Dr. Sulekh Chand Jain
As affluence within the Jain community increases so does the number, kind, duration, and intensity of rituals. During my visits to India, I have observed not only the celebrations of more rituals but also inventions of new ones every year. These include the number of Panch-kalyanaks, ghee bolis (each panch-kalyanak is not complete without an elaborate ghee boli), number of divas (lamps) for Aarti, the use of live animals (elephants and bullocks), a criminal waste of foods, and the use of animal based products, particularly in clothing of participants and inadequate toilet facilities (resulting in a foul smell and the growth of an infinite number of bacteria, germs, mosquitoes, and flies).
Several groups and individuals in the community have perfected this art of performing such functions as a commercial and lucrative business. I always wonder, is this religion and ahimsa? When will we Jains stop, think, and realize that what we are doing is nothing but more and more himsa?
Now you decide: is this behavior consistent with ahimsa?
