Jain Journal 2014 07

Author(s): Satyaranjan Banerjee
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 43

JAIN JOURNAL: VOL-XLIX, NO. 1-IV JULY 2014-JUNE 2015
erals etc. suffer degradation, pollution and imbalance, the consequences in green-house effect, climate change, droughts, floods, storms, famines, pestilences etc, will influence and disturb the social environment, its stability, health and harmony. Likewise imbalances in social environment beset with conflicts and wars will adversely affect the physical environment, accentuating its degradation, pollution and imbalances and this in turn will disturb the social environment and the vicious cycle will go on. Environment should be considered in its totality as a composite aggregate whole in which every constitutent smallest and biggest is equally important in its own specific symbiotic role. It can be compared with any organism in which there are 2 trillions of cells and each cell work for the whole body i.e. for all cells and all cells work for every single cell. Any dereliction or aberration on part of a single cell will destory itself and all other cells and the body. In any manmade machine every smallest part is important for functioning of the machine. Environment is like an organim, a composite unified system in which every constituent is important and all constituents small or big should be considered equally indispensable.
In Jainism equality of all is one of the important fundamental principles and even earth forms, water-forms, air-forms, energy-forms which are generally considered inanimate (non-living being) are considered life forms similar to other living beings including human beings. This is unique in Jainism only and unparalleled as compared to other schools or thoughts anywhere and at any time. In recognized living forms also the smallest microbe has been assigned potentially the same status as highest evolved life form of human beings in as much as that all living beings possess similar souls, all capable of attaining the highest enlightenment, perfection and salvation.
It is also unique of Jainism that it subscribes to the principle of mutualism (symbiosis) in all inter dependent interactions of all the constituents of environment both animate and inanimate, that all act