What is the Jain view of war? Can a Jain fight in a war?
Jaina mendicants have clearly exerted great efforts to avoid personally harming any living thing; but their record on the issue of condoning violent behavior is less clear. We have seen the role of acaryas in abetting the establishment of kingdoms; this must have taken place under circumstances in which the candidate had to engage in warfare in order to secure his throne. As has also been noted, great Jaina generals were not condemned by mendicant leaders for their violent actions; on the contrary, their high position in the state was seen as a boon to the entire religious community. Jaina literature, moreover, is by no means pacifist (in the sense that Quakers are, for example): only aggressive war is proscribed, while the subject of fighting in defense of ones country is passed over almost without comment. As for a Jaina laymans personal responsibility in time of war, it has never been confronted directly. Jainas have not produced any text similar to the Bhagavad Gita, in which the e
