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TULSI-PRAJNA
is standing at the brink of a catastrophe. The entire world is indulging in the production of armaments resulting in the impending extinction, annihilation and obliteration of humanity from the face of the earth. Mass-slaughter and massacres under the disguise of legalised violence have become the order of the day.
Due to modern living in the society man has become a social being, even then he couid not give up his personal ambitions. Therefore, he began to exhibit dual personality-social and personal. The instincts like desire, greed, fear etc. were the part and parcel of his individual set up. Social consciousness was at work at the one end where as individual consciousness was at the other. Being pressed by the social responsibilities he was leading a disciplined life, but on account of the personal consciousness he twined to be an anti-social element The more the objects developed, the more his greed was intensified and there arose the feeling of possessiveness, Having been engrossed with this vicious circle he took to theft, kidnapping etc.
The feeling of eminity, jealousy, hatred, condemnation, quarrel, allegation, backbiting. deceit etc--all tiese are categorised as mental violence. Doing away with these evils is seldom thought of. Emotional violence is already there in the heart of hearts and violence in their day to day affairs confronts them in every sphere of their life.
The jain philosophy regards earth, water, fire, air and green vegetable as endowed with life and it is violence to take away life from living beings. Killing beings, waging war, defeating enemy and violence for sake of one's nourishment and self-preservation-all these are regarded as violence. It can not be substituted by nonviolence. As a matter of fact imminence is also violence.
The whole world is full of living beings. Under these circumstances how can a living being lead life observing complete nonviolence. Essential like eating, drinking etc. are linked with violence. These are the imperative needs of life and one therefore, can not think in terms of non-violence. It is bis compulsion in order to remain alive but he should abstain from unnecessary violence.
Here the message of non-violence is all-pervading if it is combined of the purity of mind, speech and body-an influx of purity. The person practising non-violence leads a happy and peaceful life, where there is no room for tensions. The leap forward in this direction is the annihilation of cruelty and inculcation of a feeling of
ompassion. The evolution and development of language, script, mathematics, architecture etc. would be possible only if men learn
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