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devotees at a higher level and by Gurus, Saints and Munis in increasingly perfect orientation. One who could reach the utmost perfection would attain enlightenment and become a Tirthankar. It is noteworthy that since the “NIRVANA"of LORD MAHAVIR in 527 B.C.for over 2500 years no one has attained the status of 'Tirthankar'.
The importance of Jain religion should not be assessed in terms of the number of its followers. There are around 10 million followers in India and a million or so abroad - mostly of Indian origin. The importance needs to be seen on the impact which the Jain philosophy has made on the world humanism, on the catholicity of global outlook inspired by the concept of 'Reverence of all life and by the emphasis on non-violence encompassing non-injury in thought, word and deed.
The search for truth and the practice of truth is one of the key aspects of Jain perception. Equally, important aspect of Jain thinking is to develop a feeling of gradual non-attachment from material possessions and attractions that seek to blind us to the materialistic paraphernalia of life to the extent that we mistake it for life itself.
Jain teaching is not merely critical of irrational thought, conduct or deed, but is conducive to promoting thought and action in the right direction. Jain Shastras teach Man to conquer anger with calmness, ego with humility, deceit with honesty and greed with contentment through a process of rigorous but persuasive self-control covering both mental as well as physical faculties.
One of the concepts underlying Jainism is ‘Anekant’. Nothing is this world is absolute. Everything is relative. The theory enunciates the multi-ended pattern of human social relationships and emphasizes the dynamic and moving element in it rather than a fixed or static or singletrack nature of relationship. This helps a more objective attitude towards others - one of universal love in place ofexclusive attachment or hatred or bias towards a chosen few. Liic has multiple rays radiating from a single clement. It is therefore, only rational not to cling to your very near and dear ones alone or to your land or belongings. A wider and non
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