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Jaina Philosophy and Religion
and behavior. Therein lies the prosperity, peace and happiness of an individual, a class, a society and a nation as well. If the people are moral and friendly, their entire country or nation is saved from varied troubles and calamities, and their life becomes happy, progressive, elevated and noble.
The fact that by industry and effort one can transform a sub-type into another of the same main karma-type and reduce the intensity of the fruits of the karmas that have risen to give their fruits, is proved even by observation. We observe that the schools for the blind, deaf, dumb and lame are established and therein they are trained to be self-reliant and selfdependent. In this way, many nations have lessened the hardness of the hard destiny or karma of their peoples by making great valiant efforts. Even an individual can improve his or her destiny by living a righteous and responsible life. Individual development and group development can reduce the hardness of the fruits of the karmas that are ready to give their fruits, and having overcome them make good advancement in the right direction. We should always remember here the following words of W.R. Alger: "Fate is the friend of the good, the guide of the wise, the tyrant of the foolish, the enemy of the bad."
(15) (Special Interpretation of the term 'paraloka) The Sanskrit term 'paraloka'is generally taken to mean 'the birth, after death, in any one of the main four classes of living beings', and we are asked to improve it. But, if the society or the class in which one is to be born in future is not cultured, then one cannot be happy in taking birth in such a society, however good one may be.
We are normally not able to establish in the present birth any contact with the celestial beings of the celestial class or the infernal beings of the infernal class. Hence, if we want to undertake reform activities, we can undertake them in connection with the human class and the animal class, living among human beings and animal beings. By doing so, we can gain benefits of the reforma tion or improvement in the present birth as also in the next birth (when we would be born in the human or animal class). So far as it concerns us, the term 'paraloka'should, therefore, be taken in such special sense that we may become aware of our duty towards the human society and the animal world, perform it sincerely and thereby improve our present birth as well as the next birth. From this standpoint, we present the following idea or thought.
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