Economics of Mahaveera

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

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ECONOMICS OF MAHAVIRA
The objective of Marx was economic growth. His entire philosophy is centered around the way which will achieve economic development. For him, everything else was secondary. He aimed a state where everybody would get everything. The aim of Keynes was also economic growth.
According to this, Mahavira and Gandhi both come in one category, and Marx and Keynes in the other category:
The Means The fourth parameter is the choice of means. This is equally important. Objectives sometimes are common, but means can be very different. To achieve the objective, Mahavira chose the means of non-violence, renunciation and restraint. Mahatma Gandhi chose the means of truth and non-violence. Marx, while clarifying his policy in the context of making choices of the means, emphasised that our objective is economic growth, to remove sufferings of the poor by eradicating poverty. If it is achieved through non-violence, well and good. If it cannot be achieved by non-violence, then we should not hesitate to resort to violence. He believed unmistakably that the bourgeoisie would never like to relinquish its power. Class struggle is, therefore, unavoidable and in that process, the use of weapons would also be unavoidable.
The Ideology of Purity of Means Mahavira and Gandhi both laid emphasis on purity of means. By Indian thinking, Mahavira put the greatest emphasis on purity of the means. If there is no purity of the means, there is nothing worthy or desirable to him. The means ought to be pure in thought, in speech and in action. Historically, after Mahavira, Acharya Bhikshu, who is the pioneer of Therapanth, has talked about purity of means in detail. Wherever the means are not pure, there is no change of heart and goals cannot be achieved. Mahatma Gandhi also laid great emphasis on the purity of means. There is a great similarity in the thoughts of both. There is a writer of Gujarat, Gokul Bhai Nanji, who has written in one of his books that the principle of purity of Jayacharya, the fourth