Bhagavana Mahavira and his Relevance in Modern Times

Author(s): Narendra Bhanavat, Prem Suman Jain, V P Bhatt
Publisher: Akhil Bharat Varshiya Sadhumargi Jain Sangh

Page 105

SOCIALISTIC DISCIPLINE AND MAHĀVĪRA
P. M. Upadhye
In the past, we have no such fulfledged ideas of socialism or socialistic discipline as understood in this century but the religion played an important role to bring about the welfare of mankind in general and the religious community in particular. No prophet of religion of any country is an exception to this rule. Prophets like Mahavira, Buddha, Jesus Christ and others were moved by the sufferings of the poor. Socialism or we may call it, socialistic discipline, may be motivated by the religious or moral convictions of its advocates. It has been rightly said that from early times religions have encouraged man to dream of a better life and socialism is just a continuation of this tradition.1 We can safely say that the religious thinkers of the world had in their mind the welfare of all beings as the chief principle of their teachings. Socialistic discipline may mean welfare of the society as a whole and welfare may be material as well as spiritual. 'Men cannot live by bread alone' is quite famous. With this background of socialistic discipline in the sense of welfare of the beings, if we analyse the teachings of the last Tirthankara, Mahāvira we will come across several principles enunciated by him which would bring about peace and welfare of the society. It is not possible to take into account all teachings of Mahāvīra in this small article and so we would restrict ourselves to some of his views and teachings which bore the s amp of socialism or welfare of the people.
Dr. Bhagavan Das says that the one craving of Humanity is bread (a) bread spiritual and (b) bread material and all religions seek to minister to both the needs. It is well-known that Pārsvanatha taught four ways of the crossing of the ocean of suffering viz. Ahimsa