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increasing in social life. While trying to restrain the capitalists class, we should not forget that the horrible exploitation perpatrated by the officer class is ever on an increase. While the capitalists give some reliefs to the general public by starting several big works, beneficial to the people, the officers who have become rich overnight, through dishonest and corrupt activities have nothing to show in the matter of common good in their lives. The result is that our people are being recklessly exploited and millions of rupees are illegally eaten up from plans and projects run by the money provided by our people. As per Jainism, life proceeds along the path of corruption mainly because we have forgotten spirituality and the sense of a life hereafter as a result of an aversion to religion, created among us. Jainism has prescribed thirtyfive qualities of a life that proceeds along the path of salvation in which are included the virtues of lawfulness, service of and hospitality towards guests, monks and the poor and the needy, compassion, doing good to others, mildness in one's nature etc. which result in the proper performance of duty, the removal of vices and the acceptance of merits. If these qualities are taught to the people even today, I am sure, many of the miseries, the exploitation and the vices which are rampant today, will be greatly reduced.
But when can a man adopt these qualities? Jainism says that a life of the householder should be guided by the importance of a life hereinafter and if a householder lives in accordance with this belief, then he will remain ever alert and think that, although falsehood, dishonesty, cruelty,
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