The test of Ahimsa is absence of jealousy. Any man may do a good deed or make a good gift on the spur of the moment or under the pressure of some superstition or priest craft; but the real lover of mankind is he who is jealous of none. … So long as this jealousy exists in a heart, it is far away from the perfection of Ahimsa. … The man whose heart never cherishes even the thought of injury to anyone, who rejoices at the prosperity of even his greatest enemy, that man is the Bhakta, he is the Yogi, he is the Guru of all. (Swami Vivekananda)
It has been said that there is no such thing as absolute ahimsa. It is not possible even for the most conscientious monk to practise total ahimsa. In order to live, one has perforce to destroy life, howsoever unwillingly or remorsefully. What is important to remember and to practise is purity of heart, equality of vision with respect to all beings, and kindness and compassion for all those who are depressed, deprived, and destitute. Ahimsa, as Swami Vivekananda emphasizes, is absence of jealousy, not cherishing even a thought to hurt.