Economics of Mahaveera

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

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Two Important Directives
Among the directives which Bhagwan Mahavira gave to his devout society, two are:
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ECONOMICS OF MAHAVIRA
Vanakamme Forests should not be cut. Phodikamme -Earth should not be excavated.
These two directions are very vital from the point of view of environmental protection. Vanakamme and phodikamme can become the foundation of the new economics, although there is a problem to reckon with. At that time, the population was small. Today, it has grown enormously. There comes a time when population expands, and there comes a time when population gets reduced. As the population increases, there is a. corresponding expansion in needs.
Where Is the Worry About Hunger?
The philosophy of the capitalist economy maintains that if the population grows, if the needs of the large population have to be satisfied, it is necessary to develop a network of large factories. In other words, it is essential to construct large factories. There is some logic in this reasoning. This thinking is not all without meaning. This reasoning would have been even more meaningful if the large factories had made use of agricultural and chemical materials on a large scale for satisfying the needs of the people. The reality is that the large factories and the massive wealth earned through them are not being used for satisfying these needs. These are being used more for imposing authority and dominance over the people. If hunger of the people had been the objective, there would not be a move towards the direction of the atom bomb. Why did the latter process occur? It is certainly not because it was for the fulfilment of the needs of the people. Why is then a march towards the space?
Greed Is the Motivation
That science has explored the truth is true. But it is only partially true. Along with the discovery of truth, Mahavira also directed