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Jaina Concept of Non-violence and its ... : 15 activities cause meritorious karmic bondages and not karmic separation, which is essential for spiritual emancipation. The bondage, whether of meritorious kind or that of sinful one, is bondage after all and is, therefore, an obstruction in spiritual practice. By thus projecting meritorious acts also, as causes of bondage, these thinkerpreceptors ignored the positive aspect of non-violence. In Samayasāra,'S Ācārya Kundakunda has called merit as a golden shackle and sin as an iron one and advocated rising above both. It is true that most concepts concerning merits and sins stand on this premise that activities of mercy and those that protect life are acts of merit and those that harm or hurt others are acts of sin. Generally, it is said that ‘paropakāraḥ punyāya pāpāya parapidanam,16 'meaning that the acts of benevolence are meritorious and those of tormenting others are sinful. Gosvami Tulasidas has also said, “parahita sarisa dharama nahi bhai, parapidā sama nahi adhamās"meaning that there is no duty greater than harming any sentient being. It is true that benevolence is meritorious and in Tattvārtha-sūtral8 Umāsvāti has averred that merit and sin are both causes karmic influx. Afterwards, as karmic influx was considered as a cause of karmic bondage, the view that meritorious acts also cause karmic bondage, gained ground. However, this viewpoint is incorrect and misleading even according to the Jaina precepts. Firstly, all karmic influx does not convert into karmic bondage and, also, it is misleading to believe that all meritorious acts only cause karmic influx. In the ancient scriptures merit has been mentioned as a separate element (fundamental verity). If it causes influx and bondage, it also causes stoppage of, and separation from the same. The Jaina ācāryas (masters) have taken auspicious activity as a cause of karmic stoppage. It results in karmic separation, too. Meritorious acts are that soap, which not only washes the dirt of sin clean but also separates if self automatically. It must be noted that sinful bondage has to be separated; the meritorious ones separate by themselves. It is true that if there is a feeling of attachment present at the back of acts of service, benevolence and saving of lives, they do cause karmic bondage, but if they are performed without and self-interest and
