Acharya Mahaprajna
A scientist is a thinker, and Mahavira is also a thinker. Sometimes one wonders how far do the scientists extend themselves. It is no doubt that sometimes the inventions of scientists are astonishing. The only difference is that the thinking of scientists, even though very deep, is of contemporary fact, and not the eternal truth. Mahavira's thoughts are eternal. If the thinking of scientists were related to all times, refrigerators would not have been invented. The machines to maintain things cold or hot as desired would not have been designed. Today these limitations have become evident. These machines are only of momentary and not eternal use. All objects, which the scientists have invented, appear to be momentary, not eternal. After sometime, we see that they become dysfunctional.
On the other hand, what Mahavira said thousands of years ago is very useful even today and will continue to be so. He did not carry out his analysis based on machines, but did it on the basis of spiritual introspection, on the basis of inner perception. Machine is physical, inner perception is sublime. Inner perception is for all times, it is not momentary.
It was said that there should be control of desires. People used to regard this as an idle, meaningless talk. How foolish it is to say that one should stop thinking, visualizing. That would impede the development of the country. People say, "You do not inspire your shravakas (devotees). They would remain as they are and would stagnate”. But today there is a perceptible and pervasive demand that there should be limits, restraints.
