[1] In general, Hinduism teaches the guiding principle of Ahimsa, abstention from causing harm or injury to all living beings, which serves as the root of the ethic of non-violence.
Hindu texts such as the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana, as well as scholars disagree about what the principles of Ahimsa dictate when one is faced with situations that require self-defense or self-study.
Hindu texts such as the Bhagavad Gita argue that the soul is neither born, nor does it die; so-called "sin" cannot touch those who dedicate their actions to duty and devotion to Brahma (thus seated in the Absolute Truth), like a lotus leaf is untouched by water.
The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University does not take a formal unchanging political or religious stance on the issue of abortion.
The Bhagavad Gita also includes lamentation of the degradation of a dynasty or society through "undesirable progeny" which has been interpreted by some to mean a lack of descendants qualified to perform propitiatory rites.
Here, Sri Krishna makes the argument that it is more important to perform righteous deeds based on informed virtues, free from attachment or emotion.
[7] So-called "sin" cannot touch those who dedicate their actions to duty and their devotion to Brahma (thus being seated in the Absolute Truth), like a lotus leaf is untouched by water.
Most humans are, to a greater degree, identified with their bodies and minds and therefore in a state of rajas or tamas where the consciousness is pulled downward to earth and outward towards the objects perceived by the senses.
The terms of choosing are elucidated by consideration of the desires that individuate us, the quality of the mind at the time of choice, and the goal we are seeking to fulfill in our life.
Even with a high rate of abortion in India, a study in 1996 showed 80% of Indian women (which did not separate by religious identification) disapproved and 56% considered it a heinous crime.
He had borne no male children until meeting the great sage Aṅgirā who blessed the King's first wife, Kṛtadyuti, that she then gave birth to a son.