Essence of Jainism

SR No.: 007623
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi
Publication Year: 2003
Total Pages: 46
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 269 KB

Page 20

his colleague. On the way, Raman rebukes him again and again for what he had done and warns him of the dire consequences from the preceptor. Suresh maintains the silence, while the reproaches of his friend continue unabated. After listening to him for one hour, Suresh points out that he had left the girl long back, while Raman was still holding her in his head.
It would be evident that Suresh had no intention aside from helping the girl in crossing the river. While holding her hand or while carrying her on his back, he had no other motive. As such, he left her as soon as he reached the other bank. In all probabilities, he even did not look at her beauty. For him she was simply a person, who was in need of help. He rendered it while retaining the unimpassioned attitude. But Raman's attitude was totally different. Though he did not actually touch the girl, he was thrilled by the imaginary sensation of the contact of a beautiful girl. In the heart of his heart, he longed to have a feel of her beauty. He did not do so, simply because that was forbidden. In the spiritual sense, he therefore committed the sin of indulging in undesirable activity, while Suresh earned the Punya of helping a person in need. Thus, the concepts of Päp and Punya have to be examined in relative terms and more often than naught, they depend upon one's mental attitude in a given situation.
Concepts of the meritorious and the sinful activities are more or less identical among most of the religions. But the latter concept is extensively dealt with by the Indian philosophies. They take into consideration not only the actual act but also the intention behind it. They are unanimous in adoring the meritorious intentions and in condemning the sinful ones. Jainism, however, deals with the concept more minutely. It divides Punya and Päp in two categories each. It admits that one can get the worldly happiness and comforts as a result of his wholesome Karma, but it questions, 'What after that?' The material happiness comes to the end and the comfortable situations do not last forever. One has therefore to undergo miseries at the expiration of Punya, unless he has earned new Punya meanwhile. Such earning of new Punya, while enjoying the fruits of the earlier one, is called Punyänubandhi Punya or wholesome Karma motivating the wholesome activities.
Very few persons fall within the category of Punyänubandhi Punya, because most of the persons become infatuated by the happiness and comforts obtained by virtue of earlier Punya. By virtue of the infatuation, they indulge in the unwholesome activities. That type of Punya is therefore called Päpänubandhi Punya or wholesome Karma leading to the unwholesome activities. Misery is destined for such people in the end.
Päp or unwholesome Karma is also considered of two types. As a consequence of some operative Päp, a person might be undergoing varying degrees of miseries. He may, however, realize that his miseries are the consequence of his previous Karma. As such, he may try to stay unimpassioned and bears the miseries with a sense of detachment and objectivity. He thus undergoes the pain and misery with equanimity and in the meanwhile undertakes the best possible activities. That would result in earning of Punya. His operative Päp is therefore known as Punyänubandhi Päp or unwholesome Karma motivating the wholesome activities.
But most of the people undergoing the misery are prone to blame some one else or some extraneous factors for causing the misery. They therefore indulge in anger, jealousy, enmity etc. and react violently or wrongly to the pain and misery confronted by them. As such, they acquire new Päp. The current Päp of such persons is therefore known as Päpänubandhi Päp or unwholesome Karma leading to the unwholesome activities.
The wholesome as well as the unwholesome Karma causes the bondage to which a soul is enchained. If the unwholesome Karma be reckoned as the shackles of iron, the wholesome one is treated as those of gold. Both of them constitute handicaps on the path of liberation and need to be avoided as such. If the objective is to attain liberation, one has to become free from all sorts of Karma. That can be done by cultivating the sense of detachment in every situation, favorable as well as unfavorable. No situation lasts forever and every situation comes to the end sooner or later. Then, why should anyone be infatuated or feel miserable in a situation, which is ephemeral?