Talk:Interfaith Perspectives:The Concepts of Pāpa and Puņya, Sin and Virtue

By Vishal Agarwal

The words Pāpa and Puṇya are typically translated as ‘sin’ and ‘virtue’, but the original concepts in the Hindu Dharm are much broader than the corresponding Abrahamic notions of sin and virtue. The reason for this difference in these analogous Hindu dharm and Abrahamic concepts is the fact that śāstra tend to be much more detailed and analytical when it comes to understanding the true nature of human beings.

The difference of these concepts from ‘sin’ and ‘virtue’ lies in the fact that the latter are related to beliefs and actions only, whereas the concepts go far beyond sin and virtue. Moreover, the Abrahamic concepts of sin and virtue do not necessarily have much to account for the purity or impurity of the life forces and intellect categories, which are not very well developed in their theology and philosophy.

Furthermore, in Abrahamic religions, man commits a sin against the Divine Law or against Bhagavān.‘pāpa’ is committed against oneself through evil actions, even though it is the Divine who administers the Law of Karm. A modern teacher explains –

“Another distinction between these two world-views involves the locus of, and motivation for, ethical behavior. For Dharm, virtue is an internal concern of the individual person, and ethical behavior is motivated by a desire to excel spiritually. For Abrahamism, morality is an exterior based communal concern, and is motivated by fear of transgression against, and subsequent punishment from, the Abrahamic deity.”