Essence of Jainism

Author(s): Jyoti Prasad Jain
Publisher: Shuchita Publication Varanasi

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happiness and convenience of others. He ever tries to believe and prove that in the struggle for existence it is only the fistest who survives, in other words, the weak should justify their existence by sacrificing their all in order to make the powerful the more so. According to this way of thinking, the weak has no right to live and the strong must necessarily feed upon him. These false and narow notions of happiness create a gulf between man and man and between different classes of men. They give rise to class antagonism leading to violence and counter-violence and vitiate the whole atmosphere which no longer remains congenial to liberty, equality, fraternity, peace and happiness
This terrible aspect of Himsa led Mahavira to perceive in Ahimsa the root of all piety, religiosity, duty and universal peace. He clearly saw that it is only through a perfectly Ahimsite way of living that lasting peace in the world can be achieved. And
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