Mahavira and his Teaching

Author(s): C C Shah, Rishabhdas Ranka, Dalsukh Malvania
Publisher: Bhagwan Mahavir 2500th Nirvan Mahotsava Samiti

Page 210

“THUS SPAKE MAHĀVĪRA”
203
other fields also. In non-technical language it also means the maximum kindness or reverence towards or for the animate world. Every living being has a sanctity, a dignity, a divinity of its own. Life is sacred, however, big or small, a living being may be socially or otherwise. Use of brute force implies a standing negation of the worth of personality as personality, the dignity of man as man. We have witnessed this negation many a time during the last hundred years and it poses a formidable problem. Competition in armaments, secret diplomacy, aggressive nationalism, imperialism, exploitation and blackmailing, racial discrimination etc. etc. What are all these—if not the various forms of the negation of the principle of Ahimsā? A tremendous effort, rational and moral is, therefore needed to bring home to the world that a way out of the present turmoil and trouble leading to real peace and progress lies in installing the Jaina principle of non-injury, non-violence (Ahimsā) in place of violence (Hiṁsā). This principle of non-injury also means that equal regard may be paid to the welfare and good of every single man, woman or child. In sum, the principle of Ahimsā really implies that life should be elevated completely from the plane of force to that of reason and reverence, adjustment and accommodation, service and sacrifice. This can be achieved exclusively through the sincere and solid application of the principle of Ahimsā, the cornerstone of Jainism, to all the fields of human activities. It should be noted that the principle of Truthfulness is inseparably linked up with the principle of non-injury, non-violence. Truth is the highest divinity and is of the ten types as stated in the Pannavanī sutta. Violence begets fraud which is but another form of untruth. We say in our daily talk that truth only conquers. It is true when it means that truth prevails in the long run. But it is a wrong interpretation if it is meant to signify that truthfulness in thought, word and deed is a road to success. The path of truth is strewn with thorns, is beset with difficulties. It demands courage and conviction, stoicism and sacrifice. It is one thing to speak the truth, in private but it is quite an another thing to say and stick to it in public. However ideals are ideals and they