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NOTES ON RELIGIOUS MERIT (PUNYA) IN
COMPARATIVE LIGHT
Lal Mani Josbi
Our aim in this paper is to briefly elucidate the general significance of the notion of punya or religious merit in Indian tradition. In Indian tradition, ethics, religion, and philosophy are almost inseparably connected. The concept of punya is thus at once ethical, religious, and philosophical. As an ethical concepi, it implies voluntary obedience to moral rules of conduct which carry the sanction of a system of reward and punishment. As a form of religious belief, it indicates the practice of pious and ascetic life. As a pbilosopbical concept, it is connected with the transhistorical doctrine of karma and rebirth. Conceived as a religious value punya is the subtle result of a righteous action which influences pot only the doer's present life but also bis or her eschatological status. This is a general Indian belief attached to the notion of punya.
The Sanskrit word punya is derived from the root pu, meaning “to purify' or 'to make clear'. Punya is that which purifies the stream of life; in another context, that which purifies the self (ātman) is called punya. Thus pure deeds, pure words, and pure thoughts constitute punya. The conse. quence of a pure action is pleasant and purifying not only to the doer but also to others. That which brings about desirable results, such as peace, prosperity, and happiness; that which is good in the beginning, good in the middle and good in the end, is indeed punya. In the sacred literature and lexicons of India we find this word used as a synonym of guņa, śubha, kućala, sukyta, dharma, pāvanu, and śreya.
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