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also be achieved through appropriate activities. In this connection the following quote from the Bhagavati sūtra is worthy of note -
Samanovāsagassa nam Bhante! Tahārūvam samaṇaṁ vā mahaṇam vā aphāsuenam anesaṇijjam asaṇapāṇakhāima-sāimeṇam paḍilabhemāṇassa kim kajjai? Goyama! Egantam so nijjaram kajjai, natthi ya se pāvam kammaṁ kajjai |- Bhagavatī sūtra, 8.6.
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That is, (Principal disciple Gautama asks Bhagvan Mahāvīra): Lord! What retribution does a householder gain by giving flawless eatable, drinkable, nourishing and relishable food to a monk? The Lord replied that it results in his karmic destruction and separation only and not in karmic bondage.
Here, the charitable activity has been described as a cause of karmic separation only and not of sinful karmic bondage. Here the word only is very significant and precludes the possibility of incurring karmic bondage through charitable activities. What is meant is that the charitable activities cause karmic separation only and not karmic bondage.
In the first sataka of the Bhagavati sutra itself it has been explained by means of questions and answers that the living being can incur karmic bondage for activities for his own sake (ātmārambhi), for activities for the sake of the others (pararambhi) and for activities of both these kinds (tadubhayarambhi) or he may not incur any karmic bondage through his activities (anārambhi). Except human beings all the living beings of the world can indulge in activities of the first three kinds that ātmārambhī, parārambhi and tadubhayarambhi but the human beings can undertake activities of all four kinds including the anarambhi ones. Clarifying this subject further, the 16th aphorism in uddeśaka 1 of Sataka 1 of Bhagavati sūtra says -
is
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Jīvā duvihā paņṇattā tañjahā - samsarasamāvannagā ya asaṁsārasamāvannagā ya, tattha nam je te asaṁsāra-samāvannagā te nam siddha, siddhā ņam no āyārambhā jāva aṇārambhā, tattha nam je te samsarasamāvannagā te duvihā paņṇattā, tañjahā – sañjayā
Positive Non-Violence
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