HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF NON-VIOLENCE: THE MODERN PERIOD

Introduction

The Mughals and the Concept of No n-violence

Christianity and the Development of Ahimsa

Some Glimpses o f the British India

Buddhism andjainism of the Modern Period

Ahimsa Development of the Renaissance Period

Ahimsa and the Post-renaissance India

Ahimsa among the Present Day Thinkers

Thinkers all over the world are first concerned with the

self-understanding of man. Man wants to know about his own history. In the

light of this history, he determines his own destiny. "There is a belief that

religion holds the key to the mastery of existence. Whatever be thy religion,

associate with those who think differently from thee, if thou canst mix with

them freely and are not angered at hearing their discourse, thou hast attained

peace and art a master of creation."' For understanding man from the earliest

times upta the present, one has to study art, architecture, all kinds of remains,

literature, beliefs, patterns of life, etc. One should also study the meaning and

practice of ahimsa, brotherhood and dharma as the part of the integrated

development of mankind. Hence for understanding man, one has to study

the poems, hymns, concept of ahimsa, religion, belief, tka-&da, the Bible,

the Koran, the Gita, and so on. As the Aryans were gifted with a

poetic sensibility, they ahought deqly on the universe and the meaning of ' d l ' !

human Me. It is apt to be said that I& political, social, religious, cultural

and intellectual systems underwent many changes due to the influence of x j

r , 1 '. 8 :

Hindu rules and the* system of developments. Also the coming of Muslims

and their Islamic work on account of ahimsa and submission to the will of God

did the same. The Hindu social reforms and renaissance, started by Raja Ram

Mohan Roy, Tagore, etc. and the coming of English people and their impact

upon the social, political and educational set-up of prepared the ground r 1' I

, , . for destiny and further developments.

and behaviour accepts the principles of society and prepared themselves to . .

propagate the values namely love, brotherhood, ahimsa and ethical norms &- A >

0

is meaningful to say that we should be non-violent in the deeds and make ube . , ,

dl -bri;for the welfare of the society as a whole. There should have reconciliation ' '

'

,

with the social and cultural systems; also with religious practises. It is true to 5 ( ,

< I I

say that the origin of the society lies in man's realisation that complex I '

:* L,rj~fi. l ~ c G ; . ) ~ , , n n ~ , ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ + ~ ' + 1 I , + , u 9 , 6 f di ? . > . selfishness has no place in life. ?he realisahon of man cehhes arohnd selfless

! , .' : I .

activities, ahimsa nations, spirit of love and maturity. In every society, man ,.,, .,,. , *

> + J '

works hard in co-operation with others for achieving his personal and public ( .'

needs.

between

If the society lies in self-sacrifice, then there has b be a harmony //,YLC,d.,

our personal considerations and the good of the society. This 5; , ,

harmony got its shape in the patterns of love, ahimsa and dharrna. It should

be necessary to practice ahimsa in order to achieve the harmonious styles of

behaviour, patterns of life, and co-operative mentality as weU. If a society has "v

to be based on love and mutual trust, that means its people accept

ahimsa-oriented pattern of work for the welfare of all. As a devout believer in

the way of ahimsa, he would not permit any violent struggle among the

people between two systems and of culture,

4 It is the duty of everybody to help themselves in the highest sense to

apply diligently to right pursuits. One must follow the right path advised by

varies religions in order to achieve real happiness and satisfaction in life. ,,The I - . - --

government of a nation is just the reflexof tho individuals' aspirations and

will. But the esteemed values and norms of the society are the manifestation

af the will of the people, responsibles and obligations of theirs and above all

their selfless approach to the rest of the people. Here starts the emphasis on

principles like ahimsa, i,e., to be impartid and just to others in all dimensions.

Non-violent techniques and formulas must be used in order to create the

society into a nova1 one. It is correct to say that national progress is the sum

of individual industry, energy, uprightness, and the ability to accept and

practice values and principles which includes karma, dharma, understanding,

co-operation and ahimsa notions. Individuality and social security are

inter-related. Both of them are nourished out of the character of the individual

and the society altogether. These are definitely derived from the state of mind

filled by certain notions like ahimsa-oriented thinking and actions,

d harma-oriented and practices brotherhood-oriented structure and beliefs.

"The spirit of self-help is exhibited in the energetic action of individuals and it

marked the feature of the character of individuals, society and nation as a

hole."^

The Bible says, "God was happy about the world he had created for

mankind, and God saw all he had made, and indeed it was vely good."4 This

goodness of people lies in the varied factors and conditions of developments

and attitude towards the formulas and principles. One's attitude towards

oneself, others and to the world is very important. Our attitudes are

conditioned by many factors namely, system of education, political

technology, economic conditions, social and moral values, ethics, religious

attitudes, etc. The coming of the British to India, and their spreading of

Christian ideals and English education had changed the outlook and

be haviour of Indians. They taught indirectly ahimsa and brotherhood. The

socio-religious awakening started by Tagore, Raja Ram Mohan Roy,

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan etc. paved the way for the changing outlook of the

Indians by giving up caste feelings and social inequalities. Religions like

Christianity, Islam, etc. taught the significance of the fatherhood of God and

the brotherhod of man in respect of the practices of the principles namely

truth, non-violence, dharma and brotherhood. As Islam aims at establishing

an equilibrium between the spiritual and material aspects of life; Christianity

stands as a midway between social and spiritual attitudes of people. The

rnaral actions include the self-transcendence or Iove and real knowledge. To

rea1ise the m e self is the meaning of Iife. Life inspires us to follow the right

path and non-violent techniques to achieve the full meaning of life. "There is

the element of Divinity present in man and the presence of reason,

conscience, free will, aspeck of ahimsa etc. are the evidence of the presence

of these elements in man."5

6.2 The Mughals and the Concept of Non-violence

"No study has so potent an influence in forming a nation's mind and a

nation's character as a critical and careful study of its past history and it is by

such study alone that an unreasoning and superstitious worship of the past is

replaced by a legitimate and manly adrnirati~n."~ The Mughal rule in India

was a landmark in the social, political, religious, and cultural aspects. They

laid the foundations for the values like ahimsa by Akbar the Great,

brotherhood by Babar, love by Shahjahan and purity by Jahangir. "Looking

at the Grand Mughals from such a stand point, one can easily agree with

S. M. Edwards and assert that they are great men, despite their failings and

frailties, and when one turns from the cold catalogue of their defects to

consider the unique grandeur of Fatehpur Sikri, the supreme beauty of the Taj

Mahal and the Moti Masjid, the magnificence of the Agra and Delhi palaces,

and the rare wealth of pictorial and calligraphic art which owed its excellence

to their guidance and inspiration, one feels inclined to re-echo the words of

the lady Marehale of France concerning a peccant member of the old noblesse

of the eighteenth century; depend upon it, sir, God thinks twice before

damning a man of that quality; the fame which they achieved in their own age

and which will endure, was the natural corollary of their marked

intellectuality. "7

From the time of Babar to Aurengazeb the last Mughal emperor, a

series of changes took place in the spiritual, social, economic and even

political scene of India. Though Babar attempted to conquer the wealth of

India, he was actually non-violent towards the simple people of India.

Towards Hindustan, Babar was considerate even though he fought many

battles. As he was an exponent of Islam, he never bothered about killing or

doing harm to the people. There lies the concept and practice of non-violence

in his personal and public life. He was the man with a purified mind and a

vision which seems to be an example to others in this respect. "Nobles and

soldiers: every man that comes into this world is subject to dissolution. How

much better is it to die with honour than to live with infamy. . . . God most

High has been gracious in giving us this destiny that if we fall, we die martyrs,

if we conquer, we triumph in His Holy cause, let us swear with one accord that

by the Great name of God, we will never then turn back from such a death or

shrink from the stress of battle tiH our souls are parted from our bodies."'

Profoundly the Mughal emperors even though interested in invading India

and booting the economy of ours, keep up the purity of mind and used the

technique of ahimsa and brotherhood to a great extent. The philosophical

concept of equality and ahimsa finds a due meaning and place in the life and

activities of Mughals. It can be revealed in the policies of Hurnayun, Shershah

etc. for a long period.

"As Islam has a still further service to render to the cause of humanity

and it stand after all nearer to the real East than Europe does and it possesses

a magnificent tradition of inter-racial understanding and co-operation. "' This

above-mentioned statement is so apt as far as the policies and reforms of

Akbar the great were concerned. The period of the restoration of the Mughal

empire of India was carried out by him. He was an ardent exponent of

ahimsa. The 'Din-Illahi' of Akbar was the manifestation of brotherhood,

secularism and ahimsa practised by the Mughal rulers. The great monarch

followed a policy of secularism and tolerance. He provides equal treatment to

the Muslims and the Rajaputs. The Mughal period was the age of casteless

and creedless reforms and awakening. His philosophy of life and values

enriched the spiritual and economic life of the Indians. The Bhakti

movements of the Mughal period reveals the significance of brotherhood,

ahimsa, and tolerance practised by the people. Likewise sufisms of this age

laid the foundations for the greatness of dharma and non-violence. The

'Ibath-khana' too acted as an exponent of non-violence. It vitally explains the

meaning of self-surrender to God and the fulfilment of justice, liberty and

mutual consideration.

The Mughal administration presented a vital background for the people

to nourish the elements for proper cultural, educational and political integrity.

The Mansabdari system introduced by Akbar is non-violent and aimed at the

perfection of the life and activities of the Indians. The Mansab or Censor of

public morals inspires the Muslims to lead lives according to the commands of

the prophet and did not indulge in forbidden things. This is certainly the true

projection of the practice of ahimsa, in all walks of life by the Mughals. The

division of the power towards the governmental agents, revenue system,

religious reforms and cultural developments are formed in such a way suitable

to the people of that period. This period was so special for the abolition of

Jaizya, a kind of poll tax. There were no distinction between the Hindus,

Muslims or Christians in the case of taxation, religion or cultural

developments. "The administrative systems of the Mughals were severely

practical and reasonable in connection with revenue, mlitary, justice, religion

and morality."'0 The period of Shersha too reveals how far non-violence

practised by the Mughais and upto which level they secured the popular

support. At every time the Koran inspires the rulers to remain cordial with the

enemies and the various organs of the government. Throughout the public

life, the Mughals preached and practised the positive elements of ahimsa and

brotherhood.

The Great Shahjahan besutified the Mughal India and the minds of

Indians by introducing new techniques in the artistic fields. The Great Taj

Mahd dedicated to Murntaz reveals the feelings of love and affection in a

particular style. Such a broad minded ruler of India definitely created an

atmosphere for selfless senrices, ahimsa-oriented work to humanity and

love-cultural works. "The age of Shahjahan was the most prosperous age

ever known in India . . . . together with a larger share of good government

than often falls to the lot of Asiatic nations."''

"No person is permitted to make or sell wine or any other prohibited

liquor which occasions inebriety, though I myself am addicted to

winebibing." l2 Both Jahangir and Shahjahan profoundly influenced the

cultural history of India. Jahangir was an exponent of justice, he established

twelve ordinances to be observed as a common practice namely prohibition of

ghasbi, prohibition of slaughter of animals on certain days, building of

hospitals and appointment of physicians to attend the sick, amnesty for all

prisoners and so on. All these principles and orders are the manifestation of

the significance of using the technique of non-violence in its various

perspectives by Jahangir in his life. Through out his life he was an exponent

of ahimsa, charity and love.

It was Auranguzeb who was a fanatic but interested in spreading the

idea of non-violence and observing it in his personal life too. This last great

Mughal emperor tried his best to restore and reorganise India for Muslims

only. As Islam stands for love, the concept of ahimsa and the complete

surrender to the will of God at every time was sharply stressed by Aurengazeb.

Though he was an extraordinary figure whose time was filled with enmity and

strain on the one side; love, broadmindedness, and truth one the other side.

But unlike Akbar, he was intolerant towards the Hindus. For example, the

Decan policy of Aurenguzeb was one of the most intolerable ones and

anti-social. In the midst of that, he was the spokesmen of ahimsa and truth.

No doubt, his policies paved the way for Mughd decline, but it encouraged

the Muslim community to change their attitudes and became concerned with

others of the same soil. When we analyse the period of Akbar the great and

Shahjahan we can see their spiritual ideologies and broadmindedness in

connection with culture, religious belief, ahimsa, practice of love, art and

ethical values.

We see that the Mughal period in India was one of the memorable and

influencing one on account of their contributions to the cultural and social

developments of the people at large. Almost all the rulers preached and

practised the principle of ahimsa directly and indirectly which enables the

Indians to restructure and presewe the face of our land.

2.3 Christianityandthe Development ofAhimsa

"Religion means a propitiation or conciliation of powers superior to

man which are believed to direct and control the course of nature and of

human life."13 Religion consists of two elements namely theoretical and

practical, a belief in powers highet than man and an attempt to please or

propitiate them. In addition to the interested propitiators and worshippers of

God, the more civilised religions namely Christianity, is noted for producing

saints and mystics who seek communion with and or absorption into

Godhead as the culminating point of their spiritual growth and development.

The chief message of Christianity can be seen from several angles. Its main

theme was fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. It preached the

message of love, ahimsa and sympathy. "Believing the Good News-a total

acceptance of the Good News is conversion which really means a total

transformation in one's outlook or way of thinking."14 If a person comes to

accept the good news of Jesus about God indeed a total transformation will

take place. His outlook and attitude will change. The joy that would fill the

heart of a person when he realises that he is a beloved child of God would

bring with it the real inner freedom. As freedom is the core of Christianity,

everyone will think of his fellow human beings as his brothem and sisters. The

moment one experiences God as a loving Father, one comes to think of all

men and women as the children of the same Father as brothers and sisters

who merit one's love. It is meaningful to say that true freedom gives birth to

fellowship and fellowship implies justice.

The kingdom of God that is born in a person's heart soon envelops the

society. It is the love of Gad, which rules over the people. His will is obeyed

in the heat of the individual and in the society. The notion of ahimsa is seen

in Christianib and especially in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. His very

life is the pure manifestation of ahimsa in all dimensions. He moved among

the poor, sinners, orphans, sick, deserted etc. and also pleased them, cured

them and saved them from their sins and problems. Ail these indicate the very

use of the techniques of ahimsa and love as the part of life. For example, all

the intolerable attitudes will lead to mutual strife and strains but the

co-operative tendencies and brotherhood will lead to jay and the peace of

mind; that is what Jesus taught, and at the same time what ahimsa meant. As

God created man in His own image, all the virtues are showered upon him.

According to St. John, "Jesus declared whoever has seen me has seen the

Father, then again the Father and I are one."15 Christianity is a theistic religion

and belief in God is its important tenet. God according to Christianity is one,

creator, sustainer, judge, Loving Father, the way, the truth and the life. It

taught that no man's life is a bed of roses. Our lives are beset by problems

and pain It is full of sufferings and miseries. In order to overcome all these

problems one should accept the ways of ahimsa, love, co-operation, mutual

understanding, etc. Moreover Christianity advocates the importance of

sharing the happiness and problems with others, then only one can attain

satisfaction and redress from the grievances.

One's attitude to the world is an important factor for proper existence.

The importance we give, the extent to which we decide, and if the ignorance

will determine the attitude towards the world. Here is the significance of

Christianity. What does Christianity teach? What kind of attitude to the world

is encouraged by Christianity? Definitely it advocates the attitude of love,

sympathy, belief in Gad and the state of mind oriented with ahimsa in

understanding and adjusting with world problems. Man should admire,

appreciate and enjoy the world because it is God who made it. God created

the world out of love and made it a home for men and women, every one of

whom was dear to him. "The Bible says that God was happy about the world

he had created for mankind and saw all he had made and indeed it was very

good."16 This attitude of God towards all beings laid the foundations for the

greatness of life which includes the acceptance and practice of certain values

namely ahimsa which assumes many forms like one's own relations with

others, the capacity to love, the mentality of giving and receiving etc. The

expression of truth and love; joy and the spirit of self-existence; ahimsa and

brotherhood occupy a central position in the life of each and everybody.

There must be affinity with the teaching of Christ who is the selfless and

propagate humanistic, loveable and mature ideas among the people of all

community.

The history of Christianity shows how in its great days it was capable of

giving as well as receiving. "As Christ is the second Adam, fhe first born of a

new race of men, who as the spiritual kingdom is spread on earth, he will

achieve a unity of nature and supernatural, comparable to our present union

of mind and animal nature but transcending it as rational life transcends the

sentient life below it."17 The Christian hope is the creation of a new species of

spiritual personality of which the first fruits had already been manifested in

Jesus and the saints. They are the heralds of truth on earth, the instruments of

the Divine for the spread of spiritual religion. When we are prepared to bum

and torture in the name of the love of God, the essence of Christianity got

high esteem. In the name of the love, God has various dimensions to work.

One among the main pillar of Christianity has to be the practice of ahimsa in

our relations with fellow beings, our work with others etc. According to

Christian vision, everything lives and takes effect by reason of being the point

of interaction of two opposite forces. These forces can be mature enough to

understand what the real meaning and relevance of non-violence. In

Christianity, the concept of God as judge and law-giver is changed into loving,

forgiving and redeeming God. As Christianity stands for sacrifice of the self

not any inhuman things, it would help us to get relief to our sins by the

crucified blood of Christ. "Life is a free gift of God and this soul (Atman) is

not to be obtained by instruction, nor by intellect, nor by much learning and it

is to be obtained only by the one whom he cho~ses."'~

The miraculous acts attributed to Jesus is the very theme of Iove,

sympathy, kindness, etc. In the same way we too do miracles by loving our

neighbours, caring for them and to preach among them the importance of

non-violence as the way to reach our life goal. It is apt to say that the

kingdom of God is within us, because where there is love, understanding,

simplicity, man can a w n and achieve the real kingdom or the state of

fulfilment, satisfaction, calmness etc. and these shall give us the real meaning

of the kingdom of God. To obey Ten Commandments means to follow the

real path of Jesus which centres around humanitarian activities, love and

respect, To observe ahimsa in all walks of life or not to do harm to others is

the core of the Ten Commandments. Christianity emphasises the institutional

missionary and ritual aspects concentrating on spirituality, human life, ethics,

etc. It is definitely based upon the principle of truth, love, brotherhood and

ahimsa. Jesus taught these principles through his own life itself rather than

through his teachings. Christianity was the chief religion which inspired men

to be more courageous and strong enough to sacrifice our intentions for the

sake of others. That is the main theme of rmcification and resurrection of

Christ our lard. Man should admire, appreciate and enjoy the world as it is

the gift of God to his loving children who love one another, practice dharma

and non-violence. This Iove is the real essence of Christianity. Ahimsa too is

the nutshell of Christian faith till today and tomorrow.

We see that Christianity, is the sum total of unity, integrity, non-

violence, and even Iove of the people, for the people and by the people. The

life and teachings of Jesus Christ reveal how much it is possible for all the

human beings to practice such a noble principle of truth, love and ahimsa.

Like Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, Christianity rendered social,

cultural and economic services to the humanity by projecting the importance

of love and ahimsa at all stages of development. It is apt to say that we can

see the positive elements of ahimsa and its influence throughout Christianity.

6.4 SomeGtimpses of theBritish India

The all important ideal of liberation consists in the realisation by the

soul of its own purity or essential perfection. The highest perfection or

fulfilment of which man is capable can be attained and enjoyed by him here

in his earthly existence. The rise of British power in India vitally prepared the

ground for the self-realisation and wen the perfection of the mind, activities

and intentions. Foreigners could enter India for several purposes and mainly

through land and sea-routes, From time immemorial India had commercial

relations with the West. In turn the westerners were very much pleased with

Indian economy and the attitudes of the people. The co-operative and non-

violent attitude of India silently invited foreigners especially the British to enter

into India and make it after their own selves. The maritime and naval

supremacy of the Europeans prepared the ground for the India's revival and

re-shcturing in the economic, social, political and even intellectual scene.

Until the close of the fifteenth century, India was almost a mythical country to

the nations of the west. But at that time the Europeans one after another

entered into the scene and tried their best to convert India and Indians in their

own pockets. The Britishers by establishing the English East India Company

in 1600, started the attempt of civilising the people of India and capturing as

much as possible from India. But there have been a notable factor that only

with the attitudes of non-violence, brotherhood and co-operation, they started

the carrier of establishing their authority over India.

The Constitution of British Company in India divided its powers

between three independent presidencies in Bengd, Madras and Bombay.

Each presidency had its own Governor and Council and also the governing

bodies had jurisdiction within their own areas. Jn these procedures of

jurisdiction and control, they followed the policy of non-violence definitely.

When Queen E i b e t h extended the right to start the East India Company, for

the sake of trade and commerce, the method should be non-violent and the

programme should be co-operative. The European community was firstly

interested in imparting English education to the Indians. It had full of

non-violent ideas and they tried their best to introduce organised systems of

technology and scientific developments. "As for the little European

communities, they consisted practically of exiles, many of whom never set foot

again on their native shores after they had once landed in India; or if they did

so, found that the habits they had contracted in the East were not easily made

compatible with western social condition^."'^ The attitude of two British

leaders namely Pitt and Edmund. Burke towards India was quiet non-violent,

compassionate and pure. It reveals the attitude of the British parliament

towards British Indians.

It was Lord Wellesley who was the prophet of subsidiary alliances and

he followed the concept of non-violence in his policies and its formulations.

To save Indians from the many problems, he made negotiations with the

British director generals. Wellesley perceived. the urgent need of educating the

Company's servants in India for the performance of their functions as rulers,

and established a college in Calcutta partly for the same purposes. Ail these

reveal the broadmindedness and ahimsa-oriented view of certain British

leaders in India. Under Lord Warren Hastings British Indian system underwent

sharp changes. His policies towards the Hindus to a certain extent was

pleasing and healthy one. On the other hand, there are certain bad effects

too. Anyhow the British rule in India was the mixture of pleasant and

unpleasant elements. By certain land reforms and settlement programmes,

the British authority reconstructed the face of India. They inculcated among

the Indians the feelings of love, respect, mutual understanding and fellow

feelings. Even though they were stubborn, their policies were nova1 and

feasible to the Indians. They were simple minded and loveable to institutions

and reforming programmes.

One of the great missions of the Britishers in India was to spread

Christianity in the soil of India. As Christianity stands for love, non-violence,

brotherhood and forgiveness it aims at changing the mentality of the people.

As part of their missionary work, they started schools, colleges and other

institutions for providing equal education and knowledge to the people of

India. Tne Hunter Commission provides facilities for English education which

in turn modified and well furnished the outlook of the Indians. The British

leaders of India followed the non-violent attitudes with free outlook in certain

matters. For the sake of their mother country they could follow some cruel

steps. The churches established by Britishers in India reveal the spirit of

tolerance and brotherhood, The Christianisation of the Britishers has been the

mere manifestation of their non-violent attitude and secular feelings towards

the Indians. Fortunately for Indians, Lord William Bentinck played a great

role to restore the people with good fortunes and way of actions. The English

system of education had changed the minds of the Indians and they were

ready to start new reform movements in the soil of India. The English

missionaries paved the way for the reconstruction of Indian thoughts, feelings

and the way of life. The seeds of charity, broadmindedness and courage

sown by the British in India has been based only on the principles of love and

ahimsa.

The Revolt of 1857 laid the foundations for the greatness of India.

Essentially, the lessons taught by them through their education, Christian

doctrines, principles, social system, etc. prepared the ground for the greatness

of ourselves on the one side, and at the same time the destruction of the

British Raj on the other side. The nourishing principle of ahimsa got strength

in the minds and deeds of the people day by day and due to the impact of the

western ideas with simplicity and open-mindedness. Great leaders namely

Lord Canning, A. 0. Hume, etc. are the exponents of ahimsa, philosophical

ideas and peace. They firmly fought for the resurrection of the British Indians

from their pathetic conditions. As the British rule was a mixture of opposition

and oppression, it inspired the Indians to start the struggle for new era of faith,

development and socio-political justice. Added to this the socio-economic

planning and reforming programmes perfected the mind of the Indians and

taught the lesson of love, truth and ahirnsa which are the prescribed ethics for

the attainment of real freedom in the true perspective.

6.5 Buddhism and Jainism of the Modern Period

"Hurt not by word or deed; be consistent in well-doing, be moderate in

food, dwell in solitude; and give yourself to meditation-this is the advice of

Lord ~uddha . "~ ' As we have already seen that Buddhism does not accept the

existence of a Creator God. Consequently, the world cannot be treated as

'creation'. Is it then eternal? Nothing is permanent. Everything is in constant

Heraclitean flux. But instead of that certain values and moral principles

existed and which are permanent ones. They are the values like ahimsa,

dharma, karma, brotherhood and so on. Buddhist principles have great

relevance today because of its stable principles and its assimilation with

modem trends. In the Buddhist sense, dharmakaya means the ultimate reality

which is the support or substratum of the world. But as an abstract entity,

dharmakaya means the indescribable immanent and cosmic entity of the

world. There is the notion of ahimsa and dharrna in the Buddhist philosophy.

They mean the ultimate truth, scripture, doctrine, religion, harmless activities,

doing good to others, righteousness, moral law, and attributes of substances.

"In Buddhism there is significance for Samadhi. Samadhi means training the

whole mind and developing a deep insight by which the mind is withdrawn

from impurities of passion, emotion, attachment and there is withdrawal from

all tempting objects of the world."21 In modem times Buddhist principle of

Nirvana got high esteem. Nirvana is really a state of mind in which state a

jivanmukta means non-individuality that enjoys perfect equipoise.

The peace of mind got the name Nirvana, but Lord Buddha regarded

metaphysical speculation about the self a heresy. This contradictory views

inspire the men of present day world to rethink about the importance and

relevance of Buddhism as a religion, way of life, pattern of behaviour and

ahimsa notions. Moreover each and everybody accepts the concept of

ahimsa preached by Buddhism from time to time. "The gift of the law

(dharma) exceeds all gifts, the sweetness of the law exceeds all delight; the

extinction of thirst overcomes all grieves and pains."22 "The great

invulnerable edifice of humanitarianism built by Lord Buddha on the rock

foundation of ahimsa and cosmic love is indeed his crowning g l o ~ y . " ~ ~ In the

place of degenerated religion of Vedas and Upanishad, the religion of love,

ahimsa brotherhood and universalism came into being. A loving heart can

only afford the tendency for free and non-violent state of activity which is the

new trend in Buddhism. Satisfaction in life can be achieved only by keeping

up the purity of mind, belief and deeds oriented by non-violent techniques

both in the material and spiritual level.

1Rt no man think lightly of evil, saying in his heart it will not come near

unto me. Never does hatred cease by hating, but hatred ceases by love and

ahimsa way of thinking and doing. The immortality of beings can be achieved

by self-conbol, truth, ahimsa, virtues, love, harmlessness and moderate

thinking. According to Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, "for us in this country, the

Buddha is an outstanding representative of our religious tradition and he felt

his foot print on the soil of India and his mark on the soul of the country with

its habit and conviction^."^^ As Buddhism taught the selfless purposes of the

human beings, it laid the foundations for the development of humanity,

brotherhood, mutual understanding and especially to observe and practice

ahimsa both in the private and public circle. Laziness is a curse to man, but

equality is a reward to man's activities. Buddhism sbessed the evolution of

the society in which each individual enjoys equality of status, work and karma

centred religious and social practices. Buddhism gives more powers to women

and they are the part and parcel of the society. There were ten virtues which

guide the king, people and the society. They are generosity, moral conduct,

self-sacrifice, honesty and integrity, gentleness and politeness, austerity and

simplicity, freedom from hatred and ill will; practice of non-violence, patience

and non-opposition to public welfare. These concepts definitely will lead men

to have happy and integrated thoughts and actions, life long satisfaction and

spiritual happiness.

Jainisrn like Buddhism even though ignored God and denied the

vedas, but admitted the four fold order of society and led a revolt against the

superiority of Brahmanas over the Kshatriyas and decided the four stages of

life, stressing only the life of an ascetic. Jainism stressed the need for practising

ahimsa and self-control. Jainism is associated with the historical figure of Lord

Mahavira who might not have originated Jainism, but has given an

authoritative seal to its principle tenets. Jainism in its modem trend accepts

ahimsa as the central teaching-'ahirnsa pararno dharmah'-and accounts for

the moral conduct of Jaina seekers and Sadhus. As a part of modern concept,

Jainism is dualistic in its essence because it admits the distinction between the

two entities of Jiva and Ajiva. But at the same time it accepts the plurality of

spirits and of atoms, The Jain doctrine of soul is very distinctive because the

karmas like subtle material objects that cling to the soul. It is necessary to note

that Jainism does not preach cowardice. "From a practical religious point of

view, himsa is considered mainly under two heads namely,

'Samka1pi'-intentional and 'Arambhi'+ccupational. Hunting, offering of

animal sacrifice, kiHing for food are the instances of samkalpi himsa,

abstinence from which is possible with no harm to anybody and Arambhi

himsa is himsa committed by a householder in the ordinary course of his

being."25 The vow of ahimsa as laid down in the Jain scriptural works

encourages the modem men to fight against himsa and unnecessary actions.

Thus in every sense ahimsa is the formula of work and life itself in response to

modem Jain thinkings.

Jainism has a great'deal of modem tone in the form of its rationalism.

A Jain thinker Ratna Shekhara, in his book 'Sambadha Sattari' states that

"each man can realise his own self-sameness of the soul by his own efforts

without reference to any supernatuml agency."z6 Jainisrn is a moral code

rather than a religion in the modem sense. It recagnised no supreme being,

but there was a whole galaxy of defined men who had been spiritually great.

Even though Jainism is not opposed to caste, it was very much less hostile

and more accommodating to Hinduism than the other heterodox system. The

spirit of this accommodation is the main reason for the survival of it in India

and outside till today. In Jainism salvation of the Jiva means salvation of soul.

Jiva could inhabit a plant, an animal or a human body. Life or soul, there

w& a plurality of Jivas in the universe, and each one of them was subject to

the law of karma and rebirth and could be saved by knowledge and

meditation. While the ajiva includes matter, time, space, virtue, vice etc.

Jainism accepts the four pillars of karma-samsara-jnana-mukti as its creed. "It

is non-Vedic in the sense that it does not recognise the veda as its religious

scripture, caste distinction, etc. but accepts moksha and not heavenly abode

as the highest human end."27 It is wholly atheistic, which definitely speaks of

its relevance in the modern period.

The words that lead to injury constitute falsehood and one who takes

care to avoid injury through one's own words observes the vows of sathya.

The vows of ahimsa leads to observing non-killing of human and non-human

things far religious sacrifices, and practising ahimsa in the day to day affairs in

words, deeds and thoughts. Jain beliefs and philosophy help the individual to

have better restraint wer the senses and also to observe ahimsa with more

perfection. The special code of conduct has been ordained to the spiritual

perfection and attainment of Nirvana or pure state of the soul. These ideas

and concepts took a great role in the modern period. "Jainism shows a close

affinity with samkhya system and also developed a kind of logic which cut at

the root of all stable knowledge, this logic helps to define the relevance of soul,

existence of tho absolute etc."" According to Jain belief, there are separate

rules of conduct for house-holder, Muni, laymen etc. But all these codes of

conduct centre around ahimsa, love, co-operation, dharrna and

commonhood. Non-attachment towards worldly affairs was the core of Jain

thoughts. It means one should be mature enough to consider all the elements

from the right angle only and leave the weak points and faults without any

prejudices. Above all, Buddhism and Jainisrn stressed the importance of

ahimsa as the core and base of all type of activities of modem man.

6.6 Ahimsa Development of the Renaissance Period

The Indian tradition in religio-philosophic thought is one of the richest

in the world. "Philosophical speculations in India originated in the existential

situation of suffering and in the desire to escape and also from the limitations

imposed by man's finite exi~tence."'~ India is one of the few civilised lands

where philosophies of liberation divorced from theistic belief in a creator God

were expounded. %me of the important philosophers, religious reformers

etc, of the present day world laid the foundations for the renaissance or rebirth

in the concept of man, his relation with God, fellow beings, the act of love, the

practice of ahimsa, abolition of wicked practices and ceremonies which do

harm to the people. "Mankind has witnessed from time to time the emergence

of great saints and savants who have shown us the path of knowledge and

taught us to live an ideal life."30 It was Swami Dayanand who traced the ills of

Hindu society in the caste system and formulated new principles to the Hindus

based on ahimsa and brotherhood. If anybody got irritated, he was given

severe punishment both mentally and bodily, Both Sri Rarnakrishna and his

disciple Swami Vivekananda strongly advocated the importance of ahimsa in

the social and religious sense.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was one of the greatest leaders of world

especially of India who shaped and influenced the course of Hindu

Renaissance in the religious, social and cultural sense. Ram Mohan Roy was a

humanist and bothered much about man's emancipation in all the spheres of

activities. He was the founder of Brahrna Samaj, which hatred the worship of

many gods and of images. The Brahma Sarnaj used the techniques of ahimsa,

devotion to God, brotherhood, etc. It was a return to primitive brahmanism

and promoted the worship of one god, "The God of the Veda is Sat Chit

Anand-He is eternal and dl pervading-He is all intelligent-dl knowing and is

all happiness."31 The Brahma Samaj stands for ahirnsa and brotherhood. It

was Raja Ram Mohan Roy who suppressed 'sati' and allowed the widow re-

mamiage. It was the positive manifestation of ahimsa, i.e., to give justice to

the widows and recagnise their position. It also fought against the rigidity of

caste, child marriage and the concept of untouchability. Ram Mohan Roy

stands for the tribune and prophet of New India. He came forward as a

pioneer of English education and an ardent supporter of ahimsa-oriented

protest and social movements.

An important socio-religious movement that emerged in the 19th

century was the Ramakrishna Mission Movement. Sri Rama Krishna was the

true starting point of the present Hindu renaissance. He tried to understand

and practice not only the religious tenets of Hinduism but also those of Islam

and Christianity, He was a b h a h as well as a jnani. By birth he was a

Bengali and belonged to the brahmana family. He was an advocate of non-

violence. His philosophy of life and teaching are the true manifestations of

ahimsa and love. The Society of Rama Krishna Mission reveals the

significance of ahimsa-oriented thought, action and service to the humanity.

The Ramakrishna Mission and the teachings of pararnahamsa was chiefly a

motive to Swami Vivekananda and his ways of life. Sri Rama Krishna teaches

that God is one, no doubt; but He is also many. "It is the same God that is

realised by following one or more or all of these paths, although He may be

called Bhagvan by the devotees, Atrnan by the yogins, Brahman by the jnanis

or vedastins and so on."32 Rama Kriihna society stands for universal

brotherhood, love, and casteless feeling. It was open to all and it taught the

significance of ahimsa and mutual understanding as the main concern of life.

The universality ernphasises the need for prayer, social work, and

humanitarian activities to whole generations. No doubt Sri Rama Krishna

Paramahamsa teaches the lesson of lave, sympathy, humanism and

non-violence which opened the era of renaissance.

Swami Dayanand Saraswathi was one among the greatest Hindu social

reformers from a Brahmin family of Gujrat who took ideal part in the Hindu

renaissance. Swami Dayanand thought that, "it is the highest duty of parents,

preceptors and relatives to adorn children with good sound education, nobility

of character, refinement of manners and amiability of ternper."% As he was a

great Sanskrit scholar who translated the Rigveda and gave new area of

thought and knowledge to the people. His greatest work was 'satyarth

prakash' or 'the Light of Truth'. He was the founder of 'Aryasamaj' which

stands for giving insight on God, stages of human life, education, ahirnsa,

social reforms, science of government and the fundamental principles of

religion. Modern India owes a great debt to him an account of his social,

humanitarian and religious works to the mankind. As he was a social

reformer, Swami Dayanand based all his teachings on the Vedas. His aim

was to restore society to the brilliant place it occupied in the Vedic age. He

was an opponent of caste system. He stated the division of Hindu community

into several castes was the main cause of spiritual, political and material

downfall of India. Swami Dayanand aimed at teaching people how to lead a

noble life and he stressed the significance of ahimsa as a pattern of life and

behaviour in order to achieve the unity of man. His work contained a direct

appeal to the masses and was anti-brahmanical in the sense. H e rejected the

Christian and Muslim belief in one God, yet defended the worship of one

God. Swami objected to idol worship, untouchability, child marriage and the

subjection of women and also advocated girls' education. His own

philosophy of life has been the manifestation of the real meaning and practice

of ahimsa.

It is no doubt: to say that Swami Vivekananda of Calcutta was an ardent

exponent of ahimsa. He was a man who knew the complete picture of the

social, economic, religious and cultural patterns of India. He also knew the

pulse of the Indians and fought for the integrity and solidarity which is based

on the ahimsa notions. Vivekananda was a participant in the Chicago

religious conference. Vivekananda was a man of spirituality and he was

influenced by the teaching of the cross, Buddha, Brahma Samaj, Upanishads

and Hindu philosophy. All these had its basic concern on ahimsa patterns of

life and activities. "Vivekananda combines in hk thought, abstract monism

and Theism and he is a pantheist and yet God according to him is

personal."34 As God has appointed a time for every body for every activities,

one should accept that and make use of the situations and fonnulas to achieve

the grace of God. Religion, moral values, spiritual ideologies, etc. will enable

the people to fight against evil things to attain the state of mind of peace,

relaxation and realisation. In this respect Vivekananda7s universal religion,

i.e., the acceptance, open mindedness, tolerance and non-violence are really

useful and powerful. "Swami Vivekananda was an epitome of all that was

great and good in India of the past and all that is also potentially great and

good in her."35

6.7 ~ e m a k s a n c e I a c r a a

Indian philosophy is said to be based on what can be called a tragic '-... .

sense of life, some what based upon values like ahimsa, brotherhood,

dharma, co-operation, and also the virtues namely truth, goodness and

beauty. Indian renaissance underwent many changes and completely

changed the mentality of the people as a whole in the social, religious, cultural

and intellectual cum political fields. "The materialism which has become

rampant and threatens the very foundation of our philosophy needs to be

understood fully so that it does not become a negative force and debasing and

this is possible only by understanding the eternal values defined by great <-

spiritual masters, by learning from their teachings and their lifestylesk For

example, the life and teachings of Tagore and Gandhi sharply explains what

the real life means and how it would be possible to put into practice ahimsa,

dharma and wide understanding within a short period of life. In the words of

Gandhi, ahimsa is natural to man and it acts as one of the basic and essential

qualities of he renaissance scholan were of the opinion that non-

violence does not ean meek submission to the will of the evil-doer but it is a / deliberate effort, action and strain to fight for the good of everybody. As India

was blessed with the renaissance spirit, i.e., the spirit of enthusiasm, love,

brotherhood, etc. the chief reason behind it has been the propagation and the

practice of ahimsa by its exponents namely Tagore, Aurobindo, Gandhiji, etc.

A poet philosopher named Rabindmnath Tagore w* a man of high

values, man of renaissance and a man of simplicity. He gives emphasis to

'personal realisation' which aim at practising salkama, ahimsa, maturity, self-

respect, and the exaltation with the God. "The Nobel prize winner for his

'Gitanjdi' asserts that every life is a manifestation of the Absolute and he says

Thou art the sky and thou art the nest as It is true that Man can take

interest in the absolute only when it is hurnanised. The relationship between

man and God can only be a relationship of intense love of an all

comprehensive and powerful feeling of oneness. The concept of love means

to practice ahimsa in the relations with one another. Tagore, an exponent of

ahimsa and love preached the significance of the nature of man, the finite

aspect of man, relations with man and God and human destiny. The ultimate

human destiny is the realisation of the universe in the individual. It: is in other

words means the realisation of self and soul, i.e., the self-consciousness and

soul-consciousness. Likewise, one must not be egoistic or selfish but be

broadminded to accommodate everybody to adjust with nature and be

oriented by non-violent techniques of life. As Tagore does not believe in any

type of gradation, it actually preaches to men the real sense of ahimsa in

word, deed or in thought. Religion is life and existence, it inspires eveyhdy

to follow the right path to attain real satisfaction and salvation. As dharma is

the essence of all religions and even truth, one must be able to follow it and

practice in day to day life. Tagore's religion of man describes humanism as the

just application of the belief that feeling anything as human as the source of

joy and signifies the meaning of life.

The post renaissance period of India was blessed with the life and

teachings of Aurobindo Ghosh of West Bengal. He was a man of high ideals

and values. His philosophy of life is based on the principle of unity.

Dr. Ghosh was an exponent of ahimsa and a worshipper of the Gita. For him

Gita is not a book of practical ethics, but of the spiritual life. According to

Aurobindo, "we are composed of many parts each of which contributes some

thing to the total movement of our consciousness, our thought, feeling, action.

. . . . but we are aware only of their confused and pell-mell results on the

surface."38 Man has divine power and have identity with God itself. All the

performances of man are centred around dharma, ahimsa, karma and even

Vedic principles. He tried to incorporate Truth with reality which is the

mixture of unity and multiplicity. The philosophy of Aurobindo explains the

problems of the universe and speaks about the real existence consciousness,

force, bliss, supermind, mind, psyche and matter. The problem of ignorance

creates suggestions and develops the consciousness of men to settle the

problems in a healthy manner. There is too much of qnphasis on ahimsa and

its proper use in the personal and public life will lead to spiritualisation of

humanity. In his 'Life Divine', Aurobindo talks about the nature of men, the

significance of mind, relevance of God, affinity towards values and the

unconditional surrender to God-Atmasamarpana. Says Sri Aurobindo, "Man

is a transitional being, he is not fmal, for in man and high beyond him ascend

the radiant degrees that climb to a divine supemanhood and there lies our

destiny and the liberating key to our aspiring but troubled and limited

mundane existence. "39

Sir Mohammed Iqbai occupies a unique position in contemporary

Indian Thought. As he was a philosopher thinker, he was fully interested in

the reconstruction of religious thought in Islam. Iqbal ernphasised the

omnipotence of G d and the ultimacy of Divine Will. Islam stands for the

complete surrender of man to the will of God; he speaks of its relevance by

atlributing ahimsa as a way and technique to attain salvation. He talks about

the ultimate truth and its relevance in the society on account of the practices of

non-violence and dharma towards the fellow beings. As the Koran describes

the reality and Iqbal explains it as 'heart' and heart is a kind of inner

institution or insight. Without proper insight man cannot adjust with nature

and religion or the surroundings. He has his own vision about self. "Our life

in a sense consists of a number of experiences and the word 'self is used to

denote the entity that some how unifies these experiences into one unit.""

Again Mohammed Iqbal, an exponent of ahimsa stressed the significance of

individuality and uniqueness of man. As man is the chosen of G d and the

representative of Gad on earth, he has the right and obligation to live in a

purified and accepted way. This can be possible only if we accept and practice

certain values namely truth, goodness and beauty in connection with

non-violent techniques and beliefs. Iqbal says that it is not possible to have an

idea of the material world through ordinarily sense impression. For the

attainment of perfection man must have identity with matter and to limit ego

and self-feeling. We must be broad minded to adjust with men, society,

values, norms and principles of the world. This process of adjustments lies in

the philosophy of ahimsa, dharma, love, unity with god and unity with fellow

beings.

Both the bodily and the spiritual aspects of man are expressions of

God. Mahatma Gandhi believes in the essential spirituality and goodness of

every man and which will lead to the unity, integrity and harmony of the

mankind. As Gandhi being the chief architect of ahimsa, he taught the people

to observe it not far the sake of any possessive satisfaction but for the

integrated development of the humanity as a whole. The life of Gandhi itself

was the manifestation of the concept of ahimsa. Gandhi himself says, "I have

nothing new to teach the world only to say that truth and non-violence are as

old as the hills and both are unavoidable for the spiritual and material life.""'

It: is true to say that killing or injury to life can be an act of violence only under

certain conditions like anger, pride, hatred, selfish consideration, bad

intention, etc. Any injury to life done under these motives is himsa. Thus the

negative meaning of ahimsa is non-killing or non-injury. But this presupposes

that a non-violent act is free from hatred, anger, malice and the like. Only in a

non-violent state of set-up one can receive motivation and to motivate others *

to achieve the esteemed aims of life. Ahimsa can be practised universally on

one condition that h t h the mind and spirit would be pure and tactful to afford

the varied problems of man in all stages of life. If the divine elements are used

in the right manner, these is no doubt, we have the ability to practice and

propagate the notion ahirnsa without fear or favour.

It was Dr. S. Radhakrishnan who profoundly advocated the idealistic

philosophy as the way to attain salvation. His philosophy of thought was a

synthesis of Advaita Vedanta and the philosophy of Absolute Idealism. The

absolute has to be spiritual in nature, Dr. Radhakrishnan was the believer of

the doctrine of karma which is the determining factor of life. Karma is an

aspect of the soul. In order to perform karma one should practice ahirnsa in

the right sense and to determine its strength by its proper use. As the soul is

metaphysically free, it can be controlled by environmental factors and

self-exercise. Also the souls have separate centres of actions. "All seers,

whatever be their sects or religions to which they belong, ask us to rise to the

conception of a God above Gods, who Is beyond image and concepts who

can be experienced but not known, who is the vitality of the human spirit and

the ultimacy of ail that exists, and this is the highest kind of religion-the

practice of the presence of ~ o d . " ~ ' One's own real faith is religion, one's own

real action is faith, and one's on real faith is life and throughout life should be

necessary to follow the path of ahimsa. Dr. Radhakrihnan, a great modem

scholar who had special esteemed view on religion which is the essence of life,

nature of self which is the experience of life, individuality which is the

uniqueness of man; nature of the world which is the principle of unity; God

which is the omnipotent, dl knowing and supremely good creator of the

world. Human destiny which is the immortality of the soul. Above ail in order

to experience all these aspects of life, we must obsewe ahimsa, i.e., the

non-killing o r non-harming others by word, action or deeds.

e:n you did it to the least of my brethren, you did it to me. The very

meaning lies in the fact that only ahimsa can help men to overcome the

sorrows because it indicates the proper way to live and share as much as one

possesses. The philosophy of idealism taught us what ahimsa really meant.

There must be spiritual and idealistic belief, action and sensation. It is by the y + b . r :. ,:*

work and life of Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati, a~ kl- &. now-a-days we --rk.:,,t q 3 >'

know the depth and width of the importance of ahirnsa to be practised. We c., . :- have all the possibilities to follow their path and to accept their philosophy of LC .- .- I 2-

7 . 3.' Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati is the living exponent of ahimsa, love,

P * '

and welfare in the spiritual sense. To the concept and practice of

non-violence, Justice V. R. Kriihna Iyer gives more stable contributions. The

philosophy of ahimsa in one sense is the product of law so far as Justice

Krishna Iyer is concerned. Among the spokesmen of ahimsa Dr. Raja

Ramanna occupies esteemed place. He intends to save the people and give

them an awareness towards the real meaning of ahimsa in the life by using the

nuclear f~s ion for the creative purposes of the humanity. The teachings of

great men produce the concern of self-control, firmness of mind, energy $0 do

well and acuteness of intellect.

Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati, a well-known poet, philosopher,

psychologist, mystic and an author is today one of the leading exponents of

Advaita Vedanta and other systems of traditional Indian philosophy. Also he

is a spokesman of ahimsa in all walks of life. He has for a long, headed the

Narayana Gurukula and the East-West University of Brahrnavidya-the two

institutions involved in promoting not only universal values, but also a better

understanding among people across the continents. "Guru Nityas 'Love and

Devotion' succeeds in bridging the differences between Eastern and Western

spiritual testaments by assuming that the individual response to God is based

upon common patterns of experience, which are represented in turn by

symbols which communicate through time and across cultures."" It is

impressive to say that the map of human consciousness and spirituality which

are seen in the love and devotion are valuable and a striking one. The

philosophy of lave, ahimsa, knowledge, etc. are the central theme of life and

culture advocated by Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati. He combined the hth ,

values, love and devotion together and reached a conclusion that human life

with varied aspects is not the end in itself but it is the way to attain real

satisfaction and fulfilment of our needs both spiritual and material, It is true to

say that sacrifice is the basic need and it should be non-violent in action, then

only one could attain red happine words of Guru Nitya Chaitanya,

happiness is religion-the real mental satisfaction of oneself and others. This

happiness meant real love, ahimsa, and what is called brotherhood. "In the

bi-polarity of love-life, words like resonance, harmony, reciprocity, flowing,

understanding, caring and reassuring are not only significant, but such states

are to be continuous and are to promote each moment of satisfaction to the

next moment of hopeful assurance.'" This statement explains the philosophy

of love, care and co-operation advocated by Guru Chaitanya together with his , I .

concern for &imsa. . ( J D 1 C fi+ .?.A ++ @<' Y ,' : . ;. f , . : ~ , i , i , '2 rd&o ,

'1 ':&ti& V. R. Kri~hni lyer is an integrated porkality with unity of

theory and practice. He gave a new direction to legal thinking and a new

dimension and social orientation ta it. He provided freedom to the law to

reach the red seekers of justice, i.e., the oppressed people of India. Justice

Iyer has always been known as an activist judge. He studies in depth the root

causes of the malady and tries to solve problem with specific suggestions by

way of preventive remedy. "Justice Krishna Iyer inspired by the teachings of

Karl Marx, Engels and Lenin, influenced by humanitarianism of Gandhi and

consciousness of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi; is a unique leader, pleader,

legislator, judge and writer."" As an apostle of ahimsa, he has been in favour

of sparing the life of the offender and believes in the goodness of a man a5 a

natural instinct and treats any sort of deviation as a by-product of social

environment because the man is the victim of circumstances. He gives priority

to basic human dignity which is the part of his concern of non-violence in

thought word and deeds.

According to Justice Kriihna Iyer, "the mission of a judge is not only to

decide a case but to decide with a purpose securing justice to every citizen and

creating a just social order."& The whole life of Krishna Iyer has been a

revolutionary journey against existing injustices and a constant struggle to end

the prevailing socio-economic inequality despite the equality mandate of the

constitution. "His gun of revolution are full of missiles of law directed against

injustices by way of exploitation, oppression and deprivation of rights of the

illiterate and ignorant persons composing majority of the people of our

country."47 It is apt to say that law is what law does and not what law writes in

the books beyond the reach of those behind the bars. Justice Iyer has been so

conscious about the personal freedom of the individual and non-violent

techniques used in the sphere of legal rewards, freedom etc. He extended his

service to the poor by an effective weapon called the law. Legal awareness on

the part of general masses is the basic requirement of the rule of law in the

democratic system adopted by our country.

Sai Baba of Shirdi practised and preached the eternal message of love.

He does not belong to any race, caste or creed or country. He belongs ,to

humanity as a whole. He was a man of high ideals and an ardent supporter

of ahimsa in words, deeds and actions. His teachings resembled that of Kabtr.

To the Hindu he was an incarnation of Hari and to the Muslims Allah. He

believed in simplicity generosity, dharma and ahimsa-oriented life. 'Love,

tolerance, universal benevolence' are the characteristic features of Sai Baba's

faith. To many Hindu devotees Baba was and is God-a living god. He was a

Brahmin born at Hyderabad. After his parent's death, he became a Muslim

devotee and later came across a divine person of very high spiritual

attainment called Gopalrao Deshmukh. Out of this contact, Sai Baba

understood the importance of observing love, dignity of labour, non-violence,

brotherhood etc. He was a man of high spiritual power obtained from his

great Guru. Sai Baba rejected caste and rendered great service to the entire

humanity. "Sai Baba told his disciples repeatedly that Shirdi is far Tarana, i.e .,

saving people and not marana, i.e., killing them."" This reveals the

importance of practising ahimsa, It is true to say that Baba did not appear clr

profess to solve the social, political, economic, religious and other conflicts,

but to give due to adjust with the environments, fellow beings, instttutions and

above a1 to develop the personality of each and every individual. Definitely

our intentions and activities should be centred around non-violence,

benevolence, brotherhod and dharma. The lesson taught by Baba to the

people of all caste and creed is still inspiring through he died in 15th October

1919. Even today Sai Baba of Shirdi is a living reality in the spiritual lives of

millions of Indians to whom he appears in dreams and visions and fulfils their

needs.

Dr. Raja Ramanna occupies a prominent place in the scientific,

philosophical, administrative and scholarly set-up of Indian history. As a well

known scholar, teacher and a musician, today Dr. Rarnanna is a leading figure

in all walks of life and a great spokesmen of ahimsa in his private and public

life. He was born in Bangalore in 1925 on 28 of January. He got Doctorate

in Physics from London Universify. In 1949, Dr. Raja Ramanna joined the

Tab Institute of Fundamental Research at Bombay. In 1972, he became the

Director of Baba Atomic Research Centre. As the greatest Indian Nuclear

physicist, Dr. Rarnanna from 1983-'87 acted as the Chairman of Atomic

Energy Commission in Bombay, and the Director of National Institute of

Advanced Studies in Bangalore.

Dr. Raja Ramanna studied the importance of Nutron Physics and

Nuclear Physics and especially concentrated on 'Nuclear Fission'. As a great

exponent of ahimsa in the scientific field, he advocate the importance of using

nuclear fision and nuclear power for the peaceful activities and creative works

of humanitarian nature and not for any deshctive purposes. This vital

attitude of Dr. Raja Ramanna reveal his sense of honour, outlook on life in

perfected manner and the real meaning of non-violence in the right sense.

This special approach of Dr. Ramanna towards humanity advises to see and

recognise ahimsa as the very basis of all types of scientific, philosophical and

even humanitarian developments. Moreover, he aims at saving India from all

calamities and pressures to develop it become a great world power and to

raise the prestige of India in the nuclear field.

Dr. Raja Ramanna, a great Sanskrit scholar who translated

'Mukundamala' into English and he got the Padma Bhooshan Award. A well

known figure in literature and art, he wan a series of awards namely Swaroop

Bhatnagar Award in 1963; Padma Sree in l%8 and Padma Vibhooshan in

1975. Dr. Raja b a n n a made India the fifth nation in space technology by

making use of new and vital nuclear techniques. His efficiency and devotion

in full swing has been manifested when he got the Mehanath Saha Medal in

1984. This award is extended to those who have made vital contributors to

nuclear research once in every three years. Added to this he got Jawaharlal

Nehru Award in 1983, Omm Prakash Bhesil Award in 1985 and R. D. Birla

Memorial Award in 1986. At the same time, Dr. Ramanna received the

Chairmanship of various international organisations which stand far using the

nudear energy for useful activities alone and this is certainly the chief

conhibution of Dr. Raja Ramanna to the concept and practice of ahimsa.

Notes and References

Yamshi, A Comparative Study of Religions, 1990, p. 2.

G. N. S. Raghavan, Introductory India, 1983, p. 14.

Samuel Smiles, Self-Help, 1987, p. 11 .

U . Munuswamy, Inter Faith Dialogue: The Rys Seminar Papers, 1990,

p. 97.

Basant Kumarlal, Con temporary Indian Philosophy, 1989, p . 105.

S. R. Shama, Mughal Empire in India, 1979, p. 1.

bid., p. 3.

Ibid., p. 23.

U. Munuswarny, Inter Faith Dialogue: The Rys Seminar Papers, 1990,

p. 118.

S. R. Sharma, Mughal Empire in India, 1979, p. 161.

Ibid., p. 257.

Ibid., p. 192.

N . R. Devaraja, Humanism in Indian Thought, 1988, p. 17.

U. Munuswamy, Inter Faith Dialogue: The Rys Seminar Papers, 1990,

p. 100.

Yamshi, A Comparative Study of Religions, 1990, p. 86.

U. Munuswamy, Inter Faith Dialogue: The Rys Seminar Papers, 1990,

p. 97.

K. Chellappan and R. Sundara Raju, A Radhakrishnan Reader, 1990,

p. 119.

Yarnshi, A Comparative Study of Religions, 1990, p. 321.

Arthur D. Inres, A Shod History of the British in India, 1902, p. 57.

Shashi Ahluwalia, Spiritual Masters from India, 1987, p. 37.

Yamshi, A Comparative Study of ReIigions, 1990, p. 2 1 7.

Shashi Ahluwalia, Spiritual Masters from India, 1987, p. 39.

Ibid., p. 33.

Ibid., p. 40.

U. Munuswamy, Infer Faith Dialogue: The Rys Seminar Papers, 1990,

p. 58. rn

Yamshi, A Comparative Study of Religions, 1990, p. 237.

Ibid., p. 236.

K. M. Munshi, The History and Culture of Indian People, 1976, p. 424.

N. K. Deva Raja, Humanism in Indian Thought, 1988, p. 9.

Shashi Ahluwaiia, Spiritual Masters from India, 1987, p. 241.

Shiv Kurnar Gupta, Arya Samaj and the Raj, 1991, p. 101.

Shashi Ahluwalia, Spiritual Masters from India, 1987, p. 255.

Shiv Kumar Gupta, Arya Samaj and the m, 1991, p. 3.

Basant Kumarlal, Contemporary Indian Philosophy, 1989, p. 5.

Shashi Ahluwalia, Spiritual Masters from India, 1987, p. 270.

Ibid., p. 1.

Basant Kumarlal, Con temporary Indian Philosophy, 1989, p .50.

bid., p. 181,

Shashi Ahluwalia, Spiritual Masters from India, 1987, p. 339.

Basant Kumarlal, Contemporary Indian Philosophy, 1989, p .32.

Ibid., p. 107.

Ibid., p. 286.

43. Nitya Chaitanya Yati, love and Devotion, 1979, p. 1.

44. Ibid., p. 86.

45. Moo1 Singh, Justice lyer 's Jurisconscience, 1993, p . 1.

46. Ibid., p. 7.

47. Ibid., p. 7.

48. Shashi Ahluwaiia, Spiritual Masters from India, 1987, p. 309.