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Relevance of Mahāvira's Message in the World of today
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towards itself as well as other living beings. Ahimsā the first principle of higher life, is to be the rule of all conduct. Life is sacred in whatever form it may be found to exist. Jainist culture stands for universal well-being and of universal brotherhood. Its aim is spiritual uplift and ultimate perfection of the soul, hence it enjoins on its followers the greatest self-control. It deprecates the action of those who for their selfish ends, pleasure, wanton wilfulness, or even by careless or rash conduct, hurt others' feelings or deprive them of their life-forces. To treat others as one's own self is Mahāvīra's principle teaching. Once this truth is realized all other questions are easily solved. The end can not justify the means. Good cannot come out of evil. Violence cannot pave the way for peace and happiness.
According to Mahāvīra's faith every living being is endowed with a soul. All souls are alike and possess inherent goodness in them. Every one of them can attain the highest spiritual perfection, although it is dependent on the conditions of its bodily existence and on the environments i: finds itself placed in, still in however limited a degree or however slowly, it can always aspire to and achieve the supreme spiritual evolution. If men come to realize this noble community of interest among all living beings, they are sure to love one another and also subhuman life.
The path to this spiritual evolution, as practised and propagated by Lord Mahāvira, consists in a harmonious combination or right faith, right knowledge and right conduct. The last chiefly consists in Ahiṁsā or non-violence, truthfulness, honesty, celebacy and non-covetousness or possessionlessness. Without the other four, Ahimsa is meaningless. Everyone is at liberty to follow this noble path according to his or her capacity and circumstances. An aversion to covetousness, in other words, an ever present wakefulness to keep down one's own requirements and possessions, is a primary condition of the Ahimsite way of life.
Thus Lord Mahāvīra gave to the suffering world his noble message of salvation, physical, moral and spiritual, about two thousand and five hundred years ago, and it is still true and practicable. His teachings, and the values he cherished and advised others to cherish, transcend the limits of time and space. He was interested in the good, welfare and salvation of the entire humanity, without any
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| SR No. | 001595 |
| Book Title | Bhagavana Mahavira and his Relevance in Modern Times |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Narendra Bhanavat, Prem Suman Jain, V P Bhatt |
| Publisher | Akhil Bharat Varshiya Sadhumargi Jain Sangh |
| Publication Year | 1976 |
| Total Pages | 236 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English, Philosophy, Discourse, & Articles |
| File Size | 13 MB |