Karunā and the Significance of Its Social Implementation

Summary

Dulichand Jain’s essay explains the centrality of karuṇā (compassion) in Jain ethics and argues that compassion is the practical implementation of non‑violence. The article opens by noting that Mahāvīra taught reverence for all life: every living being is fond of life, enjoys pleasure, loathes pain and longs for survival. Because life is sacred, Jainism considers harming even the smallest creature abhorrent and regards compassion as the mother of religion. Quotations from Jain scriptures stress that a true monk should be compassionate to all beings, and compassion is said to bring countless benefits by destroying enmity and enabling one to cross the ocean of worldly existence. The author shows that the ethos of compassion extends beyond ascetics to social initiatives. In response to modern society’s materialism and self‑gratification, the Karunā movement was launched to instil humane values in young people. Karunā International sets up Karunā clubs in schools, where students take a pledge to eschew violence and embrace compassion. The clubs organise activities such as caring for animals, maintaining the environment, feeding the hungry, visiting old‑age homes, and promoting vegetarianism. Through competitions, exhibitions and guest lectures the clubs teach kindness, protect animal life and raise ecological awareness. Dulichand Jain notes that each club must conduct at least six programmes a year and at least ten compassionate activities; the best clubs receive awards from Karunā International. The movement has grown rapidly: with 35 Karunā centres across India and about 1,850 school clubs, it has reached ten million children and hundreds of thousands of teachers. The essay argues that compassion should be integrated into the education system itself. It cites Albert Einstein’s call to widen our circle of compassion to include all living creatures and Yehudi Menuhin’s question of why compassion is absent from formal curricula. Compassion, the author contends, is not only a moral ideal but also practical, building leadership and organisational skills and fostering non‑violence, environmental care and social harmony. By engaging children in compassionate actions, the movement plants seeds for a more humane society.