Karuṇā
Compassion as a spiritual virtue in Indic traditions.
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In Sanskrit and Pali, karuṇā is generally translated as compassion.[1]
Key facts and history
According to the Nāṭyaśāstra, the pathetic sentiment (karuṇa) arises from the durable psychological state of sorrow.[1] In Mahāyāna Buddhism, karuṇā is one of the two qualities, along with enlightened wisdom, to be cultivated on the bodhisattva path.[1] Within Jainism, karuṇā refers to compassion and is one of the four reflections of universal friendship used to stop the influx of karma.[2][1] Within Hinduism, cultivating karuṇā is regarded as one of the essential virtues and qualities for a person on a spiritual path.[3]
In classical Indian arts and literature, karuna is counted among the nine primary rasas, or aesthetic principles.[4]
What the cited sources add
The color associated with the karuṇa sentiment is grey (kapota), and the presiding deity is Yama, according to the Nāṭyaśāstra.[1] The "Karuna, Karuṇā, Karuṇa: 44 definitions" source notes that karuṇa also refers to a variety of the citron tree mentioned in the Naiṣadha-carita.[1] The same source states that karuṇa-rasa has been suggested in the sadness of Sarasvatī at the demise of great poets like Meṇṭha, Subandhu, Bhāravi and Bāṇa.[1] According to the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa, the pathetic sentiment is reflected through a painting in which a painter creates pathos based on actions projecting begging, separation, calamity, and compassion.[1]
The "Inseparable in virtue" article from The Hindu states that the dominant feelings of pathos in the Ramayana evoke a sense of pity celebrated as ‘karuna rasa’.[5]
References
- "Karuna, Karuṇā, Karuṇa: 44 definitions", 21 June 2008. facts only, no text reused. wisdomlib.org
- Wikipedia, "Karuṇā" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: . Regarding samvara, see "Release from karmas". From a comparative religion perspective, cf. Buddhism's four brahmavihara; for instance, is often identified as (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Karuṇā" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Karuna hinduismpedia (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Karuṇā" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schwartz, Susan L. Rasa: Performing the divine in India. Columbia University Press, 2004. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Inseparable in virtue", The Hindu, 20 August 2018. facts only, no text reused. thehindu.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Karuṇā (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Karuṇā (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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