Ahiṃsā is a noun from the Sanskrit root hiṃs- meaning “to injure,” “to harm,” “to kill,” or “to destroy,” and the negative particle “a,” together meaning “noninjury.” Ahiṃsā as a central element of religious practice was promoted in the Śramaṇa tradition, from which Jainism and Buddhism developed in the 1st millennium before the Common Era, and by which the Hindu traditions have been strongly influenced. An important element in the doctrine of ahi…