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Jaina Philosophy and Religion
point that proper effort, industry or endeavour has important place in life. Effort is useful and necessary for regaining the lost things. Do we not take medicine to regain health when we are sick? Man always tries to attain happiness and its means, to ward off future miseries and their causes, and to remove the present miseries already befallen him. All worldly beings undertake such activities. None can say that proper counterattacks undertaken with, a views to defending one's own self and others, or to protecting the glory of justice, spring from the feelings of revengefulness, retaliation or enmity. Rāma's attack on Rāvana was just and rightful. If a robber robs you of your possessions and you, though inwardly burning with rage, meekly and impotently gaze at him, it is an act of cowardliness. Of course, it is necessary to weigh the situation before taking any step. One should not be rash. One should undertake only proper measures in accordance with one's estimate of the situation. It is true that one's measures should be commensurate with the situation. It is because in the world one who seeks to lose a lot in order to save a bit is a thoughtless person.
(5)
Destiny is incomprehensible. Man is, therefore, free just to make efforts. If we dig the ground, we shall get water, provided it is there. Similarly, if the good fortune is in store for man, it is manifested or brought about through efforts only. Human effort accompanied with pure light of right knowledge destroys man's present miserable state and opens up the doors of happiness, as also strongly counters the future onslaughts of inauspicious karmas. That is to say, under the pretext of karma theory, man should not be lazy, depressed and downcast, but should become industrious and brave, taking into account the supreme importance of the spiritual power. If it is not possible for him to remove or allay suffering already befallen on him and hence he has no alternative but to experience it, then, instead of experiencing it with cowardliness and as a result binding new inauspicious karmas, he should experience it with
1. alpasya hetor bahu hätum icchan vicāramudhaḥ pratibhāti loke /
-Raghuvamsa by Kalidasa, II Canto, second half of verse 47 (with the change of last three letters).
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