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Mahāvīra : A Non-violent Revolutionary
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his answer was totally direct and of universal utility. He was asked :
कह चरे कहं चिठे कहमासे कहं स। कहं भुजतो भासंतो पाव कम्मं न बंधइ ।।
Daśvaikā lika-sūtra, 4/7. "How shall we move, stand, sit, sleep, speak and eat so that we may not be bound by sinful actions." He replied :
जयं चरे जयं चिठे, जयमासे जयं झ। जयं भुजं तो भासन्तो पावकम्मं न बंधइ ।।
Ibid, 4/8. “Move, stand, sit, sleep, speak and eat with all discrimination, You shall not be bound by sinful actions.” Discrination means awareness in whetever we do is the corner-stone of an intelligent existence.
And he came out with the message of friendship as well as fraternity for all and comity for none when he exhorted his disciples to repeat these words constantly in their minds :
खामेमि सव्वे जीवे, सव्वे जीवा खमन्तु मे। मित्ति मे सव्वभएसु, वरे मज्झं न केणइ ।।
Ävasyaka-Sūtra, “I offer my apologies to all the sentient beings of the universe and shed all ill feelings for them. I declare my friendship for them all. I have enmity towards none."
He gave equal status to women and established the order of nuns under the leadership of Candana, a princess of the king of Campa, on whose defeat in a battle, she was taken as a slave and sold to a wealthy man named Dhanna. In the fourpoint discipline of Parśva, celebacy had not a separate place as it was treated as included in 'Aparigraha', restraint in possession of number of wives. A woman was impliedly treated as an object of possession Mahavīra, added the concept of Brahmacarya for all men, women, monks and nuns, thus giving a dignified place and equality of treatment to both the sexes.
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