HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

() is generally translated as
compassion Compassion is a social feeling that motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental, or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is sensitivity to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based ...
or mercy and sometimes as
self-compassion In psychology, self-compassion is extending compassion to one's self in instances of perceived inadequacy, failure, or general suffering. American psychologist Kristin Neff has defined self-compassion as being composed of three main elements – ...
or spiritual longing. It is a significant spiritual concept in the Indic religions of
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
,
Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
,
Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...
, and
Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...
.


Hinduism

In Hinduism, is one of the fundamental virtues and qualities that a spiritual aspirant is encouraged to cultivate. Many Hindu deities are depicted as embodiments of compassion. Karuṇā is often linked with other virtues such as "Maitri" (loving-kindness) and "Ahimsa" (non-violence). Together, these virtues form the foundation of a righteous and spiritually fulfilling life. The word comes from the Sanskrit kara, meaning “to do” or “to make,” indicating an action-based form of compassion, rather than the pity or sadness associated with the English word. In Hindu mythology, the concept of "Karuṇā" or compassionate action is deeply embedded and is often illustrated through stories, characters, and teachings. Each
avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...
's story of Hindu pantheon is an embodiment of divine compassion in action. For instance, in Shiva Tandava Stotra, Shiva is described as Karunavataram, meaning compassion personified.


Navarasa

Karuna is one of the nine primary rasas (aesthetic principles) in classical Indian arts and literature."Karuṇā Rasa," or the sentiment of compassion, is a pivotal theme in the
Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...
, one of India's principal epics. The narrative commences with the sage Valmiki observing a tragic incident involving a pair of krauncha birds (Sarus cranes), setting the emotional tone for the epic. Witnessing the male bird being killed by a hunter, leaving its partner in anguish, Valmiki is moved to curse the hunter through a spontaneous verse, which ultimately becomes the Ramayana's first
shloka Shloka or śloka ( , from the root , Macdonell, Arthur A., ''A Sanskrit Grammar for Students'', Appendix II, p. 232 (Oxford University Press, 3rd edition, 1927).) in a broader sense, according to Monier-Williams's dictionary, is "any verse or stan ...
(verse). This moment, steeped in sorrow and compassion, not only initiates the composition of the epic but also symbolically prefigures the central narrative of love, loss, and separation experienced by the protagonists, Rama and Sita, embodying the essence of "Karuṇā Rasa." Following this, the god Brahma instructs Valmiki to write Rama's story, revealing the entire tale to him.


Yoga

The foundational work of
Yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...
, Patanjali's Yoga Sutras—a comprehensive compilation of Sanskrit aphorisms elucidating the theory and practice of yoga—specifically emphasize the concept of Karuna. The verse ''maitrī-karuṇā-muditopekṣaṇāṃ sukha-duḥkha-puṇyāpuṇya-viṣayāṇāṃ bhāvanātaś citta-prasādanam'' advocates for the cultivation of friendliness (Maitri), compassion (Karuna), joy (Mudita), and equanimity (Upeksha) in response to life's dualities: happiness (Sukha) and suffering (Duhkha), as well as moral virtue (Punya) and vice (Apunya). This practice, according to Patanjali, is instrumental in achieving a state of mental tranquility (Chittaprasadanam), underscoring the psychological and ethical dimensions integral to yoga's philosophical framework.


Buddhism

is important in all schools of Buddhism. For
Theravada ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dharma (Buddhi ...
Buddhists, dwelling in is a means for attaining a happy present life and heavenly rebirth. For
Mahāyāna Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main ex ...
Buddhists, is a co-requisite for becoming a
Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...
.


Theravada Buddhism

In Theravāda Buddhism, is one of the four "divine abodes" (), along with loving kindness (
Pāli Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a classical Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Therav� ...
: ), sympathetic joy (), and equanimity (). In the
Pali canon The Pāḷi Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhism, Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant Early Buddhist texts, early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from t ...
,
Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...
recommends cultivating these four virtuous mental states to both householders and monastics. When one develops these four states, Buddha counsels radiating them in all directions, as in the following stock canonical phrase regarding : Such a practice purifies one's mind, avoids evil-induced consequences, leads to happiness in one's present life, and, if there is a future karmic rebirth, it will be in a heavenly realm. The Pali commentaries distinguish between and in the following complementary manner: is the desire to remove harm and suffering () from others; while is the desire to bring about the well-being and happiness () of others. The "far enemy" of is cruelty, a mind-state in obvious opposition. The "near enemy" (quality which superficially resembles but is in fact more subtly in opposition to it), is (sentimental) pity: here too one wants to remove suffering, but for a partly selfish (attached) reason hence not the pure motivation. In the
Pāli Canon The Pāḷi Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhism, Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant Early Buddhist texts, early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from t ...
, Buddhas are also described as choosing to teach "out of compassion for beings."


Mahayana Buddhism

In Mahāyāna Buddhism, is one of the two qualities, along with enlightened wisdom (
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
: ), to be cultivated on the
bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...
path. According to scholar Rupert Gethin, this elevation of to the status of prajña is one of the distinguishing factors between the Theravāda arahant ideal and the Mahāyāna bodhisattva ideal: Throughout the Mahāyāna world, Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit; Chinese: Guan Yin; Japanese: Kannon; Tibetan: Chenrezig) is a bodhisattva who embodies . In the Intermediate section of the ''Stages of Meditation'' by Kamalaśīla, he writes: In
Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...
, one of the foremost authoritative texts on the Bodhisattva path is the '' Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra'' by Shantideva. In the eighth section entitled ''Meditative Concentration'', Shantideva describes meditation on Karunā as thus:


Jainism

is associated with the Jain practice of compassion. For instance, is one of the four reflections of universal friendship—along with amity (Sanskrit: ), appreciation () and equanimity (''madhyastha'')—used to stop ('' samvara'') the influx of
karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...
.


Miscellaneous

is a common first name throughout
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, used for both genders.


In literature

In
Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley ( ; 26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. His bibliography spans nearly 50 books, including non-fiction novel, non-fiction works, as well as essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the ...
's novel ''
Island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
'', the concept of "karuna" is pivotal to the philosophical and spiritual ethos of the society depicted in the book.Huxley, Aldous. "Island." Harper & Brothers, 1962. In the novel, it represents an ideal of emotional intelligence and empathetic living, contrasting with the more self-centered and materialistic attitudes seen in the Western world. This concept is central to the practices and worldview of the inhabitants of Pala, a fictional island situated between the Andaman Islands and Sumatra. Huxley uses the mynah birds throughout the novel as a recurring motif to reinforce the importance of mindfulness and compassion in Pala's society. The birds are trained to repeat "Karuna" at key moments, such as during moments of stress, conflict, or potential violence. This serves to remind the islanders (and the reader) to approach situations with understanding and empathy.


See also

* * * *


Notes


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* * — The network of Karuna-Shechen foundations in Europe, North America and Asia is raising funds for humanitarian projects in the Himalayan region. * {{Authority control Wholesome factors in Buddhism Jain philosophical concepts Sanskrit words and phrases Buddhist philosophical concepts Hindu philosophical concepts Kindness Compassion