Karma Philosophy
Almost all the believers in transmigration theory attach importance to the philosophy of Karinas. The adage, ‘as you sow, so you reap’ is significant enough to show the universality and popularity of this doctrine. The treatment of this subject is unique in Jain philosophy, in-as-much as it is scientific, rational and elaborate. No other system has explained this matter as has been done by Jain thinkers and sages.
A View of the World :
With a view to appreciate this doctrine it is necessary to comprehend the nature of the world. Our analysis brings out that there are sentient and non-sentient substances in this universe. The soul is possessed of consciousness, while other objects devoid of this faculty are matter, space, time, media of motion or rest.
The special characteristics of matter are taste, smell, touch and color. All that is perceived by us or experienced by senses is material. Like the soul matter is also indestructible. These objects are eternal, therefore they are not created by any agency whether super-natural or super-human.
The whole panorama of nature is the out-come of the union or the chemical action of atoms due to the inborn property of smoothness and aridity. The variegated forms and appearances are evolved out of these material atoms.
The Creator :
This has driven many a thinker to the conclusion that some Intelligent and Supreme Being is at the helm of affairs. He creates, destroys and recreates. The entire world dances attendance to His sweet wishes. He is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Enjoyer of transcendental bliss.
The Jain philosophers do not agree with the idea of a Supreme being, guiding the destinies of all things, since it does not stand to critical examination and logical interpretation. Impartial study and mature thought lead us to the conclusion that this world full of sufferings, barbarities and inequalities cannot be the handiwork of a Good, Happy, Omnipotent and Omniscient God.
The observations of the great scientist Huxley deserve special attention in this respect:— “In my opinion it is not the quantity but the quality of persons amongst whom, the attributes of divinity are distributed, which is the serious matter.
If the divine might is associated with no higher ethical attributes than those which obtained among ordinary men; if the divine intelligence is supposed to be so imperfect that it cannot forsee the conse¬quences of its own contrivances; if the supernal powers can become furiously angry with the creatures of their omnipotence and in their senseless wrath destroy the innocent along with the guilty; or if they can show themselves to be as easily
placated by presents and gross flattery as any oriental or occidental despot; if in short, they are only stronger than mortal men and no better, then surely it is time for us to look somewhat closely into their credentials and to accept none but conclusive evi¬dence of their existence”.
Science and Hebrew Tradition ,Page 258 This world cannot be the creation of a bene-volent and good God, for it presents a poor picture of abundance of misery and calamity as the lot of the majority of its creatures. The argument that every object has a creator, is not of universal application ; for we do come across several objects e. g., space, which are self- existent and which do not need any outside creator to bring them into being. When the world-creator is said to be self-existent, why not the same logic be equally applied to other objects as well ?
The rational mind is at a loss *to understand as to why Perfect. Pure, Independent, Omniscient and Benevolent Superbeing is supposed to be interested in the manufacture of filthiest substances like urine, faeces in the stomach. The very idea is abhorring and shocking that the Almighty Lord keeps himself engaged in the human or sub-human stomachs and intestines. It is said this work is the outcome of purely, physical and chemical processes operating into the body, why not then likewise arrive at the incontro-vertible conclusion that this universe is independent of the world creator and that it is self-existent ?
In this connection these words, need careful attention and consideration : “We should like to see this supreme benevo¬lence that feeds ravens, making some mark in the human order, helping or halting wisdom to lessen the world old flow of tears and blood, guarding the innocent from pain and privation, snatching the woman and child from war-drunk brute, or what would be simpler and better preventing the birth of the brute or the germination of his impulses. Just this has always been the supreme difficulty of the theologian.
Even today we gaze almost helplessly upon the wars, the disease, the poverty, the crimes, the narrow-minds and stunted natures, which darken our life. And God, it seems, was busy gilding the sunset or putting pretty eyes in peacock’s tails Religious writers say that God permitted the war on account of sin. The motive matters little. Such ‘permission’ is still vindictive punishment of the crudest order. What would you think of the parent, who would stand by and see his daughter outraged, while fully able to prevent it ?
And would you be reconciled, if the father proved to you that his daughter had offended his dignity in some way ?” If the world was looked after by Benevolent, Omnipotent, and Omniscient Lord of the Universe harrowing and horrifying calamities like the Bihar earth-quake of 1934, destruction by floods and similar catastrophies could have been easily averted, Since such tragic occurrences involved the destruc¬tion of innumerable, innocent and poor beings.
In “The History of Indian National Congress” (Vol. 1) Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramiyya informs us about the great tragedy thus; ‘ In the Bihar earthquake in 1934 on 16th of January 20,000 died, 10, lakhs houses damaged and destroyed, 10 lakh bighas land covered with sand and crops destroyed.
Nehru went there and with others plied pick-axes and shovels carrying debris in baskets on their heads. The earthquake effected an area of 30 000 square miles and a population of about a crore and half”. ( P. 565 ) The supporters of the creation theory observe silence when they come across such tragic incidents. The thinking mind has to admit that this sort of working of the universe is not dependent upon the sweet wishes of the Supreme Being and so there is no alternative but to accept it as self-existent.
Jain view-point :
Thou art indeed just, Lord ? if I contend With thee, but, Sir, so what I plead is just, Why do sinner’s ways prosper ? and why must Disappointment all I endeavour end ? Wert Thou my enemy, O Thou my friend, How wouldst Thou worse I wonder than Thou dost Defeat, thwart me ? Oh, the sots and thrills of lust Do in spare hours more thrive than I that spend Sir, life upon Thy cause….J. R. Hopkins, Beprocluceed by Jawaharlal Nehru in his autobiography-
Jains cure theists :
It will be the grossest perversion of truth and misrepresentation of stupendous magnitude if one declares that the Jains deny the very existence of God. Jain literature, works of art, temples, idols etc. incontrovertibly prove that the Jains do believe in the existence of Parmatma or God, the embodi¬ment of purity, perfection, bliss and omniscience; therefore He is not the creator of the universe which is the conglomeration of manifold substances and energy, f According to Jain Metaphysics this universe is eternal.
The Jains worship God for the sake of mental and spiritual purity, elevation and advance¬ment. As a matter of fact the Jain idol is not adored, rather it is used as an instrument for purity of mind, therefore it should be termed as “Ideal worship” rather than “idol worship”. The concen¬tration and meditation towards the passionless and peaceful idol assist the common man in getting release from the clutches of baser and evil propen- sitis.
I f scholars make a dispassionate study of sacred literature of various religions they will meet several passages which directly or indirectly suggest that the world is eternal and God is the personification of purity and perfection.Jain view of worship is a purely psychological process, whereby the aspirant gradually develops himself and attains the status of omniscience and bliss, the characteristics of Godhood.
The observations of Swami Vivekananda are very illuminating and thought-provoking; “The Buddhists or the Jains do not depend upon God; but the whole force of their religion is directed to the great central truth in every religion, to evolve a God out of man. (Essentials of Hinduism—p. 36) It is argued that the soul will not be punished or rewarded if we do not accept any universal ruler of the world.
According to Jain theory the mundane soul acquires Karmas, which are the causes for happiness or misery of the individual. No body can escape from the clutches of Karmas. A burglar or a criminal can befool a magistrate and move about escot free, on the other hand an innocent poor fellow may be punished by the dispenser of Justice.
Such malpractices are utterly absent under the just and exact rule of Karma which is based upon the inviolable law of cause and effect. The manifold conditions of sentient beings are due to the frution of Karmas acquired by the Jiva in the past. In fact ‘I am the captain of my soul and the architect of my bright or dismal future.’ This message of Self-reliance is the corner-stone of Jain philosophy.
Nature of Karma
The mundane soul has got vibrations through mind, body or speech. The molecules which assume the form of mind, body or speech, engender vibrations in the Jiva, whereby an indefinite number of subtle atoms is attracted and assimilated by the Jiva. This assimilated group of atoms is termed as ‘Karma’.In Sanskrit literature ‘Karma’ signifies ‘action’ but in Jain Philosophy this term has different connotation.
It consists of the multitude of molecules ( Karmic Varganas ) which are assimilated by the Soul due to its thought- activities connected with attachment or aversion. Since these special types of molecules are attracted by the vibratory ‘activities’ of the Soul they are termed as Karma. No other system of thought has interpreted the term in the above manner.
The matter assuming the form of Karma does not lose its natural attributes since neither the object nor the attributes are destroyed because they are eternal. Only the conditions are transitory. Its effect is visible in the multifarious conditions of the mundane soul.
As a red- hot iron ball, when dipped into water attracts and assimilates its particles; or as a magnet draws iron filings towards itself due to magnetic force; in the like manner the soul, propelled by its psychic ex-periences of infatuation, anger, pride, deceit and avarice, attracts karmic molecules and becomes pol-luted by the karmas.
The psychic experience is the instrumental cause of this transformation of matter into a Karma; as the clouds are instrumental in the change of sun’s rays into a rainbow. When Karmas come in contact with the soul fusion occurs, whereby a new condition springs up, which is endowed with marvellous potentialities and is more powerful than the atom bombs. One can easily imagine this awe-inspiring, power of Karmas, which has covered infinite knowledge, infinite power, infinite bliss of the soul and has made a beggar of this very soul, who is no less than a Paramatman ( Perfect Soul ) by its5 intrinsic nature.
Psychic experiences of anger etc. cause the fusion of Karmas and these Karmas again produce feelings of attachment, aversion or anger etc.; thus the chain of Karmic bondage continues ad infinitum. The world is teeming with infinite souls, who by their dispositions are instrumental in , transform¬ing non-sentient matter into Karmas, which become possessed of indescribable potentialities.
After their operation period the Karmas no longer act as clog on the spiritual progress. The entire world is active with Karmic molecules. It appears that this fact is now acknowledged by our modern scientists also when they observe; “The world, is radio-active. It always has been and always will be.
Its natural radio-activities evidently are not dangerous and we can conclude from thisfact that contamination from atomic bombs, if of the same magnitude as these natural radiations, is not likely to be at all dangerous,”Saint Kundakunda’s words are worthy of note .
“To a Jiva in Samsara desire and aversion will naturally occur. On account of these states Karmic matter clings to the Jiva The Karmic bondage leads the Jiva through the four Gatis or states of existences. Entering into the Gati, Jiva builds up its own appropriate body; being embodied he gets the senses. Through the sense-objects, objects of the environment are persued.
From per¬ception appears desire or aversion towards those objects and from desire the cycle begins again. Thus desire brings Karma, Karma leads to Gati, Gati means body, body implies senses, senses lead to perception and perception again to desire or aversion and so on ad infinitum. But the cycle ends in the case of Bhavya Jiva ( Liberable Soul ), where-as it is unending to the ‘Abhavyas’. But it has no begin-ning in either case,…”.Panchastikaya Samayasara Edited by Prof.A.Chakravarti P. 137-138
PujycLpada’s explanation :
The manifold panorama visible in the world is the result of karmas.
Acharya Pujyapada in his authoritative work Sarvarthsiddhi explains the point thus : “Just as the digestive fire of the stomach (the gastric fluid or juice ) obsorbs food suitable to it, so also the self attracts karmas of duration and frution corresponding to the virulent, mild or moderate nature of the passions. Just as the mixing of several juices of barley, flowers and fruits in a vessel produces intoxicating liquor, so also matter present coextensive with the self becomes transformed into karmic matter owing to the presence of activities and passions.”
( Reality P. 218. ) When the husk of paddy is removed from it, the rice loses its power of sprouting; likewise when the husk of Karmic molecules is severed from the mundane soul, the resulting perfect Jiva cannot be enchained by the regermination of Karmas. The nature of soul, entangled in the cobweb of trans¬migration can be understood easily, when we divert our attention to the impure gold found in a mine.
The association of filth with golden ore is without beginning but when the foreign matter is burnt by fire and various chemicals, the resulting pure gold glitters; in the like manner the fire of right belief, right knowledge, and right conduct destroys the karmic bondage in no time. If the fire of self-absorp¬tion is intense, the work of destruction can be achieved within a span of 48 minutes.
This point is clear by the example of sun’s rays, which when converge on one point ignite fire, but when they diverge they do not exihibit the power of burning. The destruction of Karmas in the fire of self-absorption does not mean annihilation of the atoms, but it denotes the dissociation of karmic molecules from the soul.
Democritus said, “Ex niliilo Nihil et in Nihilum nihil potest re verti” —nothing can ever become something nor can something become nothing. The principle is corobo- rated in the Hindu scripture, Gita in these words; uret urn’ i (2—16).
Objections Kxnmined :
Some critics say, “Jain Karma Theory is quite good and worthy of appreciation, but it is not understandable as to how the fusion of material Karmas with the soul is disturbed and the soul attains liberation or Nirvan, when this contact of the soul and the non-soul has been from the infinity; in that case it should have been endless also” ?
This objection is not sound in-as-much as it does not stand to reason and experience. With a view to understand the point clearly it is to be noted that the mundane soul is not pure and per¬fect. We see that this soul is almost a captive within the body, which is the filthiest object in the entire world. If the soul was free it would not have chosen this nasty habitation. Since the soul is forced to reside in this body; it leads us to the only conclu¬sion that the transmigrating soul is under the clutches of Karmic forces.
The next point for consideration is, when did the Karmic contagion commence ? If this contami¬nation is not from immemorial times and infinity, it must have a period of begining. Supposing the Karmic bondage took place at a particular period of time.
This conjecture will put us in a quandary, because before the Karmic thraldom commenced the soul must have been in its pristine glory enjoy¬ing its attributes of purity and perfection. That the omniscient soul equipped with infinite bliss, infinite power and other Divine attributes would have fallen a prey to the vicious and callous Karmas is beyond comprehension and sober consideration.
The passionless knowledge and the bliss of beatitude would have been strong impediments in the way of the soul to pursue the policy of infinite miseries, and self-destruction. One can imagine for a moment why the free soul which is blissful and omniscient would ever prefer the human body as its habitation ? Since this point is not in confirmity with reason and experience the only alternative is that the soul must have been contaminated with matter from infinity.
To understand this point we should examine a piece of gold just exhumed from the bed of the gold-mine. We find that the gold is dark and ugly, but s,when with the aid of fire and various chemicals its impurities are burnt, bright and glit¬tering gold becomes visible. Similarly the impure soul becomes pure by means of right belief, right knowledge and right conduct.
This triple trident destroys the entire Karmic force and establishes the kingdom of soul.
Lord Tennyson’s words are memorable : Self-reverence, Self-knowledge, Self-control. These three alone lead life to sovereign power. In view of the above material one will have to logically admit that this Karmic contagion has no begining and the Jain theory of Karma is quite reasonable. The relation of seed and tree has no beginning, because every seed is got from a tree which comes out of some seed. Thus the con¬nection of seed and tree is without beginning.
When the seed is burnt in fire, it will never germinate into a tree. In the like manner when the seed of dispositional impurity – attachment and aversion is burnt by right type of penances and austerities, the Karmas are destroyd. There is no logical connection between infinity and endlessness. The state of Nirvan or Iibeiation has a beginning but no end.
Main Divisions :
When the Jiva has noble thoughts of love, sympathy, compassion and the, like auspicious or agreeable Karmic matter clings to the Soul. When the period of frution occurs the Soul is placed in favourable circumstances and it enjoys superb pleasures of the world.
On the other-hand a’person possessed of callous heart derives pleasures in the distress and agony of the miserable Soul. He is not moved by the pitiable plight of the sick, disabled, hungry, decrepit or the distressed, whereby in¬auspicious Karmic matter is accumulated and conse¬quently the Jiva suffers pain, and untold miseries, and does not obtain desired peace and happiness.
Thus it is quite clear that we can carve our glorious career by leading the life of piety and purity or mar our joy and happiness by indulging in carnal pleasures and fiendish or nefarious activities. The plea¬sure or pain obtained by means of auspicious or inauspicious Karmas lasts for a limited period. Its duration and intensity depend upon the pitch of our disposition, when our Soul had accumulated the karmic molecules by mental or vocal or physical activities or vibrations.
It is to be noted that our world is full of infinite molecules ready for being transformed into Karmas, the source of Soul’s bondage. The advanced Souls, equipped with balanced mental outlook stop the Karmic influx and they destroy the already accumulated Karmic filth by means of concentration and penance. Thus the Soul enjoys perpetual bliss of liberation.
This state of perfection is the outcome of one’s own efforts. No outward agency can be depended upon to achieve the objective. The pleasure derived from senses due to the operation of ‘Punya- Karma’ cannot stand in comparison with the infinite happiness of the liberated Atman.
Truly speaking Soul is the real repository of Anand— happiness, but the perverted Soul is obsessed with the false notion of seeking its pleasure in the objects of the world. When the Karmic clouds disappear the spiritual Sun shines with amazing brilliance and all the infinite attributes of power, happiness, knowledge and the like adorn the Soul.
These Karmas have been classified into eight kinds :
- (l) Gyanavar- niya Karma which obstructs knowledge.
- (2) Darshanavaraniya Karma which obstructs that form of consciousness which precedes knowledge
- (3) Vedaniya Karma which enables the soul to have sensations of pleasure or pain through senses
- ( 4 ) Mohaniya Karma, the ring leader of Karmas,, causing delusion and preverted view of self and nonself.
- ( 5 ) Ayuh Karma determining the length of life in a particular body.
- (6) Gotra Karma causing birth in high or low family,
- (7) Nama Karma is responsible for physical forms, complexion, con¬stitution etc. of the body.
- (9) Amtaraya Karma acts as impediment in the acquisition of objects and their enjoyment by means of senses.
- (10)The Gyanavarana Karma1 acts as a hindrance in the attainment of Omniscient knowledge, the inherent and natural right of every soul.
It has been compared to a curtain, which obstructs the vision of our desired objects enveloped thereby. If the curtain is too thick no vision is obtained; but if the same is thin some view can be had of the things covered; in the like manner this Gyanavarana Karma has its operation with respect to knowledge—the special characteristic of every soul.
Due to this very Karma we come across innumerable differences in the faculty of comprehension amongst the mundane souls. This Karma explains why one is a brilliant genius and the other is an idiot. If this Karma has a deep coating upon the soul, the sun of knowledge will not shed brilliant light. When this karma is destroyed, the soul is blessed with omniscient knowledge.
This karma is accumulated by such activities or mental dispositions, which are associated with the heinous habit of directly or indirectly obstructing the light of knowledge.
This knowledge-obstructing activity results in the state of utter ignorance, e. g. some one con-ceals his own knowledge and learning, although respectfully requested by the deserving disciple, thinking that if the disciple becomes learned no one will take care of himself or with similar other malicious motive, or if he makes false imputations against the correct and useful discourses of some learned persons or if he misguides wilfully the aspirant of Truth or if he puts impediments in the study of others or if he is possessed of the feeling of vanity for his poor learning etc.
He will draw such karmic molecules which will cover his intellectual capa-city and make him unwise. It has been said that if one freely imparts knowledge to others, he will become an intellectual of high order. The rule of cause and effect uninterruptedly works in the field of karma and its accumulation.
This is consistent with reasoning and mature thought that the effect will be in accor¬dance with the cause. One who sows the seed of an orange tree cannot get the grapes at the time of harvest. This very principle works in the domain of not only
(1)‘Gyanavarana-Karma’, but all karmas in general. It is therefore our duty to keep ourselves away from the nefarious acts of polluting the genial and beneficial current of knowledge, otherwise we shall be inthe grip of terrible ignorance as is visualised amongst the beasts, the idols of ignorance.
(2)‘Darshnavarana Karma’ is accumulated by the soul if the aforesaid evil practices refer to the obstruction regarding the faculty of perception e. g., a gate-keeper hinders the entrance of some visitor to the residence of a dignitary, similarly this karma comes in the way of obtaining per¬ception of the objects of the world.
(3)‘Vedaniya-Karma’ is responsible for our sensations of pleasure or pain through the medium of senses. The sensation of pleasure is not the experience of spiritual happiness for the feeling of pleasure obtained by the operation of this Vedaniya karma is not real.
It is in fact artificial, spurious as well as deceptive; e. g. a person enjoys the sweetness of the small quantity of honey applied to the sharp edge of a sword and ultimately meets the tragedy of his tongue being chopped or severely wounded.
The joy of relishing the honey-drop is like the enjoyment of our carnal pleasures, which arc obtained when favourable Vedaniya karma operates. This type of karma is termed as Sata ( nrar) Veda¬niya or agreeable Vedaniya karma.
The reverse variety of this Vedaniya is called as Asata (rerrerr) Vedaniya or the afflicting Vedaniya karma. The sensation of indescribable agony, when a person is severely wounded or is chopped into slices or is burnt in a furiously burning furnace etc., is the effect of this karma.
The seed of painful experience is sown by such sinful activities e. g. to inflict pain upon others with evil intentions, to resort to the cruel habit of hunting, meat-eating, to remain morose, keep a weeping face and always shed tears in the memory of some dear departed soul or other objeci; to remain in unhappy temper,to do acts of violence which cause pain to other beings etc.
The unhappy lot of the unfortunate people or the animal world is due to the operation of this disagreeable karma. Modern pleasure-seeking economic-man is busy in inventing weapons of destruction. As a matter of fact he is digging his own grave and sowing the seeds of his impending destruction and untold misery.
If the Soul indulges in the service of all living beings, remains pious, charitable, sympathetic, compassionate, leads the life of renunciation and self-control, keeps the company of the saintly figures, tries to alleviate the sufferings of persons placed in untoward and abominable environments etc. it accumulates the ‘Sata’ Vedaniya karma. On the other hand the devilish activities are sure to lead to distress.
Merciful life definitely results in the happinees and spri- tual advancement of the soul. This Vedaniya Karma is almost lifeless if the monarch-like Mohaniya Karma does not lend its assistance to the opration of this Karma.
In the Scriptures it has been explained that although this Vedaniya belongs to the group of ‘Aghatiya’ (rqfaqr) Karma, it acts with greater vehemence to cause trouble to the mundane Soul. Omniscient Arahant destroys this Mohaniya Karma along with Gyanavarna, Dharshna- varana and Antaraya; therefore the existence of the Vedaniya is not in a position to disturb the infinite bliss of the Lord.
This Vedaniya is compared to a dog, who appeares to be extremely ferocious and violent at the residence of his master but in other places he looks almost helpless. Similarly as long as this Mohaniya Karma— the uncrowned king of Karmas exists, Vedaniya can cause indescribable trouble to the Soul butwithout this Master Mohaniya, Vedaniya becomes poor and lifeless like a dead lion.
(4) ‘Mohaniya Karma’ is at the root of all miseries. It is the main power to get the wheel of transmigration move on ceaselessly. It has been compared to an intoxicant liquor whereby the drunkard becomes senseless and that his discriminating faculty of right and wrong, good or bad becomes dormant and inoperative.
His faculty of judging between beneficienc and pernicious path is paralysed and so he looks like a spiritually insane person. We see that a mentally sick fellow fails to distinguish between his mother and his wife, father and son, nectar or poison, in the like manner the Soul dominated by this mischievous Mohaniya, utterly forgets the fact, that the intelligent Soul is not the slave of the senses, lust or passions. The Self is the master of the entire world and is equipped with boundless knowledge, infinite joy, infinite power, and other virtues, which are found in Parmatman.
This Karma deadens the discriminating faculty of the Soul and so the person caught in the cob web of deceptive objects of the cosmos, roams about like a deer running after a mirage in some desert to quench its thirst but to no purpose. Its sub-division ‘Darshan Mohaniya’ obliterates the right perspective of objects and engenders perverted outlook about Truth, Teacher, and the Path of Liberation.
It blurs the faculty of right faith, which is the chief ingredient to attain one’s own Divinity and Immortality. The operation of this Karma can be comprehended from the fact that although a person is equipped with amazing intellectual attainments and extra-ordinary faculties be falls an easy prey to religious fanaticism, bigo- try and short-sightedness in his scientific approach to truth.
Due to this Karma the self becomes devoid of that marvellous faculty which acts as a touch-stone to differentiate between real and spurious objects. It is remarkable that a man of poor resources and very ordinary intellect may attain the priceless power and treasure of right-belief (Samyak- Darshan ), if this Darshan Mohaniya Karma is not operating; but even the wisest is devoid of this faculty indispensable for Nirvan if this Karma functions.
It is the real culprit which causes ceaseless transmigration in the universe. The causes of tnis Darshan Mohaniya Karma have been enumerated as follows Casting false aspersions upon the adorable omniscient spiritual victor God Jinendra the main source of inner illumination and enlightenment; misrepresenting the Dharma propounded by Lord Jinendra; speaking in derogatory language about the monks, who are the pilgrims of liberation; misleading the world by propagating that evil practices lead to happy consequences.
In short such activities which act as impediments in the way of attaining right belief cause inflow of this Karma. Its counterpart is ‘Charitra Mohaniya’ which comes in the way of adopting the right conduct. When the heart is poisoned with this Karma a person fails to follow the path of sense-control and morality, which are essential for advancement on the moral plane.
It is said that a person stung by the venom of a cobra eats bitter leaves of a Neem tree with great pleasure, likewise a person affected by this Karma takes pleasure in vicious life, immoral conduct, depravity of manners, heart- lessncss, backbiting, harbouring ill will and mischievous dispositions to cause distress to the noble, good and harmless persons, and lead un-bridled life of a libertine, a brute or a savage. Therefore the aspirant should try to destroy ‘Darshan Mohaniya’ as well as Charitra Moha¬niya and attain right belief, right conduct and right knowledge which combined lead to perpe¬tual peace, and liberation.
(5) The Ayuh Karma makes the Soul captive in a particular body for a limited period in the four conditions of life. Due to this Karma a person enjoys long lease of life or prematurely dies. Those who have accumulated auspicious Karmas enjoy long life in human form or as a divine being, but one who plays the role of a rogue lives in hell for a very long period and undergoes untold miseries.
The example of a clock helps us in com-prehending the nature of this Karma. When we wind a clock it moves on and indicates time; but if it is disturbed its winding screw gets affected and the clock stops all of a sudden. In the like manner a Soul inhabits a particular body in accordance with this Ayuh Karma; but if we disturb the operation of this Karma the Soul soon stops breathing and departs to occupy another body, which has been pre-arranged by this very Jiva by his dispositions.
Premature death also takes place when a person is poisoned, or is haunted by some serious type of disease without getting medical aid or his body is hewed with some weapon etc. Thus his span of life is cut short. This type of death is called Akala Maran’ or ‘Premature death’. Jain view is that life can be cut short, but it can-not be prolonged beyond the limit fixed in the previous birth.
With respect to this Ayuh Karma it is to be noted that a Jiva assumes the form of a beast, if he adopts deceitful, crooked & cunning devices to mislead others. Acharya Umaswami in Tatvartha Sutra# says that deceitful practices are the cause of rebirth in the form of beasts.
One devoted to mammon worship and inordinate greed becomes a hellish being and suffers untold miseries for a very long period. Birth as a heavenly being is the result of good conduct and compassionate life.
One who leads pious life, controls his passions, and possesses unblemished character accumulates Punya karma, which takes the soul to the land of celestials, where undreamt of happiness is experienced for a very long period.Can it be said that the soul vanishes away at death ? Far from it, the pure soul goes hence to a place that is glorious. The sensual soul for instance goes to the body of an ass; the unjust or tyrannical soul into the body of a wolf or a kiie.
Only the souls of philosophers go and live with the gods. That is why philosophy abstains from bodily pleasures. ‘Trial and Death of Socrates’—P. LxxxLL. To be reborn as a man it is necessary that one should not be a slave of evil desires and that he should find his satisfaction in few objects.
The central truth is that pure and controlled life causes uplift and progress of the soul, but one who is a slave of passions and worldly objects ultimately experiences severe pangs and is reborn as a low being without any hope of spiritual advancement.
Asoka in his edict speaks about self-control and purity of mind (qspntfqffe) as the essence of religions. This is in conformity with Jain ideology. These two lead to real progress and prosperity.
Can it be said that the soul vanishes away at death ? Far from it, the pure soul goes hence to a place that is glorious. The sensual soul for instance goes to the body of an ass; the unjust or tyrannical soul into the body of a wolf or a kiie…Only the souls of philosophers go and live with the gods. That is why philosophy abstains from bodily pleasures. ‘Trial and Death of Socrates’.
The highly cultured saints are not elated if they are reborn as celestial beings or placed in adverse circumstances, for they have understood the fact that all karmas, be they auspicious or otherwise, are foreign to the conscious Self.
The remarks of Panchadhyayi are noteworthy; “No operation of Karma is beneficial to the Self, because all forms of Karmas are contrary to the nature of the soul”… It is therefore the duty of the seeker after Nirvana to follow the path shown by Lord Jinendra and save himself from the clutches of these Karmas.”
(6)The ‘Nama Karma’ provides the mundane Soul with variegated bodies and limbs. It predeter¬mines the constitution of physical frame which is to be occupied by the Soul after death. When a person dies he leaves here his gross body, but his subtle bodies named Taijas and Karman follow the Jiva till liberation is attained.
In Hindu scriptures the subtle body that remains after the death of the gross body is known as ‘Linga Sharira’. The infinite varieties of living beings and their diversification of forms are due to this Nama Karma. As a painter with the aid of his brush and colour paints lovely or ugly designs, similarly the Jiva accumulates this Karma by his dispositions which are in the future responsible for the multiplicity of physical forms put on by the Jiva. Prof.
A. Chakravarti’s observations are very illuminating, “Nama Karma is an extremely interesting principle almost anticipating many elements of modern biological theory Modern biology tries to explain the origin and growth of organism postulating the enzymes and genes microscopic factors which determine the growth of the organic body.
Similarly the theory of Namkarma formulated by the Jaina thinkers thousands of years ago tries to explain many of the biological problems such as the difference between one genus and other genus of organisms, the bodily structure as its vertebrate or invertebrate, the different method of bone joints in the body, the symmetrical arrangements of the members in the body, the structure of the sensory organs in the body etc.
These sense organs in the body whether completely developed and functionally effected or whether imperfectly deve-loped and functionally inefficient, all these factors are explained by different kinds of Nam Karmas which operate and guide the construction of the organic body in each individual being”. (The Religion of Ahimsa P. 90 ) .
Ordinarily people hold God responsible for this variegated world, but Jain philosophers aver that in fact this Nama Karma is instrumental in bringing out these manifold forms and physical changes.
Acharya Jinasena in his Maha Purana has said : “Destiny, creator maker, fate, past action, God are ithe synonym’s of this Nama Karma.
The original words need careful attention : This Nama Karma supplies the soul with a large or small body. The soul contracts and expands according to the dimension of the gross body. Some scholars conclude that if the soul assumes the size of the body it must be impermanent.
Therefore according to them the soul either must be pervading the entire universe or it should have the shape of an atom. Jain logician Ananta Virya refutes this illogical stand, which is exploded by our experience as well.
Since the experiences of pleasure and pain do not exist outside the body, the natural conclusion will be, the soul does not exist outside its habitation. When the sensations are experienced in the entire body by the soul, it is reasonable to conclude that the whole body is the abode of the soul.
Professor Radha Krishnan in his Indian Philosophy observes, “According to Sankara the hypothesis of the soul having the same size as its body is untenable, for from its being limited by the body it would follow that the soul like the body is also impermanent and if impermanent it would have no final release”.
“The Jainas answer the objections by citing analogies. As a lamp whether placed in a small pot or a large room illumines the whole space even so does the Jiva contract and expand according to the dimensions of the different bodies.” ( P. 311 ).
In fact the Jain view of soul’s contraction and expansion is not merely based upon analogies. Its main basis is our own experience. If we do not admit that the mundane soul is body-shaped, why do we not experience the soul’s existence outside the limit of our physical frame ?
Therefore we have to admit that the Jain view is substantiated by our own experience as well as sound logic. It is worthy of note that prior to the attainment of liberation the soul is embodied in the physical tabernacle and it has become almost one with the body, therefore any change in the body is witnessed in the soul.
After liberation the separation takes place and in that case the body is dissociated from the soul. Its form is not then changed. If a person indulges in crooked, cunning, dishonest, deceptive, deceitful and unfair practices he puts on a distorted frame in consonance with his crooked dispositions. A person with ugly thoughts gets a deformed body.
But the life of charity, piety, sincerity, simplicity, serenity, sobriety, satisfaction, sense-control, caution, compassion, candour, and other virtues helps the Soul in acquiring robust, beautiful and healthy body like that of The World Teacher Jain Tirthankar. In common parlance we say, ‘Handsome is that handsome does’.
This is no idle prattle, since it is pregnant with meaning. A man whose thoughts are noble’ is destined to be a healthy and handsome fellow because everything almost depends upon our psychic conditions. Barrister C R. Jain’s remarks are valuable.
“It is worthwhile to note that the Nama Karma is chiefly concerned with the formation of limbs and the physical bodies, which is organised by the Soul with its own inherent energy. At the end of each form of life a mechanical readjusting of the ‘liquid’ compound consisting of the Jiva and the matter of its two inner bodies, the Karman and the Taijas, takes place altering its constitution and tbe type of its rhythm in obedience to the influence of the forces stored up in the mass.
The resulting form is a seed of next life, the rhythm of which represents the sum-total of the forces which are to come into play in the body to be organised in the new sorrounding to which it is immediately mechanically drawn. The number of these types of rhythms Plato would have called them ‘Ideas’ is 84,00,0t0, as given in the scripture”. (Practical Path P. 66-67 )
(7)The Gotra Karma determines the environments of the Soul in its life. The respectable status in society depends upon this Karma. As the potter by means of his wheel shapes the piece of earth into small or big earthenwares, in the like manner a Jiva is placed in a high or low status according to this Karma.
It determines the future status of the Soul. A person engaged in the foul habit of speaking ill of others and llattering himself, little looking to his ble¬mishes and drawbacks is reborn in a low and down-trodden family.
Thus it acts as unsurpassable hurdle in the way of high type of spiritual advancement. A villain sullied with the stupid habit of slinging mu.1 upon the noble and pious Souls gets himself sorrounded with unhealthy circumstances which hinder his spiritual strength and progress on the path of Divinity.
On the other- hand if a soul becomes meek, gentle, humble and holds his tongue in speaking ill of others specially the sacred personalities and vigilantly looks into his own deficiencies and drawbacks with all sincerity this type of conduct and mental equipment will place the soul in high status and brilliant sorroundings which are favourable for supreme spiritual advancement.
The airogant and proud persons have a fall in their lives; on the otlierhand the meek and the humble rise to the summit of progress. They ascend to the highest pinnacle of glory and are adored even by the celestials. This idea of high or low status has no place in the liberated Siddhas for they have destroyed both the evil and auspicious Go.ra karma.
(8)The last is known as ‘Antaraya’ Karma. Its function is to mechanically place obstacles in the enjoyment of the fruits of various favour-able karmas e. g. a man is patronised by the beldame fickle fortune and has all the treasures of the world, but he is not able to enjoy the sweet fruits of his agreeable sorroundings because of this Antaraya karma Due to a particular type of Antaraya called the ‘Bhoga- Antaraya’ he cannot enjoy the blessings of his fortune.
He might get poor physique and may be debarred from enjoying the sweet delicacies in view of his stomach troubles. If the Virya Antaraya karma operates the person cannot enjoy best health. He will always be a victim of some malady or the other.
The ‘Labha- Antaraya’ karma comes in the way of the attainments of one’s desired objects. If this Labha- Antaraya subsides a person becomes the favourite of fortune and becomes the lord of riches and prosperity with least effort and poor intelligence.
The ‘Dana-Antaraya’ puts obstacles in the way of giving charities. Bhoga and Upa- Bhoga-Antaraya karmas act as impediments in one’s enjoyments of all sorts of objects Its causes have been enumerated as follows.
Butchery of animals, maliciously injuring or hurting others, putting impediments in the path of sacred observances and pious practices of the good and the noble souls; disturbing the propagation of sacred and noble principles of piety and equanimity; such foul practices retard the future progress of the soul and it is placed in such sorroundings where poverty and calamity abound.
The central point is that if you place in others path a snare you will be entangled in it and in the end suffer the consequence of your misdeeds. This is in consonance with the principle of cause and effect and the theory of ‘as you sow so you reap.’ Various religions talk ofthis Karma doctrine but no religion has so deeply and thoroughly worked upon this, as the Jain Acharyas have done.
Bondage by many souls simultaneously :
At times it so happens that a group of persons jointly acts in such a way that similar type of karmas are accumulated due to the similar type of mental disposition, e. g a person is hanged in a public highway.
Thousands of people witness the spectacle and have similar type of psychic changes. This will lead to the accumulation of similar type of Karma and when this shows its effect, we witness similarity in the effects These words of poet Tennyson point out how six hundred Soldiers were victims of death simultaneously in the Valley of Death Csnnon to right of them Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them, Volleyed and thundered .
Stormed at with shot and shell. Boldly they rode and well Into the Jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred. The Charge of the Light Brigade. This gives us some idea of such common freiks of fate, which amaze all of us e. g. earthquake-shocks, death of multitude in some epidemic, or pestilence or incendiarism and the like, which effect the lives of the group of persons or other creatures.
The wise therefore always take care of their mental purity under even adverse circumstances so that they may not be the victim of common calamity.
Why the good suffer and wicked enjoy ? Some argue that this karma philosophy is based on shaky foundation because we come across such instances wherein the high sounding principle of the cause and effect does not fully work unmistakably.
A pious, saintly, sober and noble scholar is witnessed in penury and untold misfortunes but a villain and a debauch enjoys the best comforts of life. Those persons who build their palace of happiness on the corpse of divine mother mercy and live upon such occupations as are associated with destruction of life and other cruel acts, are seen as the favourite of fortune and are placed in enviable position.
Does not your much valued Karma Philosophy become lifeless and without meaning in view of such strange instance ? The objection appears sound to us when we forget the fact that our souls have been transmigrating in the world putting on manifold forms in past lives.
It is a blunder to think that our souls are only born with our present body and they vanish after deathIn fact I have my own existence. My main characteristic of ‘Thinking’ is not shared by any other substratum. Descartes says; “Cogito ergo sum”I think, therefore I am. Death has no power to bring about my annihilation. I am not mortal like the physical body.
Wordsworth in his ‘Ode on Intimations of Immortality, throws light upon the immortality of the soul. Plato held; “the rational soul to be immortal because like the Ideas, it is not made up of parts and is accordingly indestructible.” He also taught pre-existence of Soul and believed in a priori knowledge. According to Plato knowledge is partly a matter of recollection of previous life. (The Columbia Encyclopaedia, p. 1406 ).
When the soul is immortal and when it was also existing in the previous incarnations it is but natural and logical that it will bring its past karmas and impressions imbibed and accumulated in its previous life. Sometimes we see strange change in the lives of persons. The great author of Ramayana was transformed from a savage into a sage and the world knows him as the great poet Valmiki.
We also see that sages sometimes act as savages and villains. Now the point is that as long as the Soul was leading the life of purity the Karmas ‘accumulated during that period must have been auspicious and when in course of time such Karmas operate the Soul will be blessed with best sorroundings and it will look like a favourite of fickle fortune.
This state of affairs is based upon solid logic and flawless reasoning. It is to be noted that the person reaping the rich harvest of happiness in the present life due to the pious practices and austerities performed in previous life will in the future be equally the victim of evil and inauspicious Karmas that are being acquired, in the present by his vicious, detestable, selfish and corrupt life of moral depravity.
The persons placed in happy and agreeable environments are enjoying the sweet fruits of their past noble actions and since the new seeds of corruption and immorality are being sown in the present life the forthcoming tree of trouble will provide them with poisonous fruits and then they will see that their misdeeds have been equally punished with full justice.
Poet Jinasen in his Mahapuran speaks of the misfortune of a prosperous and powerful monarch Danda, who had imbibed serpentine mental disposition and so after death he was reborn as a huge boaconstrictor in the royal treasury.
This huge serpent allowed no body to enter into the treasury except the successor king his beloved son of previous incarnation. A Jain Saint equipped with clairvoyance told the king about the fate of his father and as advised by the Jain Guru he addressed the animal in touching terms which deeply moved it. It remembered its past glory and splendour. Its mental outlook was immediately changed.
It fasted, left its serpentine coil and was reborn as a celestial being. This is sufficient to show the? un¬erring verdict of the Karmic doctrine without fear or favour. Even the celestials suffer for their good or evil Karmas without any hindrance. Therefore we should remember the ennobling and enlightening observations of Saint Amitgati“Oh Soul, bear this fact attentively in your mind that no out ward object causes you pleasure or pain except your previously acquired Karmas, therefore modify the mistaken idea that others cause you happiness or grief”.
Poet Somadeva remarks : “With thy heart contaminated by passion, thou dost acquire karma, the cause of bondage owing to thy assiduity in evil activities, just as an elephant for getting himself in company of his mate earns for himself the ropes that bind him. Renounce therefore., Oh Sentient being, all thy misdeeds”.Yashastilaka & Indian Culture 2 131. In his ‘Samadhi Shatak’ Pujyapada Swami says.
“The cause of transmigration is the obsession that I am the body, but the meditation that only the soul is mine leads to liberation from the body.” The sacred literature on Karma philosophy deals with ten conditions of karmas.
They have been thus enumerated : Bandha (Bondage), Satta (existence), Udaya (mature appearance or operation), Udirna (premature operation), Utkarshana (prolongation), Apakarshan (diminution or retardation), Samkramana (transformation), Upashama (subsidence) Nidhatti and Nishkanchita (forms of existence).
This subject was dealt at length in Jain c.innonical Literature called Karma Pravada, compiled by the disciple of Lord Mahavira known as Gautam Gandhara. This ocean of literature is extinct. Now we have Shatakhandagama Sutra, with Dhavala commentary comprising of 70,000 slokas, Mahabandha consisting of 40 0C0 origional slokas and Kashyapahuda with Jayadhavala commentary having 60,000 slokas Gommats.rra is a valuable contribution in this respect.
Its English translation by late Justice J. L. Jaini is very useful and informative to moderners. The original Mahabandha’s 40 000 slokas have been edited by me. A portion of it has been also translated by me and published from Banaras. The book belongs to the begin¬ning of Christian era.
Rational view-points :
The relation of the Soul with the Karmas is visualised from different view-points. From the Practical or ‘Vyavahara’ point of view the Soul is made captive by the Karmic forces till final liberation is attained. From Nishchaya or Realistic point of view the Soul is always pure and free from Karmic contamination. Realistic stand-point deals with the intrinsic nature of the object, totally neglecting its present modification.
Truth constitutes both the view points. The aspirant should ascertain the point that his Soul is in no way inferior to the Soul of Parmatman but he ought to bear in mind also his present condition of Karmic contamination.
One who forgets this practical aspect of reality, and erroneously begins to think himself altogether free and liberated meets the tragic fate of a sick and foolish person who gives up taking medicine mistaking himself hale and hearty, As long as this soul remains entangled in the worldly objects its transmigration does not stop, because the sine-qua-non of Karmic bondage is not destroyed.
With a view to conquer death and attain immortality, it is essential that the mundane Soul should control its life and mental attitude in such a way that on the eve of the inveitable death its mental equilibrium may not be disturbed by the turbulent winds of attachment or aversion Miraculous is the working of mind.
Milton says : “The mind in its own place and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven”. One should make himself ready for ‘Ideal Death’ Samadhi Maran the gate way of immortality and ever-lasting bliss. All people attach importance to prolong their thread of life by pious or foul means but the wise attach special importance to the hour when the Soul will be leaving this mortal coil on its way to other more cultured and sublime life. It is a pity that the modem materialist pays no attention to this necessary thing. This is at the root of present day confounding calamities.
Mis-C(inception :
It is to be noted that the Karmas assume innumerable forms in conformity with the psychic experiences of the Jiva. These Karmic molecules are superfine. They are not vis ble even with the aid of physical instruments. Even after destruction of this physical gross body the Karmas are not destroyed. The Karmic body and the Electric body ( Taijas Sharira ) always control and regulate the activities of the Jiva.
Had they left the Jiva free for a moment no power in the world could have recaptured the soul in the clutches of Karmas and debarred the Divine Being from enjoying transcendental bliss of liberation. Some people think that an animal should be immediately killed when it suffers indescribable agony.
Thus they suppose that the troubled being is relieved of the severe anguish. According to Karma theory this way of thinking is based upon unsound premises. When the physical body is immedialely killed by these persons of strange compassion, the subtle bodies do not leave the soul.
These fine bodies are called Taijasa and Karmana Shariras. They are so fine and subtle that they cannot be cut by means of weapon, or burnt in fire or destroyed by some other contrivance. Therefore when the gross body is destroyed the subtle Karmic and Taijasa bodies remain intact and they cannot be destroyed by millions of bomb-explosions; hence the dying animal does not get any relief, on the otherhand its pains becomes extremely intense.
Jain Scriptures have warned not to kill any body even if it is suffering untold miseries. It is our duty as a humanitarian to provide every possible help to the afflicted soul. We should never try to bring an end of the unfor¬tunate being and relieve ourselves of the trouble of serving the being The karmas acquired by a Jiva cannot be destroyed by proxy.
One who has sown the seeds of inauspicious karmas only reaps the fruits thereof. Those observations are remarkable the idea of such a perfect Being descending to inhabit a body of flesh and thereby crippling its natural unlimited perfection in a number of ways is too absurd to be entertained for a moment.
It follows from this that the Soul did not exist in a conditon of perfection prior to its present incarnation and the existence of some force capable of dragging Jivas into different wombs is a condition precedent to their birth in the several grades of life.
But how shall we conceive force operating on soul and dragging it into an organism, if not as the action of some kind of matter ? It is therefore clear that the Soul must have been in union with some kind of matter prior to its birth in any given incarnation”.Practical Path-C.R.Jain.O.61 ==
Spiritual approach :
Modern science, which is devoted to the adoration of the monster of materialism, if changes its outlook and tries to peep into the pristine glory of the pure and perfect soul, it will come in contact with the ocean of infinite peace and matchless power.
It is therefore imperative that the materialistic view-point should be substituted by genuine spiritual approach; in that case the entire nature will be at the beck and call of the individual to unfold its myraid mysteries. Nietzche in his sermon on the utility of warfare encourages to resort to bellicose tendency to ward off weakness and infirmity.
He says; “war is a remedy for the weak nation”, but war against whom ? That is the point for sober thinking. The Jain master-minds have explained that real war should be waged not against other persons but against the forces of infatuation, vanity, avarice, etc. which are responsible for the downfall of the mundane soul.
It is remarkable that our thoughts, noble or ignoble also influence other Souls according to the force or pitch of our psychic condition. It is therefore imperative for universal concord’ and harmony that the cultured, sensible, sober and mighty minds should interest themselves in sublime and harmless activities. Thus they will emit beneficial Karmic matter and influence humanity in establishing Kingdom of Heaven upon earth which at this hour looks like the land of Comus the replica of lust and licentiousness.
We should not ignore the point that our thoughts are the treasure-house of marvellous power. We should therefore wisely utilize them for noble ends.Thought forms may also be directed by their progenitor towards particular persons, who may be helped or injured by them according to the nature of tlie ensouling Elemental; it is no more poetic fancy that good wishes, prayers, and loving thoughts are of value to those to whom they are sent; they form a protective host encircling the beloved and ward off many an evil influence and danger.
Not only does a man generate and send for his own thought forms, but also serves as a magnet to draw, towards himself the thought forms of others from the astral plane around him of the classes to which his own ensouled thought-forms belong.
If a man’s thoughts are pure and noble he will attract around him hosts of bene- ficient entities and may sometimes wonder whence comes to him the power for achievement that seems and truly seems to be so much beyond his own.
Theosophical Manauals No. IV. Karma by Annie Besant 18. It is to be noted that the purer the soul, the greater is the magnetism and personal influence upon outward objects. Jain books tell us that when the Tirthamkara attains Omniscience the orbit of 800 miles is not haunted by famine Unprecedented prosperity and richest possible crops bless the land due to the majestic spiritual influence of the Lord of Compassion.
Purely materialistic outlook of science has transformed this world of ours into a store-house of explosives; and pure and perennial peace appears beyond imagination. It is therefore desirable in the interests of all that science should dive deep into the secret working of the Karmic molecules, where by such secrets of nature will be revealed as will heal all the wounds of distressed and troubled humanity.
It is high time for our eminent scientists to divert their attention from the dark chamber of dead matter and concentrate their researches in the domain of karmic energy and its effect upon the Jiva, for which thorough study of advanced Jain literature is an essential pre-requisite.
Solution :
One who aspires to attain the glory of God- hood should seriously concentrate his attention upon the following solution given by Saint Kunda- kunda regarding immortality and perpetual joy . “The Jiva with attachment gets bound by Karmas but the one with detachment remains free from Karmas.
So has the Jina declared. Therefore do not evince attraction towards Karmas”. It lies within our own power to carve our future in accordance with our dispositions. If we are victims of temptations our down-fall is definite. We should never lie prostrate before the forces of evil.
Washington’s remarks are memorable; “Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune, but great minds rise above it.” Every Soul should therefore wisely aim at getting rid of Karmic shackles and attain the goal of liberation.