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The Jains through Time
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than a specious type of diplomacy, a base constantly seeking guidance from religious manipulation of caste and class voting gurus, literally sitting at their feet till their blocks, and undeserving of the name doubts were resolved. The leaders of the
politics'. It is far from concern with the fate Vajji and Licchavi republics went to Buddha of polity, which depends, as Aristotle and Mahavir to have their problems solved. showed, on the cultivation of civic virtues. Whenever conflicts, struggles and problems In India today, instead of Yudhishthira's arose in those times, they were resolved, not statesmanship, we have Dhritarashtra's out of self-interest, but on the basis of diplomacy. Instead of Vidur's jurisprudence, empathy and mutual agreement. we have Shakuni's electoral game of chance. By becoming indifferent to religion, politics Emperor Ashoka, who had shed the blood has lost its way.
of millions in his war against Kaling, became
a ruler beloved of the gods, once he In ancient times religion held the reins of submitted to Buddha's religious teachings. power; power was exercised in accordance His cruelty turned to compassion. Greed for with religious principles. Even if the ruler an empire was converted to concern for was hedonistic by nature, he had a religious people's welfare. The powerful and energetic leader to keep him on the straight and Emperor Chandragupta always took advice narrow. The religious gurus would apply from his guru Chanakya. Even a fierce their wisdom and pull in the reins to warrior like Kumarpal devoted a quarter of regulate the course of events. If the ruler the royal treasury annually to social welfare became corrupt or did wrong, the senior programmes at the behest of Acharya members of the religious establishment Hemchandra Suri. He ended the old feudal would admonish him and set him back on system and turned Gujarat into an ideal the right path. As a result, the monarchy state. In his youth Akbar was a terribly cruel, could not rule the country according to fanatical and pleasure-seeking ruler, but personal whim. History shows monarchs when he came into contact with a great
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