Universal Values of Prakrit Texts

Author(s): Prem Suman Jain
Publisher: Bahubali Prakrit Vidyapeeth and Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan

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for his daily consumption as well as washing or taking a bath etc. I sat in the session for around three hours and was thinking how different I am from the respected Jain Muni. Here is a person who is saving water to save humanity from great crisis that is looming at large, and here are we - wasting water and wasting the resources of this planet leading it to a devastation. My only satisfaction that day was this that throughout that three hours' session, I had not gone to wash room - this happened very rarely that I sit continuously for three hours at a stretch and do not go to the wash room. Had I gone there, the optimum quality of water that I could have wasted on my single visit to the wash room would have almost equalled the minimam quantity of water that suffices for the daily requirements of that respected Muniji. The ideal of Aparigraha practiced to this extant of minimising the physical requirements certainly stands as a message for the world today, where the consumerism is dangerously destroying natural resources and much of the beauty of earth. Perhaps you will agree with me that in no other tradition, except the tradition that is envisaged through ancient Prakrit texts, the idea of aparigraha has been practiced to this extant, eventhough aparigraha is cited as one of the five niyamas in Patañjali's yoga system. In the philosophy of Upanişad's the idea of detachment or anāsakti has been led to a similar proportions. The Iśāpanișat says- tēna tyaktēna bhuñjīthāḥ mā gặdhaḥ kasyasvid dhanam and kurvannēvēha karmāņi jijīvişēcchatam samāḥ
In the practice of anāsakti yoga one may live amidst all the worldly possessions and be liberated by remaining mentally detached. Gandhiji adopted the philosophy of anāsakti yoga and developed his principle of trusteeship. However, the idea of aparigraha practiced in its true spirit not only would incorporate the tenets of anāsakti, it will also involve ahiņsā the non-violence as well.
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