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Human Solidarity and Jainism : 183
of goddess Camuñḍā. Jaina kings such as Kumārapāla, Viṣṇuvardhana and others constructed the temples of Śiva and Viṣṇu along with the temples of Jina.
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Historically, we also find that various deities of other sects are adopted in Jainism and worshipped by the Jainas. Acārya Somadeva in his work Yasastilakcampū remarks that where there is no distortion from right faith and accepted vows, one should follow the traditions prevailing in the country. Thus Jaina thinkers advocated religious tolerance, which is a necessary condition for national integration and human solidarity.
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Meaning of Unity in Jainism
Jaina philosophers firmly believe the concept of integration of unity, but for them unity does not mean an omnivores unity in which all its constituents lose their entity and identity. They believe in that type of unity in which all its integral parts conjoin each other and form an organic whole without loosing their independent existence and peculiarities. In other words integration or unity, as Jainas believe, means a harmonious co-existence of different nations, faiths and cultures in an organic whole.
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Jaina thinkers assert that unity implies diversity. Unity and diversity are the two phases of the same reality. They find reality as unity in diversity. In Bhagavatī-sūtra Lord Mahāvīra mentions that 'I am one as well as many'." There is no class without individuals and every individual belongs to a certain class. We cannot imagine a cow without cow-hood and without cowhood a cow. The terms unity and diversity are relative, such as husband and wife. The term husband implies wife and the term wife implies husband, similarly unity implies diversity and diversity implies unity.
So, whenever we talk about human solidarity it does mean the unity in diversity, for diversity is also an essential characteristic of mankind. Radial, cultural, linguistic, regional and religious differences are inevitable and essential. In Niyamasāra Acārya
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