Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Z.A.I.P.G. College, Siwan; Controller of Examinations, Jai Prakash University, Chapra, Bihar, India
JournalRPIMJ
Volume / Issue1 / 1
Pages1–9
Published24 Sep 2025
Paper IDRPIMJ11JS25001
Views / Downloads4 / 4
Article summary
Abstract
This paper examines how ahimsa (non-violence) and compassion shape India’s jurisprudential tradition—from Vedic and Upanishadic sources through Jain and Buddhist elaborations to Gandhian praxis and constitutional interpretation. Ahimsa is treated not merely as private virtue but as a juristic principle that orients lawmaking, adjudication, and civic conduct toward dignity, restraint, and the minimization of harm. We reconstruct classical doctrines, distinguish pacifism from ahimsa, and show how compassion (karuG) institutionalizes duties of care in public law, criminal justice, and environmental governance. Case-guided discussion highlights tensions around caste oppression, euthanasia, and collective security, showing where non-violence must be specified, balanced, or limited by competing rights. Comparative analysis situates Indian thought alongside Western ethics—pacifism, Christian non-resistance, and human-rights discourse—arguing that India offers an ethic in which restraint and responsibility are coequal. We propose research pathways that reconnect formal doctrine with lived law, integrate economic insights into legal design, and embed civic literacies for non-violent dispute resolution. Normatively, the paper contends that ahimsa and compassion can serve as constitutional meta-principles: structuring proportionality review, guiding restorative remedies, and informing administrative reasonableness. Practically, they underwrite social justice and environmental stewardship by prioritizing the protection of vulnerable beings and ecosystems. The conclusion reframes ahimsa as an operational standard—linking ethical intention to institutional practice—and clarifies what it demands of judges, lawyers, legislators, and citizens in a rights-based democracy.
Ashok Kumar Mishra (2025). Ethics in the Indian Jurisprudential Tradition: The Values of Ahimsa and Compassion. ResearchPro International Multidisciplinary Journal, 1(1), 1–9. https://www.researchprojournal.com/article/rpimj11js25001/ethics-in-the-indian-jurisprudential-tradition-the-values-of-ahimsa-and-compassion
Ashok Kumar Mishra. “Ethics in the Indian Jurisprudential Tradition: The Values of Ahimsa and Compassion.” ResearchPro International Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, 2025, pp. 1–9. https://www.researchprojournal.com/article/rpimj11js25001/ethics-in-the-indian-jurisprudential-tradition-the-values-of-ahimsa-and-compassion
Ashok Kumar Mishra. “Ethics in the Indian Jurisprudential Tradition: The Values of Ahimsa and Compassion.” ResearchPro International Multidisciplinary Journal 1, no. 1 (2025): 1–9. https://www.researchprojournal.com/article/rpimj11js25001/ethics-in-the-indian-jurisprudential-tradition-the-values-of-ahimsa-and-compassion
Ashok Kumar Mishra (2025) ‘Ethics in the Indian Jurisprudential Tradition: The Values of Ahimsa and Compassion’, ResearchPro International Multidisciplinary Journal, 1(1), pp. 1–9. Available at: https://www.researchprojournal.com/article/rpimj11js25001/ethics-in-the-indian-jurisprudential-tradition-the-values-of-ahimsa-and-compassion.
Ashok Kumar Mishra, “Ethics in the Indian Jurisprudential Tradition: The Values of Ahimsa and Compassion,” ResearchPro International Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1–9, 2025. https://www.researchprojournal.com/article/rpimj11js25001/ethics-in-the-indian-jurisprudential-tradition-the-values-of-ahimsa-and-compassion.
Ashok Kumar Mishra. Ethics in the Indian Jurisprudential Tradition: The Values of Ahimsa and Compassion. ResearchPro International Multidisciplinary Journal. 2025;1(1):1–9. https://www.researchprojournal.com/article/rpimj11js25001/ethics-in-the-indian-jurisprudential-tradition-the-values-of-ahimsa-and-compassion.
Ashok Kumar Mishra. Ethics in the Indian Jurisprudential Tradition: The Values of Ahimsa and Compassion. ResearchPro International Multidisciplinary Journal 2025, 1 (1), 1–9. https://www.researchprojournal.com/article/rpimj11js25001/ethics-in-the-indian-jurisprudential-tradition-the-values-of-ahimsa-and-compassion.
No separate funding declaration was available in the verified source record; the journal policy applies.
Conflict of Interest
No separate conflict-of-interest declaration was available in the verified source record; the journal policy applies.
Ethical Approval
No separate ethical approval statement was available in the verified source record; the article and journal policies apply.
Data Availability
No separate data-availability statement was available in the verified source record; contact the author(s) or editorial office where appropriate.
Author Contributions
No separate author-contribution statement was available in the verified source record; authorship follows the published article record.
AI-use Declaration
No separate AI-use declaration was available in the verified source record; the journal AI-use policy applies.
Editorial record
Publisher's Note
The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author(s). Publication does not imply endorsement by the journal, editorial board or publisher. Responsibility for accuracy, originality and integrity remains with the author(s). Readers should independently evaluate and verify information before application or citation.
Bilimoria, P., & Williams, R. (2014). Jurisprudence in the Indian Context: The Interplay of Dharma and Law. Springer. Source
Das, G. (2009). The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma. Oxford University Press. Source
Gandhi, M. K. (1935/2009). The Doctrine of the Sword (in All Men Are Brothers: Autobiographical Reflections). Continuum. Source
Jha, N. N. (2010). Ahimsa: A Buddhist Approach to Non-Violence and Peace. Indian Journal of Ethics, 4(1), 65–81. Source
Johnson, W. J. (1995). Jainism: An Introduction. Cambridge University Press. https:/ /www.cambridge.org/core/books/jainism/35DF1EBB67AE37C20EDB13B4E42AB653.
Kane, P. V. (1962). History of Dharmasastra (Vols. I-V). Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. Source
Madhu, R. P. (2014). Gandhian Jurisprudence: Implications for Contemporary Legal Theory. Indian Journal of Legal Philosophy, 2(4), 231–241. w. r e s e a r c h g a t e. n e t / p u b l i c a t i o n / 294579871_Gandhian_Jurisprudence_Implications_for_Contemporary_Legal_Theory.
Manusmriti. (Translation: Patrick Olivelle, 2005). Manu’s Code of Law: A Critical Edition and Translation of the Manava-Dharmasastra. Oxford University Press. https:/ /global.oup.com/academic/product/manus-code-of-law-9780195171467.
Mehta, V. S. (2016). Compassion and Law: Buddhism’s Contribution to Indian Jurisprudence. Journal of Dharma, 41(2), 169–185. Source
Mohanty, J. N. (2000). Classical Indian Philosophy. Rowman & Littlefield. Source
Panikkar, R. (1979). The Vedic Experience: Mantramañjarî. Motilal Banarsidass. Source
Prasad, D. (2017). Dharma, Law and Human Rights: Indian Tradition and Gandhian Vision. The Indian Journal of Political Science, 78(3), 441–450. Source
Soni, R. K. (2017). Ahimsa and Compassion: The Essential Nexus in Indian Philosophical Tradition. Philosophy East and West, 67(1), 123–136. Source
Tandon, N. (2016). Gandhi and the Modern World: Perspectives and Proposals. Routledge India. Proposals/Tandon/p/book/9781138679568. Source
Vohra, R. (2015). Environment, Ethics and the Indian Legal System: Relevance of Ahimsa. Asian Journal of Legal Studies, 2(1), 77.
