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JAINISM AND DEMOCRACY
follower. The comparative oldness of one's tradition is attached to undeserved values. They have become vain glories just like the chariots, elephants, gold-handled swords, beautiful sheaths and other weapons of ancient royal court. They are big houses with lofty tombs, but none is prepared to live in them. Not only this, they have become instruments of fanaticism, the result of which cannot be forgotten. • The modern age is not free from the above fact. Mahatma Gandhi apopted non-violence, as an active force. His khadi and spinning wheel were active weapons for the realization of self-independance, which was the foundation of national independance. His Harijan movement was a strong measure for social integration. All these practices were adopted for inner and outer purification and were tentamount to yogic practices of the past. But now Gandhism has become an object of intellectual discussions and demonstration and stage performance. We relish in the discussion of the sublities of Ahimsa, while preparing for bloody war. Khadi has become ceremonial dress and playing upon the spinning wheel a ceremonial rite. Language :
In language the above phenomenon is further explicit. Upto the age of Panini and a bit later, the language was full of verbs denoting action. The sentences were short and positively affirmative or negative. It means that the society did not believe in futile praise or decorum of speech. It was straight forward and active.
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