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अहिंसा के आलोक मे
१४१
होनेके कारण ही सौराष्ट्र देशने भारतीय अहिंसात्मक सग्राममे महान् भाग वटाया था। कैटलिनका कथन है कि भारतमे मासाहारके विरोधगुजरातका सबसे प्रमुख स्थान है तथा जैनधर्मका वहा जितना प्रभाव है, उतना भारत के अन्य भागोमे नही है । 'महात्मा गाधी' नामक अग्रेजी पुस्तकमे श्री पोलकने गाधीजीकी जन्म-भूमि गुजरातमे जैनधर्मके महान् प्रभावको स्वीकार किया है, जिससे गाधीजीके जीवनको असाधारण प्रकाश तथा बल प्राप्त हुआ । विद्वान लेखक टाल्सटाय आदिके प्रभावको उतना महत्त्वपूर्ण नही मानता है । विलायत जाते समय जो गाधीजीने जैन सन्त श्रीमद राजचन्द्र भाईसे मद्य, मास तथा परस्त्री सेवन त्यागकी प्रतिज्ञा ली थी और जिसके प्रभावसे गाधीजीके जीवनमे अहिसात्मक उज्ज्वल क्रान्तिका जागरण हुआ था, उसको फ्रान्सके विश्व विख्यात लेखक
"No where in India there was stronger feeling against meat-eating or more Jain influennce than in Gujrat." Ibid p 163
? "Again it was reflection, his experience of life and in some degree the influence of Tolstoy that brought him to his fundamental doctrine of Ahimsa He then went to the Hindu scriptures and to the folk poetry of Gujrat and rediscovered it there If I may give my view briefly and bluntly on this much disputed question I think Gandhi put hus claim much too high Certainly Buddhists and Jains preached and practised Ahimsa and the Jains' influence is still a vital force in his native Gujrat The first five of Gandhis' vows were the code of Jain monks during two thousand years
Mahatma Gandhi by H S. I. Polak p. 112.
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