Ahimsa (Sanskrit: अहिंसा, IAST: ahiṃsā), meaning 'nonviolence', is an ancient Indian ethical principle which counsels non-injury towards all living beings. It is a key virtue across Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism, and is understood to apply to deeds, words and thoughts alike.
The principle is grounded in the belief that every living being carries a spark of divine spiritual energy, and that to harm another is, in effect, to harm oneself. Ahimsa is also linked to the doctrine of karma, by which acts of violence are held to bring karmic consequences. In Jainism, it occupies a foremost place as the first of the Pancha Mahavrata (the five great vows). In Buddhism, it forms the first of the five precepts. In Hinduism, it is regarded as one of the central ethical precepts informing personal conduct and dharma.
Although early scholars of the Brahmanical tradition examined and refined the idea of ahimsa, it received an especially elaborate development in the ethical philosophy of Jainism. Mahavira, the twenty-fourth and last tirthankara of Jainism, is traditionally held to have strengthened the doctrine in the 6th century BCE. Around the 5th century CE, the Tamil poet-philosopher Valluvar placed ahimsa and moral vegetarianism at the heart of his teachings in the Tirukkural, presenting them as cardinal virtues for the individual. In the modern era, Mohandas K. Gandhi is widely regarded as the most prominent advocate of ahimsa, applying it to social and political action.
Classical Hindu texts, including the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, engage with the difficulty of upholding ahimsa in situations involving war or self-defence, and modern scholars continue to differ on its precise demands in such contexts. Through these discussions, Indian literary and philosophical traditions have contributed to wider reflections on just war theory and the ethics of self-defence.
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article