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suffering caused by the pangs of labour? But she forgets them in the joy of creation". Let her transfer that love to the whole of humanity, let her forget that she ever was or can be the object of man's lust. And she will occupy her proud position by the side of man as his mother, maker and silent leader. It is given to her to teach the art of peace to the warring world thirsting for that
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nectar.
He said that the soul in both (men and women) is similar. The two live the same life, have the same feelings. Each is a complement of the other. The one cannot live without the other's active help.175 Gandhi identified lack of education and information as the roots cause of all the evils against women as education will enable women to assert their natural right and to exercise them wisely and to work for their expansion.
Jainism has always taken a leading position to provide equal rights and opportunities to women. In fact women always outnumbered the male Jain monks and lay followers and the trend continues even today. Further the latest census of India shows that over 94% Jain women are educated, progress on their own without total subservience to husband / father son. 1st Tirthankara Adinath, who as a king established the social order, gave full education and responsibilities to his daughters (Brahmi and Sundari) as to his sons and established the four fold creed with male and female members. Historically Mahavira gave special consideration to the uplift of women by his following actions:
He expanded the four fold vows i.e., Chaturyam to fivefold by bifurcating non- possession to celibacy and non-possession as the feeling by his time took root that women were sheer possessions of
men.
Pg.194 | Gandhi & Jainism
