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Also it would not be fair to consider Sallekhang as a form of suicide or himsa practised by Jaina sadhus and munis. There are elaborate rules about Sallekhana (voluntary death) in Jainism. This voluntary death is to be distinguished from suicide which Jainism looks upon as a cowardly sin,
In his essay Jainism and Modern Lhfe Shri C. C. Shah has emphasized that Jainism is an ethical religion and rightly stressed the need for a critical re-examination of its religious practices to suit the needs of modern life.
Dr. H. D. Sankalia, Shri Sadashiv Gorakshkar and Dr. Umakant P. Shah have discussed the Jaina contribution to Indian art and architecture and its significance. Urmi Bhagwati in her essay has enlisted the bibliographical aids for the study of Jainism.
Except for certain misconceptions which I have noted above this collection of essays is a welcome contribution towards an understanding of Jaina philosophy, religion, culture and art and I commend warmly Dr. Vishwanath Pandey's efforts in bringing it together.
SHRIYANS PRASAD JAIN
