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The main object of Jainism is to emancipate man from his sufferings i.e. mental tensions and thus to attain equanimity or tranquility. First of all, we must know the causes of these mental tensions. To Jainism, the basic human sufferings are not physical but mental. These mental sufferings or tensions are due to our attachment towards worldly objects. It is the attachment, fully responsible for them. The famous Jaina text Uttaradhyayana Sūtra mentions: The root of all sufferings, physical as well as mental, of everybody including gods, is attachment which is the root cause of mental tension'. Only a detached attitude towards the objects of worldly enjoyment can free mankind from mental tension.
According to Bhagwan Mahāvīra, to remain attached to sensuous objects is to remain in the whirl. Says he: "Misery is gone in the case of a man who has no delusion, while delusion is gone in the case of a man who has no desire; desire is gone in the case of a man who has no greed while greed is gone in the case of a man who has no attachment." The efforts, made to satisfy the human desires through material objects, may be likened to the chopping off the branches while watering the roots. He further remarks that uncountable mountains of gold and silver like Kailasa cannot satisfy the desires of human beings because desires are endless like sky3. Thus, the lust for and the attachment towards the objects of worldly pleasure is the sole cause of human tensions.
If mankind is to be freed from mental tensions, it necessary to grow a detached outlook in life. Jainism believes that the lesser the attachment, the greater will be the mental peace. It is only when attachment vanishes. The human mind becomes free from mental tensions and emotional disorders and attains equanimity, the ultimate goal of all our religious practices and pursuits1.
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