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JULY, 1987
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as service to mankind. Once a question was raised to Mahavira: "O Lord, one person is rendering his services to the needy persons while other is offering pūjá to you, between these two, who is the real follower of yours?" Mahavira answered "First one is the real follower of mine, because he is following my teachings."13
Though some one or other form of violence is inevitable in our life, yet on this basis we can not conclude that the non-violence is not necessary at all. Just as violence is inevitable for living, non-violence is also inevitable for social living. So far the existence of human society is concerned it depends on mutual co-operation, sacrifice of our interest for the sake of our fellow-beings and regard for others life. If above mentioned elements are essential for our social life, how can we say that nonviolence is not necessary for human life. Society exists not on violence but non-violence, not on fulfilment of self-interest but sacrifice of selfinterest, not on claiming for our own rights but accepting the rights of others as our duty. Thus we can say that the non-violence is an inevitable principle of the existence for human society. At present we are living in an age of nuclear weapons and due to this the existence of human race is in danger. It is only the firm faith in observance of non-violence, which can survive the human race. It is mutual credibility and the belief in the equality of human beings which can restore the peace and harmony in human society.
Regard for Other's Ideologies and Faiths
Jainism holds that the reality is complex. It can be looked and understood from various view points or angles. For example we can have hundreds of photographs of the same and one tree from different angles. Though all of them give a true picture of it from certain angle, yet they differ from each-other. Not only this, but neither each of them, nor the total of them can give us a complete picture of that tree. They individually as well as jointly will give only a partial picture of it. So is the case with human knowledge and understanding : we can have only a partial and relative picture of reality, we can know and describe the reality only from certain angle or view-point. Though every angle or view-point can claim that it gives a true picture of reality, yet it gives only a partial and relative picture of reality. In fact we can not challenge its validity or truthvalue, but at the same time we must be aware of the fact that it is only a partial truth or one-sided view. One, who knows only partial truth or have a one-sided picture of reality, have no right to discard the views of
13 Avasyaka-yrtti, pp. 661-662.
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