RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE AND AHIMSA (NON-VIOLENCE) IN SAIVA SIDDHANTA

Religious Violence and Ahimsa (Non-Violence) in Saiva Siddhanta

We would like to make it clear that we have nothing against those who choose to follow a religion. On the contrary, we defend the right of every individual, according to their own conscience, to choose the path that best represents them.

We address these facts not with the intention of judgment, but so that it may be understood that religious violence, instead of glorifying the Divine, only makes the world a worse place. Everything that is sown will, inevitably, be reaped. We hope people understand that God has given us individuality, conscience, and the freedom of choice. Imposing beliefs and ideologies by force is an affront to Creation. It is because of this predatory behavior that many have abandoned faith, and the very concept of God has become detested by growing groups in society.

Image: Freepik 

Domination and Violence in History

With the goal of domination, religious structures imposed laws where any disobedience was punished with extreme cruelty. In antiquity, the Romans felt an aversion to movements that claimed to be "chosen peoples" or "superior races," preaching the destruction of other cultures. Nothing justifies Roman cruelty, but neither does anything justify the violence practiced in the name of exclusivist religious laws.

Later, the Roman Empire appropriated Christianity, spreading hatred and barbaric murders under the title of "Church of Christ" or "Holy People." For centuries, they imposed a single government and a single religion through fear. The historical result of this domination was devastating: the Crusades, the Inquisition, the promotion of slavery that claimed millions of African lives, the massacre of indigenous peoples, collaboration with dictatorial and Nazi regimes, misogyny, and the destruction of individual freedom.

God is essentially Love, Purity, and Innocence. God is benevolent, compassionate, and peaceful. The Divine has no association with groups that do not exclusively practice goodness and unconditional love. Therefore, God never approved of nor took part in organizations that practiced immoral acts in His name.

Ahimsa According to Saiva Siddhanta

In Saiva Siddhanta, the foundation of spiritual life is the concept of Ahimsa.

  • What is Ahimsa? Often translated as "non-violence," Ahimsa goes far beyond not causing physical harm. It means not causing injury to any living being through thought, word, or deed.

  • The Sanctity of Life: For the Tamils and followers of Shiva, every soul (Pasu) is sacred. As God's energy (Shakti) dwells within all beings, to harm a person or an animal for the sake of an ideology is to harm the Divine itself.

  • Ahimsa as Active Love: In Saiva Siddhanta, non-violence is not passive; it is the highest expression of love (Bhakti). Where there is violence and imposition, God's presence is obscured, for He is Sivam (Peace).

The practice of Ahimsa removes the veil of the ego (Anava). Only when we abandon the desire to dominate others can we truly know God. True religion does not conquer territories; it conquers the heart through compassion.


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