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A Path-way of Life
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concept of celibacy in the ethical life of spiritual seekers in India. Caturyama of Pārsva, the 23rd Tirthařkara, was found by him quite deficient, which included celibacy within the concept of Aparigraha ( limitation of possession ), and the Vedic Rşis had not extended their concept of Brahmacarya (movement in Brahma, the cosmic soul ) to comprehend even celibacy, as all of them were married persons and even their concept of Vişpu, the universal Lord, was not devoid of a consort. It is of course true that celibacy was not unknown to the spiritual seekers in India before the advent of Mahåvira, but its place in spiritual development of the soul was systematically recognised for the first time by Mahavíra. Ethical justification of celibacy does not lie only in saving millions of Spermatozoa, as some Jainas, in their simplicity, believe, but it lies in restraining excessive emotional outburst, having a violent passion to possess which results invariably in attachments and aversions of various types, as also in total waste of energy which can be utilised for achieving great spiritual heights. The Jaina insistence on celibacy, therefore, helps one to develop his personality and manliness. Relevance to Modern Times
Thus the Jaina doctrines are the doctrines, helpful to any one in living a vibrant and purposeful life, conducive to the development of social, ethical and national as well international harmony. As they are based on scientific analysis of universal components and human psychology, their appeal is universal and confined only to logic and reasoning, containing nothing sectarian. It is a process of thinking and a way of life which are as much relevant today as they were two thousand five hundred years ago in times of Maha vīra.
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