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PUNYA AND ITS FRUITIONS. soul by subjecting itself to a rigid rule of extraneous discipline, looses the conscious
Nine kinds ness of what it was doing. It is by the spirit of Punya. that we must become virtuous and not merely by deeds; for we should always bear in mind the golden maxim : "The letter killeth but the spirit maketh alive."
Now Punya being thus found to consist in wilfully practising the good with love and intelligence, the Jaina sages have laid down nine general ways in which it can be cultivated as in the following, (1) By feeding the hungry and the starv
ing who are without means and therefore rightly deserve it. This
is Annapunya. (2) By quenching the thirst of the help
less thirsty. This is Pan-punya. (3) By clothing the helpless nude who
are destitute of all means wherewith to provide themselves with
clothing ? This is Vastra-punya. (4) By sheltering the poor and the des
titute who have no place wherein to rest their head. This is Layan Punya.
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