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more precious than ghee or butter. To cut forest or to dry the tanks or ponds is considered as a very serious offence for house holder. As per rule Jaina house-holders are not permitted to run such type of large scale industries which pollule air and water and lead to the violence of plantlife and animal-kingdom. The industries which produce smoke in large quantity are also prohibited by jainācāryas. The types of these industries are terms as 'maharambha' meaning greatest sin and larger violence. It is considered as one of the causes for hellish life. Thus, Jainas take into consideration not only thc, violence of small creatures but even earth, water, air, etc. also. The fifteen types of industries and bussiness, prohabited for the house-holder are mainly concerned with, ecological disbalance, pollu tion of environment and violence of living beings. Though Jainācāryas permitted agriculture for house-holders, yet the use of pesticides in the agriculture is not agreable to them, because it not only kills the inscts but pollutes the atmostphers as well as our food items also. To use pesticides in agriculture is against their theory of non-violence. Thus we can conclude that Jainas were well aware of the problem of ecological disbalance and they made certain restrictions to avoid this and to maintain ecological equilibrium, for it is based on their supreme principle of non-violence.
References
1. Uttarādhyayana, 32/29. 2. Ibid., 32/8. 3. Ibid., 9748. 4. Ācāränga, 1/8/4. 5. Sūtrakritānga, 1/6/23. 6. Uttarādhyayan, 6/6. 7. Acārānga, 1/3/4. 8. Sūtrakritānga, 1/1/1/1, 9. Uttarādhyayana, 9/34. 10. Jain Journal, Vol. 22, July 1987, No. 1, pp. 16-li.
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