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The Eternal Message of Jaina Wisdom
of the 11th century A. D. as follows:
satveṣu maitri guņișu pramodam klisteṣu jiveṣu kṛpāparatvaṁ mādhyasthabhāvaṁ viparītavṛttau sadā mamātmā vidadhātu deva!
39
Sāmāyika Patha, 1
i. e., friendship towards all beings, respect for the qualities of virtuous people, utmost compassion for the afflicted beings and equanimity towards those who are not well disposed towards me may my soul have these dispositions for ever.
The Other Vows
All the other vows preached in Jainism are only an extension of the vow of non-violence. Truthfulness is essential to keep order and harmony in society. There are moments in life when one has to work hard to keep up one's convictions. In business and in our day-to-day dealings our truthfulness is put to test. We have to practise it constantly to maintain our integrity. While observing the vow of non-stealing, one is required to earn his livelihood by honest means. We violate the vow of non-stealing by accepting and holding what is not needed by us. What we possess in surplus has to go to those who need it badly. The principle of continence is significant in maintaining the morals in society.
Thus we see that these principles, preached by Lord Mahāvīra, are universal in character and are applicable to every individual in any society. These simple rules can be practised without the least philosophical speculation, even by an ordinary man.
Integral View of Life
Jainism takes an integral view of life. Either faith or only knowledge by itself cannot take us to the path of salvation. We should have a combination of right faith, right knowledge and right conduct to tread the path of salvation. These constitute the three jewels of Jainism. Without right faith, there is no right knowledge and without right knowledge there is no virtuous conduct. Lord
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