Answer

In Jain Dharma, no God, creator, or outside person gives suffering as punishment.

Suffering comes from our own bad karma. The karma that the soul has bound in the past gives its result when the proper time comes.

Explanation

According to Jain philosophy:

• The soul does actions through body, speech, and mind.
• If actions are done with anger, ego, deceit, greed, violence, attachment, or hatred, bad karma is bound.
• Later, that karma gives painful results such as sorrow, difficulty, illness, insult, loss, or suffering.

So, it is not that someone “gives” suffering. Rather, karma itself produces the result, just as a seed later gives fruit.

If we plant a bitter seed, the fruit will be bitter. In the same way, painful karma gives painful experience.

Spiritual Understanding

Jain Dharma teaches that the soul is responsible for its own bondage and liberation.

This understanding is not meant to blame anyone, but to help us become aware:

• Do not create new bad karma.
• Reduce anger, pride, deceit, and greed.
• Practice forgiveness, non-violence, truth, self-control, and compassion.
• Do repentance, pratikraman, meditation, and tapasya to reduce karmic bondage.

Takeaway

In Jainism, suffering is not given by God. It is the result of one’s own karma, and by right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct, the soul can become free from suffering.