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xxiv
Jaina Philosophy and Religion
It is proper to believe so. And this is also supported by scriptures. Hence, if man has to experience miseries on account of his foolishness, thoughtlessness, indulger in injustice and cruelty, all these defects of his are certainly responsible for his miserable condition and he is guilty of all those evil activities. This is what the science of karma loudly proclaims.
Similarly, the science of karma emphatically declares that man should put forth enough effort to remove miseries, not only of his but also of others. This declaration, when considered with regard to oneself, requires one to achieve one's own welfare, and when considered with regard to others, inspires one to perform one's duty by behaving compassionately and affectionately with others. When a man's house is on fire and instead of making efforts to extinguish fire, if he simply sits and prays to God to send rains, what will you think of his attitude and behaviour? Will you approve of it? Will even God be pleased with his behaviour? God helps those who help themselves.
The science of karma never propagates such cruel and mean teaching as to leave those who are poor, humiliated, oppressed and miserable as also those who are entrapped and deceived by rascals, robbers and murderers to their karma (destiny). It only commands and enjoins people to put forth sincere efforts to relieve them of their miseries, to remove their poverty and distress, and to save them from calamities.
Do we not take immediate measures to save our relative or friend who has fallen from height, is wounded by a severe stroke of a weapon, bitten by a cobra or afflicted with an ailment? Do we pay any heed to his past karma? Not at all. We simply neglect his past karma. Similarly, it is our duty to make sincere efforts to emancipate the people from miseries, poverty, diseases and helplessness and to elevate those who are miserable, tortured, fallen, oppressed and exploited to the state of happiness, freedom and self-respect. And if we perform this duty, we generate auspicious karmas. On the other hand, if we remain indifferent to the miserable, neglect them though we have the ability to help them, and seek to excuse ourselves that they are miserable on account of their own past karma, it proves beyond doubt that we lack universal love, friendliness and compassion; such hard-hearted tendency and behaviour of ours are but sins no doubt and they generate inauspicious karma. If, in accordance with our ability, we put forth sincere efforts to uplift the miserable, then, as maintained by the science of karma, their misery-causing karmas would suffer a severe blow, and as a result of it we can remove or at least mitigate
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