Ahimsa has been the centre of Gandhian philosophy. However, Gandhi was not the innovator of the principle of Ahimsa. The ideal of Ahimsa has been propounded in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist traditions. Ahimsa has been the cornerstone of the Jain philosophy. The paper discusses the two perspectives towards Ahimsa namely Gandhian and Jain. The implications of these two ideals are also looked in. The similarities and differences between these two approaches can help us to figure out the contribution of Gandhi in this context.