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Society in Jaina Philosophy and Literature
Jainism is considered as a religion and philosophy that promotes world-renunciation. It might therefore be assumed that there are no rules for society in Jainism. Yet, this would be a misconception. Jaina philosophy and literature have enough citations to prove that welfare of all beings' society is always in focus in preachings of fordmakers (tīrthankara). Society denotes mutual co-operation or inter-relationship of individuals which takes place in the path of salvation too. Ford (tīrtha) or four-fold religious order (caturvidha-sangha) is a significant evidence to confirm this notion.
This article aims to (i) explore the concept of society in Jainism, (ii) analyse the philosophical tenets from the point of view of
their social significance, (iii) discuss the position of society in Jaina canonical and
posterior literature, (iv) evaluate the impact of Hindu culture on Jaina thought of
society, (v) present the social attitude of present Jaina society.
Concept of Society in Jainism
Human survival is nearly impossible without the existence of society. Although society is a changing phenomenon, it exists all the times. What is society? It is not merely a group of people, but it denotes the inter-relationship of individuals. The sociologists R. M. Maciver and Charles H. Page (1950: 6) state: “Society exists only where social beings
