THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jay Kumar Jalaj: Born at Lalitpur, U. P. on 2nd Oct. 1934 edu­cated and taught at Allahabad University. Taught at Satna, Reva, Bareli, Sehore, under the aegis of higher education, Madhya Pradesh. Taught in the Govt. Post-Graduate College, Ratlam, as head of Deptt for 10 years and then as Principal, for 12 years. Authored: Suraj si Astha (poems, 1958), Sanskrit Natya Shastra: Ek Punarvichar (Research and review 1962), Dhwani Aur Dhawnigranm Shastra (Linguistics, 1962), Aitihasik Bhasha Vigyan (1972, 2001), Sanskrit aur Hindi Natak : Rachna Evarn Rang-karma (Research and review 1985, 2000), and many others. Awarded: By M. P. Government's Kamta Prasad Guru, Vishwanath and Bhoj awards. Honored recipient of Sahitya Saraswat title of Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, 1998.

Mailing address:              30, Indira Nagar, Ratlam - 457001-M. P.

Author's Note

Bhagavan Mahavira had an unflinching and thorough faith in thing/matter and its manifoldness as well as expansive, independent, and self- sufficient nature of living and non-living beings. This faith is the culmination of his lofty and sublime thoughts. For comprehending such a faith, micro-­classifications into endless types and subtypes may only be a primal need. Some time they may shift the original facial of Mahavira's thought out of the focus of our vision. So, the need is to go beyond the classifications and shape our behavioural pattern according to Mahavira's basic and non-­bookish thinking.

         Mahavira's path, for comprehending the nature of thing, is simply natural and for treading the same he only favours our natural steps. Even for virtue he disfavours a throbbing attraction in us. He believes in non-­imposition. For him it is only the purity of emotion and not its goodness or evil that may free the soul from all bondage to karma and possibility of rebirth, which is moksha or complete deliverance.

Stray ideas about Mahavira's vision-n-thought lingered ever in my mind. But to concretize them in a comprehensive sequence ever got postponed. Had the M. P. State Committee, formed to celebrate Mahavira's 2600th birthday, its President Honourable C. M. Mr. Digvijay Singh and Vice-President Honourable Commerce Minister, Mr. Narendra Nahta not strictly restricted the size, to write a, concise book on Mahavira, perhaps, I couldn't have grasped the integrated democratic thought 0f Mahavira. For this, I am thankful to all of them, and for publishing the book and its editions to the M. P. Sahitya Parishad.

I thank Slm G. F. Burhanpurkar for the English translation,            Dr. Padam Ghate and Er. Nikhil Jain for their help in preparing computer copy and email communications. My thanks also to Shri Surendra Bothara for his valuable suggestions. In the end I express my gratitude for Shri D. R. Mehta and Prakrit Bharati Academy, Jaipur for publication of not only the first edition but this second edition also.

Ratlam (M. P.) India                                 - Jay Kumar Jalaj

11th Sept. 2003.