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SagarınalJain: Human Solidarity And Jainism
and varija (colour) are also crept into Jainism, but it was obviously the influence of Hinduism. Jainism, what we may say, niether proposes nor supports the concept of superiority or inferiority on the basis of caste and colour. In the Uttarādhyayana it is clearly mentioned that a man is neither high nor low, because he is born in some particular caste or lineage or due to his social, political or economic status, but it is the moral conduct that makes a man high or low. In the 12th and 25th chapters of the Uttarādhyayana, there is a scathing criticisin of varna system hierarchy and assumed superiority of Brahmins. It is clearly asserted that a real Brahmin is not one who is born in a particular lineage, but one who is completely unattached, talented and of goodconduct. It is not the lineage, but the character which is the determining factor of one's superiority."
c) The natural law of co-operation :
The second but not the least inotto of Jainism is the law of cooperation. For the Jaina thinkers co-operation is the essential nature of living beings. 12 They strongly condemn the doctrine of 'struggle for the existence' i.e. 'living by killing'. They state ever that the directive principle of our living is not the struggle but the co-operation. The dictum 'Live on others or living by killing' is not agreeable to them, simply because it goes against the judgement of our faculty of reasoning and commonsense. For them the directive principle of living is not merely "live and let live”, but “Live with others” or “Live for other”. They argue if nobody has any right to take my life then on the same rational ground I have also no right to take other's life. Just I need other's co-operation for my existence, so I should also co-operate in other's living. For the Jainas, not the struggle, but the co-operation is the law of life and only through the firm belief in and practice of
11.
a) b)
Uttarādhyayana sūtra 12/37 Ācārānga 1/2/3/1
Sūtrakrtānga 1/13/16
12.
Tattvārthasūtra 5/21
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| SR No. | 520264 |
| Book Title | Jain Journal 2006 10 No 04 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Satyaranjan Banerjee |
| Publisher | Jain Bhawan Publication |
| Publication Year | 2006 |
| Total Pages | 36 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Magazine, India_Jain Journal, & India |
| File Size | 3 MB |