________________
144
THE WAY OF LIFE
worldly welfare. You should not do those things by means of the body, mind or word.
The great commentator has written : "You should never even think of condemnable actions”. The implication of this is that man should always keep himself aloof from sinful actions; and should be unattached in respect of those sins. Probably, this question has arisen in your minds : "Sinful activities like meat-eating, wine-drinking and lechery are widely prevalent. The very atmosphere in which we live has become polluted by those sins. How can we save ourselves from them? How car we keep off those sins ? Those sins have pervaded the whole atmosphere."
THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN ENCOURAGING THESE EVILS ė The situation has become monstrous. Nobody compels us to commit these terrible sins. Nobody forces us to commit these enormities. Nevertheless, at present, these sinful activities are given such publicity and propaganda that people do not deem them sinful activities. People think that these despicable activities are admirable. These despicable activities have assumed the form of fashions and enjoy a sort of prestige in society. These enormities have received the approval of the government. The government has been giving publicity to these evils because it has abundant means of propaganda. The three chief means are : (1) the Press, (2) the Radio and (3) the T.V. The government has these means of mass-communication. Those evils, that have been condemned by the enlightened people, are being given wide publicity.
In Gujarat, the land of Gandhiji, the government has been running the fishing industry. Other state governments have been licensing slaughter-houses. But the land of Gujarat is deeply interfused with the feeling of non-violence. Formerly, catching fish in the thousands of lakes and tanks in Gujarat was prohibited. But now the government of Gujarat has been permitting the catching and selling of fish. Is it not a misfortune for you i.e., for the people of Gujarat ? A loud propaganda
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org