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BHARAT KA ETIHAS
133 These ideals are, no doubt, high, but there are men who actually endeavour to live up to them.
As Mr. A. B Lathe points out (An Introduction to Jainism, pp. 63-64), the proportion of jail-going population is a good index to the moral condition of a community. According to the following figures drawn from the Jail Administration Report of the Bombay Presidency for the year 1891 the number of Jaina criminals was one man for every 6,165 individuals, which compares most favourably with the percentage of other communities.
Religion.
Population.
Total No. Proportion
• of population prisoners.
prisoners.
of
to
Hindus
14657179
9714
1509
Muhammadans
3501910
5794
604
Christians ..
158765
333
477
Parsees
78945
2549
Jews
9639
481
Jainas
240436
39
6165
As Mr. Lathe shows, the figures from a later report, i.e., for the year 1901, show even an improvement over this, that is to say, that out of every 7,355 Jainas only one man was in prison in that year!
It may be mentioned here that the Jaina ideal of love, in its purest form, comprises
1. kindly regard for all living beings, 2. loving adoration for those endowed with excellent virtues
and attributes, .3. sympathy for those in distress and pain, and
4. toleration for those perversely inclined. The Jaina is, therefore, not free to hate even an enemy. The Jaina saint actually carries with him what may be termed the emblem of universal love, in the shape of a whisk of the softest of feathers from the peacock's tail. With this whisk he gently removes aside
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