Souls Serve One Another
The story
The fifth chapter of the Tattvartha Sutra lists the kinds of things that make up the world and the service each one gives. Motion, rest, space, matter and time each get theirs. When it reaches souls, the service it names is that they support one another. In the 1970s, for the 2,500th anniversary of Mahavira's death, Jains of every tradition put these words at the foot of the Jain emblem as its motto.
परस्परोपग्रहो जीवानाम्
parasparopagraho jīvānām
Tattvārtha Sūtra 5.21 (the same number in both recensions); our translation
The same moment, today
A heavy box of groceries breaks open on a wet sidewalk. Apples roll toward the street, and a glass jar hits the curb. Two strangers stop right away to help. One catches the loose fruit, and the other holds an umbrella over the cardboard. Nobody asks for names, and nobody trades phone numbers. They don't expect money, and they don't stick around. They just step in for a minute and keep walking to their trains.
The Tattvartha Sutra says this mutual help is what souls are made to do. In its fifth chapter, the text lists the basic parts of the cosmos and what each one does. Space makes room, motion lets things move, and time brings change. When the list reaches living souls, their service is to support one another. Jains put this into practice by protecting life around them every day. Householders strain their drinking water, and monks carry a small whisk broom to sweep tiny bugs off the path.
The lesson
Take a second today to notice how many people make your routine possible. You aren't standing on your own, and you never were.
Where this comes from
New Delhi, 1974
In 1974, leaders from every Jain tradition met in India for the 2,500th anniversary of Mahavira's death. Digambara and Svetambara Jains don't share all the same scriptures, but they both accept the Tattvartha Sutra. The groups wanted a single emblem that every Jain could stand behind. They chose this line from chapter five, parasparopagraho jivanam, and placed it right at the base. The English here is our plain translation of the Sanskrit text. The words don't mean 'live and let live.' A sixth-century teacher named Pujyapada explained it through a master and servant, or a tutor and student, who each help the other thrive.
A small reminder, on your desk or your water bottle, that you're held up by countless others, and that you're here to hold them up too.
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