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Jainism in Economic Perspective
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number of foreign countries. The group of businessmen going outside the country for trade was known as “Sārtha' As a result of the vow of non-stealing they were quite conscious about the quality of goods to be exported to the foreign countries which is an essential pre-requisite to earn credit in a foreign market. Quality control is a very important requirement in an attempt to capture a foreign market and it is still a problem before the export trade in India.
The extent of vow extends further--the hoarding was forbidden in case of essential commodities. It was a moral instrument to check the price spiral at the critical times like war and famine. An economic necessity linked with the moral values tend to have more influence on a common man's mind as well as upon the trader.
Anuvrata based on the great vow of non-stealing can be summarized under the following heads :
(1) Not taking anything belonging to others with a view to
stealing it. (2) Neither intentionally purchasing stolen goods nor aiding
a thief in stealing. (3) Not dealing in the goods prohibited by law. (4) Not resorting to nefarious practices in business. (5) Not misappropriating the property or money belonging
to a trust or an organization in the capacity of an officer of such an organization.
Ahimsa (Non-violence) :
The principle of Ahiṁsā has been minutely discussed in Jainism. No layman will intentionally kill any living being. The practice of Ahiṁsā led the Jainas to exclude all industrial trades endangering life, hence all trades which made use of fire, involved work with sharp instruments (wood or stone work) from masonry and in general from the majority of industrial callings. 9
It is maintained that agriculture was completely excluded; ploughing, especially, always endangers the lives of worms and insects. But here one meets with contradictory claims made by the various scholars of Jainism. It is said that the kind of ahimsa
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