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condemned war and violence. In Uttraradhyayana, it is said “If you want to fight, fight against your passions. It is much better to fight with one's own passionate self than to fight with others. If someone is to be conquered, it is no other than your own self. One who has got victory over one's own self is greater than the one who conquers thousand and thousand of warriors”.
Jainas aim at complete eradication of war and violence from the earth, it is not possible as long as we are attached to and have possession for anything living or non-living, small or great. There are persons and nations who believe in the dictum ‘might is right'. Though aggressive and unjust, war and violence is not acceptable to Jainas. They agree to the point that all those, attached to physical world and having a social obligation to protect others life and property, are unable to dispense with defensive war and violence.
Jainas accept that perfect non-violence is possible only on spiritual plane by a spiritual being, completely free from attachment and aversion and having full faith in the immortality of soul and thus remaining undisturbed by the fear of death and sense of insecurity. The problem of war and violence is mainly concerned with worldly beings. They cannot dispense with defensive and occupational violence. But what is expected of them is to minimize the violence at its lowest. Ignorant and innocent persons should not be killed in wars at any cost.
Jaina thinkers have suggested various methods and means for non-violent wars and for reducing violence even in just and defensive wars. They suggested two measures. First the war should be fought without weapons and in the refereeship of some cue. The war, fought between Bharat and Bahubali, is an example of such a nonviolent war. In our times Gandhiji also planned a nonviolent method of opposition and applied it successfully. But it is not possible for all
257 Jainism and its History
