History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c91.110

v7.c91.110

*Ahiṁsā*—The Mahābhārata and the Purāṇas lay great emphasis on *ahiṁsā* (not harming or giving pain to a living creature). The Upaniṣads too emphasized *ahiṁsā* The Chāndogya ¹⁵²¹ does so in several passages. In III. 17 4 it says ‘tapas, charity, straight-forwardness, ahiṁsā, speaking the truth—these are the fees of this (sacrifice without ceremonial)’. While describing how the person who has attained true knowledge of the Self does not return (to this *saṁsāra*), the Chāndogya says that ‘he causes no pain to any creature except at tīrthas’. The Bṛ. Up. (V. 2.) says how Prajāpati told the gods, the *asuras* and men that the sound ‘*da da da*’ produced by thundering clouds conveys to the gods the necessity of self-restraint (*dama*), to the asuras of compassion (*dayā*) and to men of charity (*dāna*). Gautama¹⁵²² specifies eight virtues of the soul, the first of which is compassion for all beings and states that he who has the forty saṁskāras performed on him but does not possess the eight virtues does not secure absorption into *brahma*. The Ādiparva provides 'ahiṁsā is the highest dharma for all beings; therefore a brāhmaṇa should never harm (or give pain to) any being'. The words '*ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ*' (ahiṁsā is the highest *dharma*) occur very frequently in the Mahābhārata¹⁵²³ (e. g. in Droṇaparva 192. 38, Śānti 265. 6, 329. 18, Anuśāsana 115, 25, 116. 38, Āśvamedhikaparva 28. 16-18, 43. 21). Śāntiparva (296. 22-24) enumerates thirteen virtues common to all men, of which freedom from cruelty and ahiṁsā are the first two. Vasiṣṭha IV. 4, Manu X. 63, Yāj. I. 122 prescribe certain virtues as necessary in men of all varṇas. Vide H. of Dh. vol. II. p. 10 notes 25-27.