Book Title: Tulsi Prajna 1995 01
Author(s): Parmeshwar Solanki
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

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Page 154
________________ 145 Vol. XX, No. 4 and individual feels loneliness, despair alienation. In Russian cultural History we appreciate those thinkers whose preaching and daily life coincided. After spiritual crisis. Tolstoy reevaluated his past lite and accused bimself of many sins (military service, attachment to material comfort, tasty food and drinks, sexual desire). Instant questioning and self discovery is characteristic of main heroes of his tails : “The Preazer Sonate, “The death of Ivan Ilych", The Devil".. Tolstoy was the only one among Russian distinguished intellectuals to practice vegetarianism and to advocate it in his non-literary works. Belonging to upper layer of Russian gentry Tolstoy still advocated breadwinning by labour and be himself pumped water for the whole house and chopped long logs. Gandhi's ascetic life and hard labour in his Ashram is well known from his autobiogrphy and memories of his friends. His long fasting with the purpose to reconcile Hindu and Muslims are also well known. The integrety of spirit of this great man causes great admiratione PART-II In the course af my research I felt bound to modify my project along the lines "non-violence roots in Gandhism and Jainism." I was honoured to set at the feet of Gurudeo Tulsi and Acharya MahapraJna. Their writings as well as "Anuvrat movement" itself made a great impression on me. Being a short term scholar of the first Jaina Universty, I made up my mind to take the advantage of my stay in Jain Vishva Bharati Iostitute and to study Jaina metapysics, epistemology and psychology, moreover I have found an intellecual basis of the Gandhian principle of Ahimsa in the Jaina theory. So half of the time I dedicated to Jaina principles of non-violence, non possessiveness, non-absolutism as embodied in Gandhian thought and relevant to present critical global situation. The preliminary conclusions of research in this field are the following. 1. Gandbi's early life was fashioned by Jaina neibourhood. Later Gandhi showed typical Jaina attitude of non-absolutism (anekantayada) and relatevism (syadvada) in such statements : "courtesy towards opponente and eagerness to understand their view point is the ABC of non-violence". : 2. Jaina ethical ideas influenced Gandhi's respect of vows. The Five Great Vows and smaller vows (anuvratas) of the Jains have remarkable similarity with the eleven vows of Gandhi. 3. Gandhi's terminology of Sarvodaya (wellfare of all) has its Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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