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Jaina Contribution to Indian Society
one. Since all living beings possessed soul, the principle of non-injury was obviously extended to cover all living beings. They explained the doctrine of Ahimsa systematically and to the minutest detail.
All these preachings of Jaina Acharyas regarding the strict observance of the principle of Ahimsa to the maximum extent possible by every individual in society produced far reaching effects in social field. The practice of performing sacrificial rites and especially the slaughter of animals at the time of 'sacrifices considerably fell into disuse. Similarly, killing of animals for hunting, sports and decoration purposes was greatly reduced. Further, the slaughter of animals and birds with a view to use their flesh as a forni of diet slowly became unpopular. In this way injury to living beings was greatly reduced and the practice of vegetarian diet was adopted by large section of population in different regions of the country.
Further, the Jaina Acharyas emphasised the basic fact that every living being has a sanctity and a dignity of its own and therefore one must respect it as one expects one's own dignity to be respected by others. They also firmly emphasised that life is sacred irrespective of species, caste, colour, creed or nationality. On this basis they advocated the principle of 'Live and let live'. In this way the Jaina Acharyas convinced the people that the practice of Ahimsa is both an individual and a collective virtue and showed that Ahimsa has a positive force and a universal appeal.
As the principle of Ahimsa permeates the life of the Jainas, the J aina culture is referred to as Ahimsa culture. If the Jainas are known for anything it is for the evolution of Ahimsa culture since they practised and propagated that culture from ancient times. The antiquity and continuity of Ahimsa culture is mainly due to the incessant efforts of the Jaina Acharyas. Naturally wherever the Jainas were in great numbers and wielded some influence they tried to spread Ahimsa culture among the masses. That is why we find that the States of Gujarat and Karnataka, which were the strongholds of Jainas from the beginning, are largely vegetarian. In fact it is admitted that as a result of the activities of the Jainas for the last so many centuries Ahimsa still forms the substratum of Indian character as a whole. 4. Insistence on Telerance
Advocacy of the principle of religious tolerance has been the
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