Hands

Ahimsa hand

The ahimsa hand, the raised palm with a wheel that is the emblem of non-violence in Jainism: what the gesture and the word in it mean and how it forms part of the official Jain symbol.

Also called Hand of non-violence

In brief

I.The ahimsa hand is a raised open palm with a wheel in its centre.
II.Inside the wheel is written the word ahimsa, “non-violence”, the first principle of Jainism.
III.The raised hand means “stop”: stop and think before acting, so as not to harm any living being.
IV.It is part of the emblem adopted by all Jain groups in 1974–75.

Chapter I

What it means

ahimsa Non-violence: not harming any living being in thought, word or deed. Central to Jainism. Glossary, non-violence, is the heart of Jain ethics: no living being, however small, should be harmed in thought, word or deed. The raised hand is the gesture of reassurance found in Indian sculpture, and here it also says “stop”. Before acting, pause and consider the harm your action could do.

The wheel in the palm is the wheel of dharma, the teaching, and also the cycle of rebirth, which harmful actions keep turning and non-violence can bring to rest.

Chapter II

Where it comes from

The raised palm, the abhaya mudra or gesture of fearlessness, is very old in Indian art. The ahimsa hand as a distinct Jain emblem took shape in the 20th century and was fixed when Jain communities of all sects agreed a common symbol in 1974–75, for the 2,500th anniversary of the nirvana Literally “blowing out”: the end of craving and suffering, and release from rebirth, in Buddhism. Glossary of Mahavira.

Chapter III

Where you see it today

The hand appears on Jain temples, books, magazines and websites, often as part of the full Jain emblem. It is widely used in campaigns for non-violence and vegetarianism.

Questions people ask

What is the official Jain emblem?

A figure outlining the universe in Jain cosmology, containing a swastika, the three dots and crescent, the ahimsa hand and, below, the motto parasparopagraho jivanam, “living beings serve one another”. It was adopted for the 2,500th anniversary of Mahavira’s liberation.

How far does Jain non-violence go?

Very far. Monks and nuns sweep their path to avoid treading on insects, and many lay Jains avoid root vegetables, eating after dark and work that harms living things.

Sources and further reading

Paul Dundas, The Jains (Routledge, 2nd ed. 2002)
Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Religious symbolism and iconography”

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