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The canvas of life is larger than the ‘self
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Ācārya Vinoba Bhave gave it a detailed and refined definition. Again, this does not mean that sarvodaya did not exist earlier. Much before Gandhi, the great Ācārya Samantbhadra of Jaina culture used this term to explain Mahāvīra's social and religious systems of tīrtha and sangha. What the Acārya meant is that in Mahāvīra's tīrtha and sangha lies the welfare, growth and evolution of all. Sarvodaya can never happen just for one society, one community or one caste. Where everyone's enhancement occurs, sarvodaya resides. In my own view, where the doctrines of non-violence and non-absolutism exist, there lies true socialism, true democracy and true sarvodaya. Today's socialism which rests on economy cannot provide a holistic answer because issues of existence and life cannot be solved by economic issues alone. For that, religion and spirituality are also needed. Food is not the only primary question. There is an issue larger than food, which is that an individual must recognize himself and understand his boundaries. If a person cannot know himself and his limits, then the concepts of socialization, socialism and sarvodaya are meaningless and futile for him. Society can prosper only when individuals know their limits.
So how do we reduce the excesses in our lives, how can we limit our boundaries? As long as we have a living body, how can we be free of pleasures? Mahāvīra never spoke about man's liberation from necessities. He propitiated liberation only from unnecessary luxuries. Therefore, he propounded the vow of limiting resources, not of relinquishing all resources necessary for living.
Enjoyment is the root of possessiveness. As soon as enjoyment gets limited within a boundary, possessiveness also gets limited. Thus, the vow of limiting the objects for one's use automatically leads to the vow of non-possessiveness.
Mahāvīra established the vow of limiting directions and geographical boundaries (diśā parimāņa) as well. He also laid emphasis on the vow of imposing further restrictions only for a limited period of time. This included denying concessions in other vows (deśāvakāsika vrata). Thus vows were arranged to
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