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THE ESSENCE OF JAINA SCRIPTURES
the satisfaction of one's desires. A kind-hearted person, on the other hand, endeavours to help the needy and the poor by sacrificing his money and comfort for their benefit.
The activities – mental, vocal or physical – of the mundane self, for the well-being of others are called punya. Such activities of the nature of punya are of two kinds: (1) those that are done for the selfish reasons in the world; and (2) those that are done as a matter of duty and without any expectation. Of the two, the second one is the real punya activity. A unique example of this is 80 years old “birds hospital in the precincts of Jain Red Temple just opposite Red Fort in Delhi. Such activities include reverence or worship of the Lord who is nonattached, study of and reflection on scriptures, being imbued with non-attachment and rendering service to disinterested and detached preceptors and practice of rules of moral and spiritual self-discipline that awakens the power of self-reliance.
Kindness to living beings (jiva daya) is of three kinds: the virtuous (punya) activity, which is the cause of the influx and consequent bondage of auspicious (shubha) karma. It involves getting rid of unkindness of the nature of evil or inauspiciousness and represents less intensity or mildness of passions like anger, pride, greed, etc. It is a factor in inhibition (samvara) and dissociation (nirjara) of karmas. It also implies kindness to living beings of the nature of virtuous activities that is also imbued with the “pure” or purifying intrinsic nature and nishchaya dharma (self-referential righteousness). Moreover, it is of the nature of other-referential righteousness and piety (vyavahara dharma), which is the supportive factor or auxiliary cause of the jiva daya of the nature of nishchaya dharma. All these three kinds of jiva daya have their own existence and significance.
Compassion and Non-violence Compassion or kindness (daya) is considered the positive psychic aspect of non-violence, which is said to be the basis of all other rules of moral conduct (PSU 42). Since non-violence is said to be the root or the foundation (mula) of dharma (righteousness and piety) (Uttaradhyayana vritti 1-11), daya, being the positive psychic aspect of non-violence, is also said to be mula (foundation, basis or root) of dharma (Dharmaratna Prakarana) because all other practices or observances (anushthana) follow from that.
