Destruction of Karma By Knowing Mystery of Karma-Bondage
CHAPTER-6
[According to Jain philosophy ‘Karma’ is a substantive force or matter in a very subtle form. The whole cosmic space is filled with these particles of matter called ‘Pudgala’. The soul being compounded with the outer world is literally penetrated by these matter particles. These in turn become Karmas which cling to the soul.
These Karmic matters cause pain or pleasure as the case may be, to the bonded person. When the soul, out of desire, affection, corruption of knowledge, perverted faith, false preaching etc, experiences effective state of mind, pleasant or unpleasant, then this state causes the self (soul) to get bound by Karmic matter of various kinds that in turn accordingly cause pleasure or pain of the particular nature.
Thus the Jain philosophy does not recognize that our pleasure or pain is at the mercy of any super-natural power. It emphasizes the fact that our worldly pleasures, pains or sufferings all are our own creations, the result of our deeds, good or bad.
One can obstruct the flow of Karmas by refraining from violence, falsehood, theft, bad conduct and attachment to belongings by observing vows, performing the routine task carefully, controlling one’s mind, speech and body by fostering religious ideas of forgiveness, by enduring affliction patiently and by contemplating reality of the world, its transitory-nature and so on so as to avoid all unnecessary acts of violence thereby saving one’s self from falling into the clutches of Karma-bond.
One can also destroy these A’nrma-bonds completely by observing the right way of penance thereby opening the door to salvation, the highest ambition one may aspire.
Achharya Shanti Sagar Ji taught a formula of life “By knowing the mystery of Karma bondage one can destroy the Karmas”. He emphasized that at the outset; one should study and contemplate not ‘Samaya Sar’ (the most auspicious scripture of ‘Dravayanuyoga’ which deals with the metaphysical aspect of Reality) but ‘MahaDhawala and Mahbandha’ (which are doctrinal volumes of ‘Karmanuyoga’ dealing with the process of karma bondage).
Why are we lying in trouble? We want pleasure but why don’t we get it? Well, it is correct that pleasure and pain are under complete control of ‘Karinas’ .Whatever one receives depends on the kind of ‘Karma’ one binds. As one sows so must he reap? The kind of Karma seed we sow, the crop of pleasure or pain is the result of the ripening of that Karma.
Achharya Shri narrated a perceptible tale.
A royal priest taught his son, not the tactics of earning wealth but trained him to identify the kind of Karma-bond resulting from different types of acts. The priest’s son could not learn worldly cleverness but only mastered the Karma-bond scriptures. After the demise of the royal priest he was forced to struggle with financial stringencies and poverty. He did not have any means of earning his livelihood, so was forced to indulge in committing theft.
He entered the royal treasury for stealing. He raised his hand to steal a necklace of jewels but instantly remembered that by stealing jewels certain type of Karma-bond is fastened. So he put that necklace back. Again he picked up some goods of gold and silver but thinking of Karma bond placed them back. He was perplexed because whatever he laid his hand on, the idea of Karma bond forced him to withdraw it.
While returning disappointed, he saw a heap of straw. His father did not teach him about the guilt attached with the theft of the straw. The innocent son of Brahmin fastened a bundle of straw and when he was just about to take it, the king’s constable caught him red-handed. When the king came to know that he was the son of the late royal priest he called him and enquired why he preferred to steal the straw? Brahmin son replied “O king! My father taught me only the Bond Scripture.
I did dare to steal diamond and gold ornaments of the royal treasury but remembering that a very serious guilt is attached to stealing these things. I left them there and on coming out saw the heap of straw. I picked it up thinking that there is no serious guilt attached to stealing it. The King perceiving him as God-fearing and truthful appointed him on a less stressful but well paid job.
By having the knowledge of Karma-bond one is saved from committing sin. The mystery of Karma-bond opens the doors to salvation and inspires to shed and eradicate Karmas.
We should not consider bond as a nature but a suffering. The world is also a bond, a fetter, but we are not getting released from it because we have accepted it as nature. The day our experience is influenced by these worldly fetters, the auspicious beginning of salvation shall take place. Take the world as a prison, only then floundering for salvation will occur.
Imagining the world as a hospital decorated with soft and delicate beddings where nurses are standing for service at our will, shall any sensible person think of making it his permanent residence? Instead he will wait anxiously to get out from the disease- bed soon after recovery. If you accept the world with this feeling, then the stair of salvation is nearer to you.
If the acceptance of fetter takes him out from a blind-well and puts him at its plinth then that fetter is acceptable for some time because in its acceptance a background of freedom is attached.
Identify the salvation from the mystery of Bonds.
