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श्री राष्ट्रसंत शिरोमणि अभिनंदन ग्रंथ
ENVIRONMENT & JAIN VISION
Dr. Shekharchandra Jain
Chief Editor "Tirthankar Vani" Ahmedabad The word environmental pollution has become very popular since last one decade. Today politicians, scientists and men of letters from each country of the world are engaged in discussing this problem and are voicing their concern about it. As a result of this the issue has been debated on a massive scale, but at the same time it has also become a bit fashion able to talk about this issue.
The point that rises in my mind is that why does it happen so. If we look at the present globel situation and think about it - it becomes obvious that human beings have altered the very basic nature of the earth in order to achieve their personal gains. We have disturbed the natural ecological balance which depended on the existance of natural flora and fauna. The disaster consequences of our sinful acts are now staring us in the face and mankind is now martally afraid of its future as the threat to human existance has begun to increase. We have started thinking about protecting the environment. As this problem is not an individual one but concerns every living being on this earth, it has for every one. It is therefore that every one is now trying to discuss and final solutions to this problem. The ordinary meaning of the word environment is that it is a protective cover. To day this protective cover called the invironment is being form a part and the existance of the earth is in danger. The earth is a planet on which both flora and fona have a right to exist. Man is blessed with the faculty of thinking. It is a great gift of nature and therefore it was expected that man would protect nature. But, it is sad that man has abused this great gift of nature called thinking power and used it against nature itself. Except humanbeings no other living beings even try to strike other living beings, either for pleasure or far distruction, the only purpose for which they do so is to sustain their existence. But man has acted in an indiscriminate manner by killing plants and animals not only to satisfy his hunger but also to satisfy his pleasure and desires for destruction.
Man has destroyed forests and in turn invited the wrath of Nature. Industrial, scientific and other experiments carried out in the name of progress have continuously been polluting the environment of the world. We wish to examine the problem of environmental pollution in the light of the facts which are now before us and from the angle of Jainism. It was thousands of years ago that the holly scriptures of Jain religion had established the fact that plants and vegetables too have life - a truth which the modern science has now accepted. Actually speaking 'Jain Agamas' had gone beyond this idea and given the concept of 'Sthavar-Panchstikaya Jival. They did not rest content with the concept only but went on to conduct experiments in order to prove beyond doubt the existence of life in all the 'Panchastikaya'. They attached the table of 'Sthavar Jiva' to them. It is written in 'Dhavla' that - "all the "Sthavar Jivas' have only one organ or sense and that is the sense of touch. It is only through this faculty that they know, see, eat, live and do all other actions". In 'Sarvarth-Siddhi' it is said that it is 'Sthavar Nam-Karm' which rises in that single sense and makes it do all those actions. It is mentioned in 'Panchastikaya' a 'Mulachar' that 'Kayes' - like upkays, Agnikayas,
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