No Ahimsa Without Knowing Himsa

We are seeing about values that should be inculcated into children.

We saw universal values such as honesty, self-reliance, respect. Then we started with Indian values and divided them into two groups: Yamas and Niyamas. Each group has got five values.

The first one among Yamas – Ahimsa – non-violence, not to harm others.

To understand Ahimsa, you should know about what is Himsa first. You will be surprised how deeply our sages have gone into each and everything. How they have understood everything deeply before they started giving advices.

हिंसा त्रिविधा – कृता कारिता अनुमॊदिता

Himsa or violence done by oneself, violence instigated by oneself but performed by another, and violence permitted – all three are violence.

So it is not just harm – physical, mental or by words – caused by oneself. If you instigate violence, there are many who do this knowingly or unknowingly. There are many who instigate racial violence, communal violence, knowingly for political or personal gains. Those who sell weapons do this.

You get a WhatsApp forward, some that can result in hatred being created and someone being harmed. You forward it. If violence happens, you are equally responsible for it. Even if you pretend that you are innocent, you are equally responsible.

Then Anumodita Himsa – you are a silent spectator to violence. You are capable of taking action to prevent it, but you remain silent. This is also violence – of equal gravity as performing a violent act.

Now, each one of these is of three kinds – violence done out of greed, violence done out of rage or anger, violence done out of ignorance.

Violence out of greed – example: killing animals for making money, selling weapons to make money.

Violence out of anger or rage – most common. Includes revenge, road rage.

Violence out of ignorance – when you simply don't know that you are doing something wrong. You are giving alms to a beggar, he goes and drinks with that money, beats up his wife and children. You gave money with good intention, but it ended up in the suffering of someone. Still, you are partly responsible. This is violence out of ignorance.

So we have nine kinds of violence here.

Now the degree of violence – soft, medium, and hard – three types. These are also subdivided – soft-soft, medium-medium, hard-hard meaning extreme, soft-medium, soft-hard, and medium-hard. That makes it six again.

We know this – even when punishments are given for crimes, it depends on the gravity of the crime. It is not the same punishment for every crime. Some attract capital punishment or life imprisonment, for some a few days or months in jail are given.

There is one more division – singular, limited, and general.

Singular means only one particular form of violence. Wherever I find a snake, I would kill it. I will not harm any other being. This is singular.

I need some kind of meat every day. Else I am not satisfied. This is a choice between a few kinds of animals. This person chooses between a few options.

The third is general violence – general harm to anything and everything. They hate everyone, everything. Harm everyone, harm everything.

One more – violence is not just physically killing or hurting. Violence can be physical, mental, or through words – three types.

Now imagine all the permutation and combination possible in what all ways a person can be violent, hurt others, harm others.

You think you are a vegetarian. But with your words, with your body language – are you sure you are not hurting your fellow beings?

If that is the case, all those living in vegetarian families should be so happy and peaceful. All the common issues – mother-in-law–daughter-in-law, trouble between brothers, disregard for parents – they are all there even in those families. As much as it is there in any other family.

So staying away from just one form of violence does not mean that you are clean. I am not saying that it doesn't help. It helps, but that is not everything.

Even thinking about harming another person mentally is violence. You incur papa even when you think about hurting another person. You need not even do it. You have to suffer the consequences.

So what does it mean? Ahimsa is not just about not harming others. Ahimsa is also about not harming yourself.

Thoughts of violence, words of violence, acts of violence – they all corrupt you internally, spoil you internally, harm you internally. They have bad consequences for you yourself as well. As per law of karma, they all will come back to you and hurt you yourself.

This is something that you have to understand.

So, being non-violent is not just for others. Not just for the society. It is for you yourself also.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi