Vardhaman Book on Jainism

Author(s): Jayshree Menon
Publisher: Bennete Coleman & Co Ltd

Page 63

tion. "Lord Mahavir is not a God, he was a great teacher. If I follow his path maybe I can become like him," he humbly confesses.
And just how does he plan to do that with a high powered financial career which shows no signs of letting up? He smiles, "When I retire, I am not going to become some chairman or consultant or advisor. I intend to fade like a falling star in the financial world. If you do come looking for me I will be in my 6 by 8 feet BMVSS office in Jaipur." Doing what he does best - worshipping God through the service of man.
perficial aspect of ahimsa. Pure ahimsa is when you are friends to all living things, when you ac- tively help them - which is what we do through our Society. I am proud to be a Jain and that I follow the path of ahimsa."
At the meeting to decide on the 2600 birth celebrations of Lord Mahavir in Delhi recently, which was attended by many of the country's leading politicians and industrialists, Mehta was invited by Vajpayee to give a talk. Thus acknowledging the role of this bureaucrat in sustaining the true spirit of Jainism through his social work. Mehta cut through the hype with a simple suggestion. That if the government really wanted to honour the memory of Lord Mahavir, they should set aside Rs. 100 crore for the free treatment of poor people afflicted with cancer. It was no off-the-cuff idealistic statement. As this financial expert reasoned, the interest on that sum would take care of the treatment costs. As for the blessings of the poor, that could never be measured.
His respect for other religions and deep-rooted belief in gender equality also emanates from the basic core of Jainism. "Mahavir says 'You are friends to all and you have to pray to all'. In other words, you cannot discriminate between people on grounds of caste, creed, sex or religion. BMVSS is proud of its secular credentials, it is the core of our approach. If we set up a limb or polio camp on the birthday of the Kanchipuram Shankaracharya, we also set up a similar camp at the Dargah Sharif. Do you know ours is the only Society whose people can walk into the Turkman Gate area during riots completely unarmed and no harm will befall us. Once a Muslim admirer put up a banner right next to the Jama Masjid welcoming the Bhagwan Mahaveer Samiti to that area. The Naib Imam summoned him demanding to know our religious affiliation but he told them about our work instead. The Naib Iman gave his approval and the banner remained. To do good for others, that is religion."
Liberation of women is the bedrock of Jainism he believes. "The first person to have attained salvation according to Jain philosophy is a lady, Rishab Devi the mother of the first Tirthankara. But today we have some religious leaders who will say Jainism does not believe in gender equality. Such a statement is totally against our religion." Typically, Mehta has set up a centre in Jodhpur for helping widows, deserted or distressed women, mostly in rural areas where over 4,000 such women have been helped so far.
His knowledge of Jainism is not just the result of religious idealism. It spans the serious study of all the 32 main scriptures and he possesses the translation of all of them. The most arresting aspect of his simply furnished sitting room is a long running wooden tableau of the different stages of Lord Mahavir's journey to salva
ducation International
For Personal Present
ainelibrary.org