Acharya Mahaprajna
A pledge of restraint and control of desires is not a pledge of economic distress. There is no relation between religion and poverty. In Mahavira's view, it is erroneous to think that a poor person alone can be religious or that a religious person has to be poor. Neither the poor nor the affluent necessarily practices religion. Anybody who has experienced the awakening of the feeling of peace can practice religion, be he poor or rich. A religious person who remains away both from poverty and affluence is a real renouncer.
