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even in his attempts to reach the fringe of his ambitions.
should live under self-restraint." (Uttaradhyayana Sutra, 12.41). One should not permit or consent to the killing of living beings. A careful man will not injure living beings. In thoughts, words, and acts, one should do nothing injurious to beings who people the world, whether they move or not.
Mahatma Gandhi, who was very much influenced by the religion of Ahimsa and Truth, made Non-Violence his philosophy of life and Truth its goal. He said: "Abimsa and Truth are so intertwined that it is practically impossible to disentangle and separate them ..Ahimsa is the means and Truth is the end A steadfast pursuit of Ahimsa is inevitably bound to truth-not so violence. That is why I swear by Ahimsa.” In these days when violence, lying and excesses in private and public life have become the order of the day, there is the greatest need to understand and practise these doctrines in daily
There are two other vices in the public life of today. The difference between the West and the East in these matters is only a difference in degree. Promiscuousness in sexual matters has ruined many families and personal lives of many unmarried persons. The use of contraceptives has further added to the evil instead of solving it. Bhagavan Mahavira has said that for those who long for liberation and life according to the Dharma, there is nothing in this world which offers so many difficulties like the want of celibacy; it is only the ignorant that delight in sexual attraction. The problem of population is closely associated with the vow of celibacy. That is indeed a healthy solution. If our saints emphasised the need of education on Brahmachara during the student days, today we are emphasising on the need of sex-education without emphasis on celibacy as essential to moral character. "If we begin to believe" says Gandhiji, that indulgence is animal passion is necessary, harmless and sinless, we shall want to give reins to it and shall be powerless to resist it. Whereas if we educate ourselves to believe that such indulgence is harmful, sinful, unnecessary and can be controlled, we shall discover that self-restraint is perfectly possible. What formerly appeared to me to be extrvagant praise of brahmacharya in our religious books seems now, with increasing clearness every day, to be absolutely proper and founded on experience." * Brahmacharya must be observed in thought, word and deed,”
life.
There is dishonesty in various forms: corruption, black-marketting, adulteration, misappropriation and cheating. All these are traceable to human greed. Bhagavan Mahavira asked his followers to control greed and acquire purity of thought and action : "The more you get, the more you want, your desires increase with your means. Though two mashas would do to supply your want, still you would scarcely think ten million sufficient." (Uttara. 8.17). There are no limits to human greed, not even the whole space of the Universe. When a person becomes its prey, he falls down to the abyss of misery
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