The Simultaneous Cause and Effect of Fate And Efforts

In this Chapter we will view the power and prospensity of fate and efforts which lead us either to this mortal world or moksha (salvation).

यत्प्राग्जन्मनि संचितं तनुभृतां कर्माशुभं वा शुभं,
तद्दैवं तदुदीरणादनुभवन् दु:खं सुखं वागतम्।
कुर्याय: शुभमेव सोऽप्यभिमतो यस्तूभयोच्छित्तये,
सर्वारम्भ परिग्रह परित्यागी स वन्द्य: सताम् ।।

Fate or destiny is the execution of good or bad deeds in past life. It is of two types—(i) Merit (Punya) (ii) Demerit (Paap). The maker of these good or bad karmas are good efforts and bad efforts. As it is said—
It means
“Virtuous activity is the cause of merit.
Evil activity is the cause of demerit.”
In the presence of both good and bad karmas, the man who always performs good and noble actions is worthy of praise and good name but the man who enjoys the freedom of the supreme kingdom of self and soul, giving up the salvery of all fortunes, is worshipped by the most noble and good persons. This fate, though being lifeless, is the commanding authority that governs the whole Universe. It is termed with different names as fate, destiny, nature, karma, supreme power etc.

विधि: स्रष्टा विधाता च देवं कर्म पुराकृतम्।
ईश्वरश्चेति पर्याया विज्ञेया कर्मवेधस:

।।Though it is inanimate, invisible yet it has the supreme power to dominate the life of all the jeevas (creatues) in the world. Man is nothing but a puppet in the hands of fate, moving according to its pre-planning. The fate has gained its unchallengeable power from the coward and weak persons who do nothing and depend on it fully.

‘‘जीवपरिणामहेदुं कम्मत्तं पुग्गला परिणमेति।
पुग्गल कम्मणिमित्तं तहेव जीवो वि परिणमइ।।

Material molecules are transformed into karma by the specific of the mundane souls. Similarly the mundane soul is transformed into its impure thought activity by reason of operation of kermic matter.

जह पुरिसेणाहारो गहिदो परिणमति सो अणेय विहं
मसंवसारूहिरादि भावे उदरग्गि संजुत्तो।।

As the food taken by a man is modified in many ways, in the form of flesh, nerve, blood etc. by reason of the digestive heat of the human system. That like the molecules of karmic matter modified in the form of eight kind of karmas by impure thoughts activity of the mundane soul.To make it more clear, the food before eating remains in the shape of bread, rice etc. but after the process of eating that food is modified in blood, flesh, fat, bones etc. through digestive system.

Similarly till the karmic molecules are transformed into Ashrava and Bandha by the thought, activity, vibration of mundane soul, it remains as a material, but by the reason of thought, activity, vibration of mundane souls the molecules of the Karmic matter are modified into eight karmas as Gyan avarni, Darshan avarni, Mohaniya etc. It establishes the fact that even fate originates from efforts.

As an egg is the origin of a bird, so our good and bad efforts are dominated by the previous fate as a bird comes out of an egg. Therefore, it is right to say that even our efforts are governed by fate to some extent. The same law holds good in the relation of a seed and tree as in that of fate and efforts. Fate dominates the efforts on one hand, and is dominated by the efforts on the other hand. As Kundakundacharya says

भावो कम्मणिमित्तो कम्मं पुण भावकारणं हवदि।
ण दु तेिंस खलु कत्ता ण विणा भूदा दु कत्तारं।।

Bhava or emotional states are conditioned by Dravyakarma or matter. And Karma in its turn is indeed conditioned by Karmic thought of Bhava. Soul is not the essential cause in that case and still without essential cause, those changes can not happen.

आदा कम्म मलिमसो परिणामं लहदि कम्मसंजुत्तं।
तत्तो सिलिसदि कम्मं तम्हा कम्मं तु परिणामो।।

The impure tendency of the mundane soul is the cause of the bondage of Dravya Karma. What is the cause of such impure bhavas in mundane soul ? It is due to dravya karma that the soul is modified into impure thought and activity. But the acceptance of it will result in the universal fault as the previous dravya karma of the soul interfused with Anandi dravya karma has been accepted as the cause and not as the effect. Actually new dravya karma work as the effect and the old one work as the cause of it. So Dravya Karma is the cause and the effect-both.

जीव परिणामहेदुं कम्मत्तं पुग्गला परिणमति।
पुग्गल कम्मणिमित्तं तहेव जीवो वि परिणमदि।।(८०)

ण वि कुव्वदि कम्मगुणे जीवो कम्मं तहेव जीवगुणे।
अण्णोण्ण णिमित्तेण दु परिणामं जाण दोण्हं पि।।(८१

)As the material molecules are transformed in karma by the reason of impure bhavas of mundane souls, similarily, jeeva is modified in its impure thought and activity by the operation of karmic matter. This Parinaman of jeeva and Pudgala is governed by each other but they are separate having their own existence (satta). Jeeva is Chetan (conscious) and accepts not the gunas (properties) of karma as karma is never transformed into chetan (conscious). The impure change of both is conditioned by each other.

एदेण कारणेण दु कत्ता आदा सएण भावेण।
पुग्गलकम्मकदाणं ण दु कत्ता सव्वभावाणं।।८२।।
समयसार।।

According to Vyavahara Naya (worldly views), the molecules of karmic matter are transformed into dravya karma by the reason of detachment and vice-versa in the mudance souls. By the operation of Dravya karma, Bhava karma are produced. But according to Nishchaya Naya in reality one Dravya is not the doer of another Dravya. So neither jeeva is transformed by karmic matter nor karmic molecules are transformed by jeevas. As it is said in Panchastikaya.

निश्चय नयेनाभिन्नकारकत्वात्कर्मणो जीवस्य च स्वयं स्वरूपं कत्र्तृत्वमुक्तम्

।According to Nishchaya Naya, Jeeva and Karma are the doer of only their own states.
According to Vyavahara Naya, Jeeva is the doer of the Pudgala Karmas. According to Nishchaya Naya, Jeeva is the doer of thought Karmas. According to Shuddha Naya, Jeeva is the doer of Shuddha bhavas.

ववहारा सुहदुक्खं पुग्गलकम्मफलं पभुंजेदि।
आदा णिच्छयणयदो चेदणभावं खु आदस्स।।९।

।According to Vyavahara Naya, Jeeva enjoys happiness and misery, the fruits of Pudgala karmas. Accorind to Nischaya Naya Jeeva enjoys only his consiousness. If we consider from Vyavahara Naya, also as from Nishchaya Naya, that jeeva is not the doer of his karmas, it will create a chaos. If jeeva is not the doer of karma, then there will not be the vondage of karmas.

In the absence of the bondage of karmas this mundane existence will be lost. If there is no mundane existence, there will be no question of moksha-salvation as moksha means the liberation from the mundane existence or karmas. But all these things are against Agama and logic and even daily experiences. The disciple asks a question, from the Rev. Guru Kundkundacharya. He puts his onesided view, having no knowledge of Nayas.

कम्मं कम्मं कुव्वदि जदि सो अप्पा करेदि अप्पाणं।
किध तस्स फलं भुज्जदि अप्पा कम्मं च देदि फलं।।६३।

।From one-sided view, if dravya karma is the doer of dravya karma needing no support of the bhavas of mundane soul, and this soul is only the doer of self and not of dravya karma. How the soul tastes the fruits (result) of the karmas which he has not done ? How these undone karmas give the good and bad results of the soul ? Kundkundacharya gives an accurate answer to this problem.

निश्चयेन जीवकर्मणोश्चैककर्तृत्वेऽपि व्यवहारेण कर्मदत्तफलोपलंभो जीवस्य न विरूद्ध्यत इत्यत्रोक्तम्।
जीवा पुग्गलकाया अणोण्णागाढगहणपडिबद्धा।
काले विभुज्जमाण सुहदुक्खदेंति भुञ्जन्ति।।(८७

The molecules of Dravyakarma are already bounded. In the each smallest indivisible part of soul (i.e., Aater Pradesh) by the reason of impure thought and activity of mundane souls and the various gunas of matter (Pudgula) as softness, roughness etc. come into power and operate fully and get detached after giving their results.

At that very time those karmas give good and bad results, harmful equally to those people who have wrong faith and consider no difference between the shuddha, flawless, eternal soul and the impure bhavas of mundane souls. Only those persons suffer in the hands of karma who have wrong knowledge and wrong conduct.

They remain indulged all the time in the impure activities. In this way the people deprived of Samyakgyan, Darshan and Charitra have the feeling of good and bad to worldly objects and people. Really no body can make us happy or sad. It is our own karmas (previous deeds) that make our life happy or sorrowful. This is all the gist of the principle of karma. But the ignorant foolish persons are unable to see their real self i.e., infinite, eternal and everhappy.

They believe this body and the family and the transitory objects belong to them. They are deeply and blindly attached to this world. That’s why they remain always sad and unhappy. According to Nishchaya Naya jeevas bear the fruits of their bhavas but according to vyavahara naya they enjoy the materials. This should be kept in mind.

एवं कत्ताभोत्ता होज्जं अप्पा सगेिंह कम्मेिंह।
िंहडदि पारमपारं संसारं मोहसंछण्णो।।(६९

)In this way the mundane soul being doer and the enjoyer of his own karmas, deeply attached to this world keeps on running and moving in the infinite paryayas (existence in the different states of the mundane). The reason is that this soul is addicted to wrong faith and beliefs and is deprived of the supreme light of Samyakgyan (right knowledge) and Samyak-charitra (right conduct). That is the only reason of the soul keeping in the bondage. All jeevas are running from one paryaya (state) to another from the beginningless time according to their impure bhavas as Asakti, delusion, hatred, pride etc.

जं जं जे जे जीवा पज्जायानां परिणमेंति संसारे।
रायस्स य दोसस्स य मोहस्स वसा मुणेयव्वा।।(९८८)