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Jaina Concept of Non-violence and its ... : 23 exist. The life itself comes into being only when two elements (male and female) come together and it is by mutual co-operation that if flourishes. It is co-operation and the spirit of giving up self-interest for the sake of other upon which social life exists. In other words, we can say that the society stands on the basis of positive nonviolence. The negative non-violence may become the basis of individual spirituality but it evidently cannot be the basis of social life. The non-violent society that we talk about today, whenever it comes into being will stand on the basis of positive non-violence. As long as the members of the society will not be imbued with the sentiment of understanding other's pain and with a heart to try to remove it, the society may not be considered as ideal. For the society to exist, it is necessary that there be a feeling of affection between its members; that there be a realisation of other's pain as one's own and that there be an effort to mitigate it on every body's part. Generally, affection is misunderstood as attachment. However, there is a subtle difference between affection and attachment. While affection is without any selfish interest and desire for a counter favour, attachment is with desire and there is an element of selfishness at its root. It demands counter favours. Affection has a feeling of looking after the others only. It is for this reason that various synonyms of non-violence, given in the Praśnavyākaraṇa-sūtra have the synonym of ‘rati'or affection also. By rati we do not mean the sensual attraction or desire based attachment but desireless affection. Actually, affection becomes affection only when it has no expectation of any counter favour and becomes universal in nature. As long as we do not have the realisation of equality with other living beings and a sense of respectful coexistence with them as well as a feeling of their pains as our own, the non-violence consciousness does not come into play. A feeling of affection is the fundamental basis of non-violence consciousness. It is the feeling of attachment wherein there is no feeling of even a trace of aversion. In such attachment all the living beings of the world are like the self. There is no feeling of the 'other.' Actually, such attachment is not considered attachment
