Words may be few, but their emotions are infinite—this is the law of the universe. Just like the entire ocean fits into a small pitcher, visual content may be brief, but the joy and knowledge it gives is boundless.
Today is Episode 52: Doing (Karvu), Causing to Do (Karavvu), and Approving (Anumodvu).
I’m about to show you a science that may shake your thinking. It hasn’t been revealed in any modern science or religion—it’s actually an unbelievable, unimaginable law of the universe. The reason Jainism teaches us this science is so we can free ourselves from karma.
People commonly say: “As you sow, so shall you reap.” But Jainism considers this incomplete. If I ask you—what percentage of that statement is true? You might say 100%. But Jainism says it’s only 25% of the full truth. There’s a lot more to it.
It’s not just about what you do, but also what you make others do—and even what you approve of. Even if you don’t commit an act yourself, you still attract karma if you:
- Encourage others to do it
- Approve it mentally or verbally
- Remain silent while witnessing it
For example, if someone commits a violent act and you silently think, “Wow, how skillfully they did it,” that alone binds karma to you. You didn’t do anything physically, you didn’t instruct them, but your approval—even silent, mental approval—is enough to attract negative karma.
In modern terms, it’s like putting a gun on someone else’s shoulder and pulling the trigger. You may not have pulled it directly, but your involvement makes you equally responsible.
This universe doesn’t let anything go unnoticed.
Even watching a video where a fish is brutally chopped and thinking “What a skillful cut!” leads to karma. That is anumodna—silent approval—and it binds karma as if you did the act.
There are three karmic roles:
- Doing – physically performing the act
- Causing to do – making someone else do it
- Approving – mentally or verbally supporting it
Let’s take an example of a cricket match. A huge stadium, packed audience, heavy betting, most players indulge in meat, alcohol, drugs, and so on. People cheer, place bets, watch with excitement—all of which becomes a field of sin (pāp no akhaado).
Even if you’re just watching from your phone or television, even if you just think “Wow, what a sixer!”—that’s anumodna. No escape.
Or wrestling (WWE): Wrestlers eat a heavy meat diet. People cheer them. Your cheers, your attention—all of it is anumodna.
This is such subtle karma science that even thinking “If I were the whale, I’d eat all the fish” leads to rebirth in the 7th hell, as mentioned in Jain scriptures. That’s the story of the Tandulik Machhi—a tiny fish living near a whale’s eyelid, who only thinks “If I were in its place…” and that thought alone drags it to the lowest hell.
Similarly, when people organize religious events, some praise the effort (positive anumodna), and others criticize them (negative anumodna, or ninda). Both bind karma.
Thus, even ninda (criticism) is as karmically binding as approval.
It’s not enough to avoid doing wrong. We must also stop:
- Encouraging wrong
- Supporting or praising wrong
- Criticizing right
On the other hand, when someone does good deeds like donating, building temples, or supporting monks—praise them wholeheartedly. That praise binds positive karma.
Even if you can’t do good yourself, cause others to do it, or at least approve of it.
Sadly, people often criticize donors instead of supporting them. “He has money, what’s the big deal?” This creates obstructive karma. That’s why many people don’t find jobs or progress in life—because they never appreciate goodness in others.
Learn to praise goodness. Even if you walk into a Jain center and see a donor’s name on the board, say in your mind: “Blessed be this person who made this possible.”
There are four kinds of sin in Jainism:
- Doing sin
- Making others do it
- Approving sin
- Criticizing good acts
All four are equally binding.
Likewise, four ways to earn virtue (punya):
- Doing good
- Making others do good
- Approving good
- Criticizing your own past sins
Even daily items like toothpaste may have non-veg ingredients. If you use them, you’re responsible—even if unintentionally. Hence, self-reliance, making your own things, is not just a Gandhian value—it’s a Jain principle of non-violence.
Gandhi’s spinning wheel (charkha) symbolizes Jain self-reliance: Create what you need, use only what’s pure and ethical.
Conclusion:
Karvu, Karavvu, Anumodvu—Doing, Making Others Do, and Approving—this triad is the foundation of karmic science in Jainism. Don’t think you’re innocent just because you didn’t act. Every thought, every word, every response carries weight.
Avoid sin in all forms—direct, indirect, and mental. And support goodness—in action, in praise, and in spirit.
Only then can we break free from karmic bondage and move toward liberation.