Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 1

Author(s): Nathmal Tatia
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 248

FOUNDATION OF WORLD PEACE : AHIMSA AND ANEKĀNTA 237 of circumstances and ceases to be valid when those circumstances disappear. Democracy believes in individual freedom of speech, freedom of action and also in his capacity of forming true judgement. It will be.a misfit in a country where the majority of people are illiterate, politically unconscious, have no civic sense, that is to say, have not any conception of the welfare of the entire nation and are concerned wholly with the satisfaction of their immediate biological needs. In such a country democracy formed on the basis of popular votes proves to be a travesty. So it is good for a people which is politically educated and has clear notion of the ultimate good. Democracy is good for it. Is monarchy good ? Yes, subject to a qualification. If the king is educated politically, morally and is not selfcentred, open to conviction and devotes himself to the promotion of the well-being of the people of all classes, it will be an ideal form of government. As a matter of fact all political thinkers of India in the past from the authors of the Rāmāyana, Mahābhārata, down to Kautilya and his successors and also Plato and Aristotle have all shown their preference for constitutional monarchy. But if the king develops into a despot and is entirely negligent of the interest of the people, is intemperate and addicted to pleasures of the senses monarchy will prove to be a curse. Democracy again is apt to degenerate into tyranny of the majority and when this majority is composed of needy, greedy aud indolent people this will also prove to be a cause of misery. The intellectually advanced sections, the well-to-do merchants and industrialists, the morally sensitive people will suffer. So there must be checks and balancing factors. So no definite qualified answer can be given to the question whether a particular form of government is better than the other.
The general mass of a nation have no idea of higher values and as such have a natural animus against the advanced section. They · will be easily duped by interested party politicians. Their policy will be directed to the efacement of classess and equalization by the achievement of universal poverty. But there will be a handful of clever men who as the leaders of people will live in luxury hold out hopes of higher standard of life. This is unfortunately found to be the
tion in our country in the present day The remedy may be found if the leaders are self-sacrificing and find delight in promoting the well-being of all sections of people. But the general amelioration can be affected by true education of the entire nation. People must be taught to place the interest of the nation above individual prosperity, which will have no stability is the majority are sunk in abject poverty. Abject poverty and unutilisable surplus of wealth are two extremes and must be adjusted by the law of anekan ta.