Aaj Ki Mahati Apeksha Parivar Niyojan

Here's a comprehensive summary in English of the Jain text "Aaj Ki Mahati Apeksha Parivar Niyojan" by Amarmuni, based on the provided pages:

Title: Today's Great Expectation: Family Planning Author: Amarmuni Theme: The urgent need for family planning to address the severe consequences of uncontrolled population growth.

The text argues that the world is currently suffering from a continuously increasing population, likening it to Draupadi's unceasing sari in mythology. What was once considered a blessing (having many children) has now become a curse.

The Core Problem: Overpopulation and Limited Resources

• Resource Depletion: Every family, society, and nation has limited resources for consumption, such as food, clothing, and housing. If the number of consumers continues to grow unchecked, solutions are impossible to find. Nature's production capacity is not infinite; its exploitation has a limit.
• Unfulfilled Desires: The inability to fulfill desires stems from a focus on materialism. Human desires have transcended basic needs and are expanding uncontrollably like raging rivers. Political ambitions have driven people to madly seek everything, necessary or unnecessary, without restraint.
• Consequences of Hunger and Greed: The text quotes a sage saying, "There is no suffering greater than hunger," and the Sanskrit saying, "What sin does a hungry man not commit?" Hunger leads to a loss of discernment between right and wrong, driving people to commit all sorts of sins, misconduct, and atrocities.
• Societal Breakdown: An increasing population inevitably leads to an increase in hunger. It becomes difficult to provide even life-sustaining food, let alone fulfilling desires. The consequences are evident: widespread theft, robbery, pickpocketing, and violence, even within families. The murder of parents by their own children has become commonplace. Societal degeneration is escalating, with humans becoming cruel demons, abandoning their inherent humanity.

The Failure of Traditional Controls

• Weakening Religious Influence: Religious traditions, which once controlled people through teachings on sin, merit, hell, and heaven, have lost their effectiveness. These teachings, it is argued, have become entangled in illusion. Religious leaders are increasingly becoming "money gurus" rather than spiritual guides.
• Inability to Control Desire: The text questions how the reins of restraint can be applied to a "hungry, mad horse" of the human mind. While excessive indulgence is a source of misconduct, the author notes that people initially make small mistakes to fulfill basic needs, which then become ingrained, destroying inner conscience. This leads to a loss of sensitivity and transformation into something else. This is attributed to the "uncontrolled crowd," implying that being lost in the masses leads to destruction.
• Humanity vs. Microbes: The author draws a parallel between humans and microbes. Just as excessive microbe populations are not desirable and are targeted by control plans, so too is the uncontrolled growth of the human population, turning humans into "toxic microbes."

The Dire Impact on Individuals and Society

• Crime and Violence: Today's humans are trapped by numerous problems and temptations, leading to the murder of innocent fellow humans. The author emphasizes that to stop this criminality, population growth must be curbed first, otherwise all efforts by religions, governments, and laws will be in vain.
• Deterioration of Women's Status: In families, women, once revered as goddesses, have become mere objects of pleasure and "living machines" for producing children indiscriminately. They have lost their dignity, physical health, and beauty due to excessive childbearing. The text cites Jain Agam scriptures to describe how women with many children live in unclean conditions, leading to dirty homes and streets.
• Child Labor and Poverty: In families with too many children, children lack nutritious food and proper medical care. Government reports indicate that in India alone, nearly half a million children go blind annually due to a lack of Vitamin A-rich food. Many children are forced into labor in domestic work or hotels, facing harsh conditions and premature death. Some turn to crime. The sight of emaciated child beggars in pilgrimage sites, begging for mere pennies, is heartbreaking.
• Lack of Education: When basic sustenance is not met, education becomes a distant dream. Children often prioritize food over schooling. Despite numerous schools and colleges, the number of illiterate individuals is increasing annually, directly linked to population growth.

Future Catastrophe and Solutions

• Projected Population Growth: The text references a report by renowned sociologists predicting a world population of ten trillion within a hundred years. The author questions where and how these people will live, eat, and whether cannibalism will become a necessity.
• Critique of "Brahmacharya Only" Approach: Some religious groups advocate for population control solely through celibacy (Brahmacharya). While acknowledging the merit of celibacy, the author points out that millennia of such teachings have yielded little practical result, as evidenced by the continued population boom. Furthermore, he criticizes religious pronouncements that glorify polygamists as virtuous, creating contradictory messages that push people away from celibacy towards desires.
• Advocacy for Family Planning: While celibacy is ideal, expecting it from the general populace is unrealistic. The author advocates for the judicious and ethical use of family planning methods. He strongly condemns polygamy, regardless of religion or caste, stating it ruins nations.
• Abortion vs. Contraception: Abortion is described as a horrific act, a sin that endangers women's lives. Contraception, the author argues, is a better alternative ("no bamboo, no flute"). While acknowledging potential minor drawbacks in contraception, he states that these should not lead to inviting total destruction.
• Pragmatism in Healthcare: The author defends the use of other medical practices when natural methods are ineffective, citing examples of spiritual practitioners resorting to Western medicine in hospitals. Similarly, in family planning, society should adopt timely measures for its welfare and national interest.
• Call for Open-mindedness: The author concludes by stating that he has written what he believes to be true, without prejudice or blame. He hopes that readers will consider his views, even if they don't agree entirely, and find some truth in them.

In essence, the text is a passionate plea for responsible family planning, highlighting the devastating socio-economic and ethical consequences of unchecked population growth and urging a pragmatic approach to address this critical global challenge.