Infectious Disease Returns: From Cleanliness Towards Co-existence
Covid-19 made it clear that the return of infectious disease is not the speed of a virus but the result of the direction of human life.
Health — the chapters
20 of 20 chapters written
Lifestyle and the body
Mind and society
Infection and environment
Science and Jain thought
Summary · AI
- The burden differs by disease; TB, malaria, dengue and water-borne illness are each watched by their own surveillance systems.
- Typhoid, dengue, TB and viral infections keep returning.
- The cause is not the germ alone — cleanliness is taken as external only, and co-existence has been obstructed.
- The Jain way: giving up the night meal, eating once a day, samayik, and seeing cleanliness as compassion.
This summary was written by AI and may contain mistakes; the article itself is authoritative.
This is an English translation of the original Hindi. Translation may have changed the meaning a little; the Hindi original is the authoritative version.
When disease enters the body it does not only bring suffering — it gives a warning. Infectious disease in particular, which spreads from one person to another, is a test not of medicine but of our life together. When society forgets cleanliness, restraint and co-existence, disease infects not only the body but our feeling as well.
The Covid-19 pandemic made it clear that the return of infectious disease is not the speed of a virus but the result of the direction of human life. This chapter is an attempt to remake that direction — from the Jain point of view.
The extent of the problem
According to the World Health Organization’s report of 2024:
The burden of infectious disease differs by the kind of disease. India has separate surveillance systems for TB, malaria, dengue, influenza, water-borne diseases and emerging infections; it is therefore not proper to give a single number as the total national burden of all infectious disease.
- typhoid, dengue, TB and viral infections keep returning
- cleanliness, crowding and the way we live are spreading disease faster
These figures are signs not of a failure of medicine but of social awareness.
The undercurrent of the causes
The return of infectious disease is not caused by bacteria or viruses alone. It is the outcome of a life in which:
- cleanliness is taken only as external, not as inward
- non-violence is seen only in relation to violence, not to infection
- restraint has been given up, and consumption accepted as ordinary
- distance from nature and crowding have obstructed co-existence
Jain thought says —
“परस्परोपग्रहो जीवानाम्” (Tattvartha Sutra 5.21) — that is: it is the nature of souls to render service to one another.
But when those same souls become a danger to each other, this sutra becomes not scripture alone but a call to practice.
The effect on society and the feelings
Infectious disease infects not only the body but society. Fear, separation, stigma and the refusal to help all spread along with it. The poor, the elderly and children are affected most of all.
This is a test not of medicine but of our collective feeling — of how we look at one another in a crisis: as patients, or as fellow living beings.
The direction of a remedy: the inspiration of Jain practice
To come out of this crisis we need not vaccines alone but discernment. If we bring cleanliness not only into the body but into mind and conduct; if we bring co-existence down from principle into feeling — then this returning will not merely lessen; it can stop.
In the Jain way of living, the practical use of cleanliness, restraint and non-violence is the root of preventing disease. Practices such as restraint in the timing and quantity of the evening meal, eating once a day, silence and samayik make the body light, the mind steady, and society safe.
Practical remedies:
| Measure | The Jain view | Expected effect |
|---|---|---|
| Giving up the night meal | Balanced digestion | Greater resistance to disease |
| Eating once a day, and eating in silence | Restraint | Less likelihood of infection |
| Samayik and meditation | Steadiness of mind | Less fear and strain |
| Cleanliness and compassion | The widening of non-violence | Co-operation in society, co-existence |
The place of policy and education
If the return of infectious disease is to be stopped, not medicine alone but feeling and cleanliness must be given a place in policy. Conversation about cleanliness in schools, sessions on restraint at workplaces, and the inspiration of co-existence in the media — together these can build a gentler society.
NITI Aayog’s Infectious Disease Prevention Strategy 2025 proposes that India should set up community cleanliness centres, campaigns for a restrained way of living, and forums for compassionate conversation.
A sign that inspires: from infection towards equanimity
A man who had struggled for years with repeated infection, fear and isolation decided to remake his life. He kept restraint in the timing and quantity of his evening meal, took up the practice of silence, and brought cleanliness not only into his body but into his conduct. Slowly his body grew well — but more than that, his community came together.
This was no miracle, but the result of restraint, equanimity and co-existence.
Conclusion
The return of infectious disease is not a failure of medicine — it is the insensitivity of how we live. If we make cleanliness not a rule but a feeling; if we bring co-existence down from thought into conduct — then this crisis can not only be controlled but defeated.
This chapter is a call — that we bring restraint into life through the inspiration of the Jain way of living, make society feel, and defeat disease with compassion.
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