ahimsa

[ uh-him-sah, uh-hing- ]

noun

, Hinduism.

1. the principle of noninjury to living beings.

ahimsa

/ ɑːˈhɪmsɑː /

noun

1. (in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jainist philosophy) the law of reverence for, and nonviolence to, every form of life

Word History and Origins

Origin of ahimsa¹

First recorded in 1830–35; from Sanskrit ahiṁsā “noninjury,” equivalent to a- privative suffix (cognate with Greek a- ) + hiṁsā injury, derivative of hánti “(he) slays,” Greek phónos “murder”; a- ⁶

Word History and Origins

Origin of ahimsa¹

Sanskrit, from a- ¹+ himsā injury

Example Sentences

Ahimsa requires deliberate self-suffering, not a deliberate injuring of the supposed wrong-doer.

From Project Gutenberg

In its positive form, Ahimsa means the largest love, the greatest charity.

From Project Gutenberg

Ahimsa truly understood is in my humble opinion a panacea for all evils mundane and extra-mundane.

From Project Gutenberg

But Mr. Gandhi, with all his visionary idealism, was letting loose dangerous forces which recked naught of Ahimsa.

From Project Gutenberg

He hated no one, for that would be a negation of the great principle of Ahimsa, on which he expatiated with immense earnestness.

From Project Gutenberg