Live and let live

Every being should have the space and freedom suited to their nature. When we restrict or control them against their will, whether humans or animals, it creates disturbance in society and the universe. Each should be allowed to live according to its own nature. Problems arise when we torture, harm or trouble beings. If they live in their natural way, order is maintained. But if we isolate a species somewhere, it will die out. Survival happens only when they live among others in the environment they originated from.

Jain darshan considers all souls as equal. Anyone can be born in any form - a human can become an insect, an insect can become a human, a god can become a dog, and a dog can become a god.

There are examples - if a dog hears a spiritual mantra, accepts it and develops that faith, it can become divine. Karm is transformed through faith and action. In Jainism, God refers to a liberated soul and deva to a celestial being - devas enjoy pleasures but are not liberated. Those free from all states of existence - human, animal, hell, heaven - are called God, according to Jain Darshan.


A soul's journey begins from the lowest state called nigod, where countless souls share a single body and have no independence. They evolve into higher forms - human, animal, celestial - or go back to nigod. This migration has no beginning and no end, but no new soul is ever created just as energy is neither created nor destroyed.

As told to Sonal Srivastava