Aparigraha the Humane Solution

Author(s): Kamla Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 11

FOREWORD Our age is the age of science and technology. Science and technology have done a great service to the mankind by providing amenities of pleasant living. Scientific discoveries have enabled man to master Nature. But, now, man is showing the defects of 'slave turned master.' The scientific achievements and mastery over the nature have turned man into a selfish being open to temptation. Selfishness and temptation have eroded our spiritual and moral values of self sacrifice and service to the needy. In their place is the mad scramble for power and wealth, a mad race that has endangrered our social institutions. these values can servive only if we check our selfish and greedy attitudes. Lord Mahāvīra in Uttarādhyayana Sūtra has rightly observed 'where there is inner desire for material gain and possession of worldly objects of enjoyments, there is greed. The limitless desire for power and wealth has caused man to lose his sense of respect for others. This attitude, in turn, has created a gulf between haves and have nots, and this has resulted
ss of mutual faith and sense of brotherhood. The desire for power and possession has also given birth to the race for atomic weapons. This desire to accumulate more power and weath is called 'parigraha'. And not to accumulate power and possession beyond minimum requirment constitutes the principle of aparigraha, a constituent of pañcayāma of Lord Mahāvīra's philosophy. Though Mahāvīra has laid stress on the principle of non-violence (ahissà) yet, he also observed that in the root of all violence and war there is the lust for power and possession. Therefore, in order to restore peace and brotherhood and to uproot violence we will have to develop mutual faith and sense of security. Every one has right to use the gift of the nature, but has no right to deprive others of using these gifts.
In Jainism and Patañjala-yoga system the principle of nonpossession (aparigraha) is accepted as fifth vow, but if viewed seriously it is the first basic principle. Jaina thinkers are of the view that if this very principle is violated all other vows automatically becomes violated because at the root of violence and theft there is lust for power and possession.
According to Uttarādhyayana Sūtra the root of all mental and