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Non violence
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and Ācārya Hemacandra were the personalities in whose time the iostitution flourished. In the whole of Kutch, Kathiawad and Gujarat there will not be one important city or town in which there is no Pāñjarāpole. At so many flourishing places, we have branches of these Pāñjarà poles even in small villages, like the primary schools. They are meant mainly to protect and look after animals and partially birds also. We bave no clear statistics, but it is my guess that Jains must be spending not less than fifty lakhs every year and not less than a lakh lives are being looked after by the Pāñjarāpoles. Outside Gujarat there are so many cow-pens-Gaušalasin which only cows are looked after. Their number too is fairly large and thousands of cows are protected and looked after in these. The activities both of Panjarapoles and Gauśālās regarding the protection of animals persist thanks to the hard efforts of the Sanghas that propagate non-violence as any one can see and state, Again, the custom of feeding ant-holes, feeding aquatic beings with flour-pills, and stoppage of hunting and prey to Goddessessall these result from the spirit of non-violence in practice.
Service to Hum nity
We have so far considered the question of non-violence towards animals, birds and other insects. Let us now turn to the human world. In the old days, the custom of donations reigned so strong that no human being starved. We have reliable proof of liberal donors like Jagadushah, declaring open their godowns of food and their treasures in long periods of famine, It would be in. conceivable that nothing was done for human beings in a coutry that spent crores of rupees on animals and birds. Our hospitality is renowned and it is hospitality towards human beings. This country has lakhs of recluses, ascetics and fakirs, the physically handicapped, orphans and the sick for whom every thing possible .sball be done as the brahmin, Bauddha and Jain scriptures lay down. This reflects the inclination and spirit of those old days. The need of service to humanity is expanding day by day. 'Love thy neigh, bour as thyself' has become the most important duty. As a result, some persons in hot haste and excitement accuse those who profess
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