Economics of Mahaveera

Author(s): Mahapragna Acharya
Publisher: Adarsh Sahitya Sangh

Page 11

Preface
Persons who earn wealth with the help of abnormal and questionable means only generate animosity and rancour.
An individual who is dazzled by wealth does not get any relief from wealth like a person whose lamp has blown out in a dark cave; a person overwhelmed by wealth is unable to see his way through.
These idioms indicate that Mahavira is not an economist. He is a spiritual personality who circumambulates a soul throughout his pursuit for truth.
The principal subject of economic theories is material objects. The principal subject of spiritual philosophy is soul and is related to abnegation and restraint. Mahavira is the principal spokesman of the theory of abnegation. He established the theory of abnegation and lived a life of utmost restraint.
A family-moored person cannot wholly follow the principle of abnegation. He cannot lead a life of an ascetic who lives on doles offered by others. For him, Mahavira laid down the standards governing desires and prescribed the limits of consumption. With the determination of the limits, some principles of economics emerge. The theories of the promotion of extreme expectations and production are tempting, but they are not natural and the outcome is not in the best interest of human beings.
Economics is the discipline of material prosperity, and the science of peace rests on the limitation of wealth. There cannot be any meeting point between unlimited expectations and peace.
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