Jaina Philosophy and Religion

SR No.: 001604
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Nyayavijay
Publisher: B L Institute of Indology
Publication Year: 1998
Total Pages: 500
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, & Epistemology
File Size: 12 MB

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Karma Philosophy
When a man is murdered or robbed of, his past karma is one of the causal conditions of his murder or his being looted. But a person who has committed a murder or an act of robbery is no doubt guilty of that crime and will be punished by the Law of Nature (karma) just as he is justly punished by the worldly rule of justice. The murderer or robber cannot argue in his defence that it is the destiny of the man, which is the cause of his murder or of his being looted. He cannot defend himself in this manner even according to the law of religion or philosophical jurisprudence. The murderer's or robber's presenting the destiny of the victim as the cause of the murder or robbery, though howsoever true or right in the ultimate analysis, is nothing but blatant rudeness or shamelessness on the part of the murderer or robber. This rudeness or shamelessness is of no help to him and he has to reap the fruits of his heinous acts without fail.
At this juncture, let us note that all crimes are not equal. When we are the victims of the crimes that are ordinary or that cannot be properly countered or against which there is no effective remedy, then it is of no use to harbour rancour in the mind and to entertain vain revengefulness. It is no good to remember in vain the past cases of somebody's doing bad to us and to again generate the poison of enmity or passions in our mind. So, on such occasions it is proper for us to use our faculty of discretion and to reflect on the force of karmic traces or on the inexorable law of karma. But it is never beneficial to us to entertain feeling of revengefulness or retaliation towards the culprit. It is really useful and beneficial to take recourse to the reflections such as referred to above in order to keep one's mind calm and cool and to establish it firmly in equanimity.
But if somebody attacks you and you counter his attack, nobody will say that you entertain enmity towards him. If you have lent your money and he is not returning it and you file a suit against him for getting your money back, then nobody will accuse you of revengefulness. If somebody forcibly takes away your things and you try to protect and retain them, then nobody will accuse you of returning evil. There is nothing wrong if one properly opposes, confronts or counteracts a rogue, a thief, a cheat, a liar or a rascal. According to the rule of religious law, it is rightful and fair. And even the science of moral causation (Karmasastra) concedes the scope and role of proper human effort in hastening or weakening the fructification of karma. It rightly recognises and emphatically supports the