Acharya Mahaprajna
A big question remains to be addressed: how could the increase in population be controlled? The variations in growth and decline in population have their own causes. Mahavira pointed out four factors behind every loss and gain money, space, time and value. All these are contributory factors in the growth and diminution in population. In Jain literature, there is a reference that says that after Bhagwan Rishabhdev, during the time of Teerthankar Ajit, the highest population increase happened. In population increase, the period is a relevant element.
Apparently, there is some close correlation between poverty and population. That the poor produce more children is an accepted fact that leads to a high rate of population growth. In developing countries, the rate of increase in population is comparatively high. There is a reference in ancient Sanskrit literature that poverty is a very painful experience and with this is associated many children. Man suffers from both, the suffering of poverty and the suffering of too many children. There can be a number of reasons for the population growth, but the impact of kalkhand and malnutrition are the basic reasons for demographic growth.
