SpringerLink
Log in

Ahiṃsā

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Hinduism and Tribal Religions

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Indian Religions ((EIR))

  • 28 Accesses

Synonyms

Nonviolence; Pacifism

Ahimsa and its Theory in Indian Traditions

Ahimsa in the contemporary times remains one of the most debated and desired political and social philosophy. Global agencies working for peace and equity per se United Nations and Nations engulfed in war and violation of human rights seek the solutions through values of “Ahimsa.” Ideals of ahimsa are medium to peace. Peace studies do begin with the idea of nonviolence which is an ethical philosophy of “ahimsa” as it remains one of the ancient wisdoms of Indian philosophy which was brought in vogue to modern world by Mahatma Gandhi. Since ahimsawas used by Gandhi in Indian freedom struggle, it became an integral part of debates within peace studies and its strategies. After Gandhi, many global leader sought solace in ahimsa and follow path of ahimsa for conflict mediation and social justice. In the contemporary discourses, neo-Buddhism and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s ideas of social equity are also studied in the...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 449.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free ship** worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Gokhale P (2009) Ethics of Jaina philosophy literature: the doctrine of ahimsa. In: Prasad R (ed) A historical-developmental study of classical Indian philosophy of morals. Delhi: Concept Publishing Company

    Google Scholar 

  2. Brown WN, Rocher R (1972) India and indology. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publisher

    Google Scholar 

  3. Atmashraddhananda S (2015) Upanishads in daily life. North Carolina: Lulu Press, Inc

    Google Scholar 

  4. Varghese AP (2008) India: history, religion, vision and contribution to the world, vol 1. Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors

    Google Scholar 

  5. Phillips S (2009) Yoga, karma, and rebirth: a brief history and philosophy. New York: Columbia University Press

    Google Scholar 

  6. Chapple CK (2008) Yoga and the luminous: Patañjali’s spiritual path to freedom. Albany, New York: SUNY Press

    Google Scholar 

  7. Jones C, Ryan JD (2006) Encyclopedia of Hinduism. New York: Infobase Publishing

    Google Scholar 

  8. Deussen P (1997) Sixty Upanishads of the Veda. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers

    Google Scholar 

  9. Kurlansky M (2009) Nonviolence: the history of a dangerous idea. New York: Random House Publishing Group

    Google Scholar 

  10. Blackburn S (2005) The Oxford dictionary of philosophy. London: Oxford University Press

    Google Scholar 

  11. Gier NF (1995) Ahimsa, the self, and postmodernism: Jain, Vedantist, and Buddhist perspectives. Int Philos Q 35(1):71–86

    Google Scholar 

  12. Jahanbegloo R (2013) The Gandhian moment. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press

    Google Scholar 

  13. Flügel P, Qvarnström O (2015) Jaina scriptures and philosophy. London: Routledge

    Google Scholar 

  14. Gokhale P (2015) Lokāyata/Cārvāka: a philosophical inquiry. London: Oxford University Press

    Google Scholar 

  15. Singh U (2017) Political violence in ancient India. Delhi: Harvard University Press

    Google Scholar 

  16. De Silva P (2016) Environmental philosophy and ethics in Buddhism. New York: Springer

    Google Scholar 

  17. Rathore AS, Verma A (eds) (2011) B.R. Ambedkar, the Buddha and his Dhamma: a critical edition. London: Oxford University Press

    Google Scholar 

  18. Ambedkar BR (2016) The Buddha and his Dhamma. Delhi: Gautam Book Center

    Google Scholar 

  19. Lahiri N (2015) Ashoka in ancient India. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press

    Google Scholar 

  20. Bhatta CP (2009) Holistic personality development through education: ancient Indian cultural experiences. J Hum Values 15(1):49–59

    Google Scholar 

  21. Mukta P (2000) The public face of Hindu nationalism. Ethn Racial Stud 23(3):442–466

    Google Scholar 

  22. Menon YK (2004) The mind of Adi Shankaracharya. Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House

    Google Scholar 

  23. Chatterjee DK (2011) Encyclopedia of global justice: a – I. Springer Science & Business Media

    Google Scholar 

  24. Sengar B (2017) Prospects for sustainability in human-environment patterns–dynamic management of common resources. Co-authored with Massimo De. Marchi and James Furze in Furze JN, Gupta AK, Reynolds D, McClatchey R, Swing K (eds) Mathematical advances towards sustainable environmental systems. New York: Springer, pp 319–347

    Google Scholar 

  25. Poonamallee L (2010) Advaita (non-dualism) as metatheory: a constellation of ontology, epistemology and praxis. Integral Rev 6(3):190–200

    Google Scholar 

  26. Skaria A (2002) Gandhi’s politics: liberalism and the question of the ashram. South Atl Q, Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press 101(4):955–986

    Google Scholar 

  27. Lal BK (1978) Contemporary Indian philosophy. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass

    Google Scholar 

  28. Gandhi L (2008) Spirits of non-violence. Interventions 10(2):158–172

    Google Scholar 

  29. Gandhi M (2008) From Yeravada Mandir: Ashram observances. Ahmadabad: Navajivan Publishing House

    Google Scholar 

  30. Gandhi M (1959) Ashram observances in action. Ahmadabad: Navajivan Publishing House

    Google Scholar 

  31. Gier NF (2004) The virtue of nonviolence: from Gautama to Gandhi. Albany, New York: SUNY Press

    Google Scholar 

  32. Gandhi MK (2014) Hind Swaraj: Indian home rule. Pune: Sarva Seva Sangh Prakashan

    Google Scholar 

  33. Sengar B (2001) Gandhian approach to tribals. In: Proceedings of Indian History Congress, 62nd Session, Kolkata, pp 327–336

    Google Scholar 

  34. Skaria A (2015) Ambedkar, Marx and the Buddhist question. South Asia J South Asian Stud 38(3):450–465

    Google Scholar 

  35. Queen CS, King SB (1996) Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist liberation movements in Asia. Albany, New York: SUNY Press

    Google Scholar 

  36. Stroud SR (2017) The influence of John Dewey and James Tufts’ ethics on Ambedkar’s quest for social justice. In: Aglave P (ed) Relevance of Dr. Ambedkar: today and tomorrow. Nagpur: Nagpur University Press, pp 32–54

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of History and Ancient Indian Culture, School of Social Sciences, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad, India

    Bina Sengar

Authors
  1. Bina Sengar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bina Sengar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Religion and Asian Studies, Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA, USA

    Jeffery D. Long

  2. The Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Rita D. Sherma

  3. Department of Humanities & Languages, Philosophy & Religious Studies, The India Centre, FLAME University, Pune, India

    Pankaj Jain

  4. Centre for the Study of Comparative Religions and Civilizations, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India

    Madhu Khanna

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 Springer Nature B.V.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Sengar, B. (2022). Ahiṃsā. In: Long, J.D., Sherma, R.D., Jain, P., Khanna, M. (eds) Hinduism and Tribal Religions. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1188-1_231

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation