman". Apple Music. Retrieved 22 November 2019...
of Ahimsa in Hinduism, and literally means: Ahimsa is the highest virtue, Ahimsa is the highest self-control, Ahimsa is the greatest gift, Ahimsa is the...
The Statue of Ahimsa is located at Mangi-Tungi, in Nashik, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the tallest Jain statue in the world. The statue depicts...
their respects and join in the celebrations. Ahimsa runs and rallies preaching Mahavira's message of Ahiṃsā (non-violence) are taken out on this day. Religion...
The Ahimsa Award is an annual award given by the Institute of Jainology in recognition of individuals who embody and promote the principles of ahimsa (nonviolence)...
needed] The hand with a wheel on the palm symbolizes Ahimsa in Jainism. The word in the middle is "ahiṃsā" (non-violence). The wheel represents the dharmachakra...
the following principles (Yamas described in Yoga Sutra): Nonviolence (ahimsa) Truth – this includes honesty, but goes beyond it to mean living fully...
The 11095/11096 Ahimsa Express is an Express train belonging to Indian Railways that runs between Ahmedabad Junction and Pune Junction in India. It is...
of Jainism are ahiṃsā (non-violence), anekāntavāda (non-absolutism), and aparigraha (asceticism). Jain monks take five main vows: ahiṃsā (non-violence)...
eating of meat, fish and eggs are based on the principle of non-violence (ahimsa, figuratively "non-injuring"). Every act by which a person directly or indirectly...
Kumar (Kannada: ಚೇತನ್ ಕುಮಾರ) (born 24 February 1983), also known as Chetan Ahimsa, is an American Kannada-language film actor. Chetan made his on-screen debut...
Hindu scriptures promote a vegetarian dietary ideal based on the concept of ahimsa—non-violence and compassion towards all beings. According to a Pew Research...
adherence to five central tenets: shastra (scripture), bhakti (devotion), ahimsā (nonviolence, non-harming), nāda (music), and dhyana (meditation). It also...
critical of silk production based on the Ahimsa philosophy "not to hurt any living thing". He also promoted "Ahimsa silk", made without boiling the pupa to...
rights in Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism derives from the doctrine of ahimsa. In Hinduism, animals contain a soul just like humans; when sentient beings...
including plants and non-human animals. The term ahiṃsā appears in the Upanishads, the epic Mahabharata and ahiṃsā is the first of the five Yamas (vows of self-restraint)...
director and the producer. Her directorial venture saw two other films: Ahimsa in 1987 and Sthree in 1991. Later on, she also worked in the television...
Tiwari began The Living Ahimsa World Peace Tour and has traveled to several countries, leading people in taking an oath of ahimsa, which means non-harm...
the year varies by sect. Mahavira taught that observance of the vows of ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (chastity)...
International, and the rights for the United Kingdom and Europe were acquired by Ahimsa Entertainment. The film's satellite rights were bagged by Kalaignar TV,...