Ahimsa & democracy go hand in hand

26 January 2002, 12:27am IST
ACHARYA ROOPCHANDER.

Democracy has been described as government ‘‘by the people, for the people and of the people’’. democracy upholds freedom, equality and peaceful co-existence. it is interesting to know that this form of government existed in our parts more than two thousand years ago. in fact, lord mahavira was born in vaishali, a republic, 2,600 years ago. vaishali was administered by the licchavis, who had fought against despotic kings like bimbisara and ajatshatru. lord buddha once told varshkar, bimbisara’s minister, that so long as the democratic set-up of the licchavis went on smoothly, they would remain invincible. varshkar reportedly created differences among the licchavis and polluted their democratic set-up. they were then defeated by bimbisara. the licchavis had a direct democracy. black and red batons were used in all elections. the majority decision was accepted and carried out after everyone reached a consensus. exposure to such a democratic system left a deep impression upon mahavira. no wonder then, he believed in democratising god. he rejected the idea that god held absolute power over the world. his god is not a creator, dominator and moderator of the universe. he is only a soul that has been freed from the trammels of karma, having attained perfection. according to mahavira, god is therefore within the reach of all those who make the effort to attain perfection, regardless of differences of race, caste, colour, sex, creed or financial status. the first condition of democracy is freedom. mahavira considers freedom to be the first and foremost element of dharma. no being should be subject to destruction, exploitation, torment or enslavement. he said that every soul is god in substance. by exhausting the effects of karma, it heads for perfection. god does not hold any governing power over it. no one can do any good or bad to it. it alone is a creator and destroyer of its own pain and happiness. it alone is its friend and enemy. freedom does not mean freedom from discipline or absence of a system. it only means a system that has not been imposed by someone, but something that is self-imposed. therefore, freedom essentially means self-discipline. indiscipline has no place in a democracy because it violates the interests of others. today, we as a people are shaken by divisive and anarchic forces. mahavira’s concept can be a great inspiration for indian democracy at this hour. discipline is a moral freedom. in its absence political, social and economic freedom do not mean much. the second pillar of democracy is equality. it has been described as dharma by mahavira. it is affected by neither pain nor pleasure. by looking upon all living beings as equal, we can put an end to human rights violations, social and economic inequalities. we find its nucleus in mahavira’s concepts of non-accumulation and giving-up of ownership. mahavira believed in performing life-activities to the best of one’s ability — he rejected social status and differences that are based on the caste system. he believed in equal rights for women. chandanbala, one of his disciples, was treated with great respect. chandaal harikesh and arjun mali got the highest rank among saints. mahavira valued the dignity of individuals. these very values underlie democratic principles today. the third condition of democracy, therefore, believes in respecting the life and rights of others. mahavira explored the utmost depths of this principle. one should not even thrust upon others, one’s thoughts. truth is multifaceted. only an enlightened person can see all its aspects. so, no one is absolutely right or absolutely wrong. we might be right from our viewpoint and our opponents, from theirs. hence we should not be intolerant towards the thoughts of others. these principles are the life-source of democracy. only with this end in view the un was set-up. in mahavira’s life, this democratic philosophy, anekant, was reflected in large measure. thus, in mahavira’s philosophy, we discover a simple and broad base for the basic concepts of democracy. the main idea of democracy is non-violence. that is the quintessence of our cultural heritage too. the philosophy of multifaceted truth, anekant, equality and freedom are expressions of non-violence. we must give it the most honoured place in our public life. non-violence is the essence of democracy.