Non-violence
Ahiṃsā
Harmlessness in thought, word and deed.
- 1
Read
Sit with a few of these lines from scripture — read slowly, more than once.
- 2
Reflect
Let one of the stories below settle the teaching into the heart.
- 3
Live
Speak gently to someone you find difficult today.
📜 Read — verses on non-violence
Bhagavad Gita · Bhagavad Gita 16.2
Harmlessness, truth, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, absence of crookedness, compassion for…
Atharva Veda · Atharva Veda 7.52
…Harmony for us with our own men, harmony with strangers—harmony, O…
Bhagavad Gita · Bhagavad Gita 10.5
Non-injury, equanimity, contentment, austerity, beneficence, fame, and ill-fame—these different…
Chandogya Upanishad · Chandogya Upanishad 3.17.4
Penance, liberality, righteousness, kindness, truthfulness, these form his Dakshinâs (gifts bestowed on…
Atharva Veda · Atharva Veda 4.36
…Whoso shall seek to harm us not seeking to harm, and whoso…
Thirukkural · Kural 103
Behold the kindness done without thought of recompense : it is mightier than…
Thirukkural · Kural 108
It is ignoble to forget a kindness : but an ill turn received…
Atharva Veda · Atharva Veda 7.102
…I will urinate standing erect; let not the lords ( īçvará ) harm me.
📖 Reflect — stories
Thirumālai
Thoṇḍaraḍippoḍi Āzhvār — “the dust of the feet of the devotees” — tended a garden of flowers for the Lord of Srirangam. In the Thirumālai he speaks plainly of his own failings and of the saving power of the divine name, holding nothing back. It is a hymn of confession and refuge, treasured for its raw honesty about the human condition and the mercy that meets it.
🪔 Live — your practice
Speak gently to someone you find difficult today.
Continue your path
A guided path for reflection — the verses are drawn live from the scripture library by theme. Follow the guidance of your sangat or teacher for practice.