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Mahavira & Wisdom/131
8. Mahavira's Concept of Economics
Lord Mahavira has said that when comforts acquire prominence in the life of man, his humanity is relegated to the back-ground and materialism takes the center-stage. According to Mahavira, needs and desires should be restrained.
The path given by Mahavira neither discards livelihood nor does it renounce faith. Rather he has called for the union of the two. According to Lord Mahavira, it is necessary to restrict our desire for comforts. One should not extend his desire so much that they hinder his own existence. In the words of Mahavira, a comfort that does not harm the physical, mental and psychological health of a person is acceptable. A comfort that is harmful for health whether physical, mental or psychological, is unwanted. Lord Mahavira has given a relative meaning to every type of development because no branch of knowledge can function without relativity. Lord Mahavira has said that while pursuing the path of economic growth, one should see to it that the means adopted are pure and the values of morality and ahimsa are not violated. Mahavira has said that unfair means should not be used for attaining the objective of economic growth, but the reality today is just the opposite. Today, the stress is on creating an economic empire,
