The Divine Victory of Efforts

From times, this jeeva though gifted with infinite gunas is moving in the mundane existence, being a slave to destiny. Till this process of misdeeds continues, the fate will go on to dominate the living beings. When this soul, an incarnation of eternal virtues will changes its efforts to the right side of life, the power of fate will be destroyed as the darkness is removed by the penetrating light of the Sun. It is only good and noble efforts that destroy the power of destiny. As it is said in `Aatmanushasan’—

कुबोधरागादि विचेष्टितै: फलं
त्वयापि भूयोजननादिलक्षणम् ।
प्रतीहि भव्य: प्रतिलोम वृत्तिभि:
ध्रुवं फलं प्राप्स्यसि तद्विलक्षणम् ।।१०६।।

Thou has suffered the consequences of false knowledge, attachments and such evil act certainly attain just the opposite result (i.e. liberation) by noble acts of opposite nature (absence of adverse Bhavas etc.)

द्वेषानुरागबुद्धिर्गुणदोषकृता करोति खलु पापम्
तद्विपरीता पुण्यं तदुभयरहितं तयोर्मोक्षम् ।।१८१।।

The hatred to gunas (virtues) and deep attachment to sins increases demerits (paap) for jeevas while devotedness to gunas and hatred to evil acts increases merits (punyas). The jeeva free of both kinds of fractions (i.e. Raag and Dwesha) gets salvation (Moksha).

मोहबीजाद्रतिद्वेषौ बीजान्मूलाङ् कुराविव।
तस्माज्झानाग्निना दाह्यं तदेतौ र्नििदधिक्षुणा।।१८२।।

As the small seed produces fruits, similarly the seed of Moha. I.e. blind love or deep attachment to worldly things produces the fruits of Raag and Dwesha. Whoever wishes to destroy both, he should destroy them, Raag and Dwesha, through the fire of Samyak jyan (right knowledge).

पुराण ग्रहदाषोत्थो गम्भीर: सगति: सरुक् ।
त्यागजात्यादिना मोहव्रण: शुद्धयति रोहति।।१८३।।

Moha (blined love) is like a would and painful like it. As we see, a very deep wound in the body, occured due to Shani Graha, is cured and healed gradually by the medicated ointment etc. Similarly Moha or blind love is as painful as a serious wound.

Always existed with jeeva due to his parigrahvritti and is the main reason for all the sufferings of jeevas but it is also purified (healed) by the tyag of all kinds of attachments and ultimately helps jeevas in attaining liberation (Mukti). Man suffers much due to the karmas being operated by the non-virtuous acts but get pleasure and happiness due to the karmas earned by the good efforts.

These good karmas or acts help jeevas to destroy the bondage of karma and to get perfect freedom and real happiness i.e. Moksha. As we know very well, a thief indulged in immoral activities is always accompained (pursued) by the police and the police also remains with the noble persons devoted to the service of country. But the police with thief dominates him and the police with minister is dominated by him.

A thief suffers while a minister gets safety by the same police. Similarly, karmas, operated by the misdeeds of Mithyadrashti (man with wrong belief) harass him in many ways. On the other hand, the karmas arisen by the good deeds of samyak drashti (man with right belief) help him to get perfect bliss i.e. salvation or eternal happiness. As Devsaina Aacharya has said in `Bhava Sangraha’.

समादिट्ठी पुण्णं ण होई संसार कारणं णियमा।
मोक्खस्स होई हेउ जइ वि णियाणं सो कुणई।।४०४।।

The good efforts are not the reason for mundane existence. If jeeva is not wishing to be a slave to destiny, good acts help him to get liberation.

येनांशेन सुदृष्टिस्तेनांशेनास्य बन्धनं नास्ति।
येनांशेन तु रागस्तेनांशनास्य बन्धनं भवति।।२१२।।

येनांशेन ज्ञानं तेनांशेनास्य बन्धनं नास्ति।
येनांशेन तु रागस्तेनांशेनास्य बन्धनं भवति।।२१३।।
येनांशेन चरित्रं तेनांशेनास्य बन्धनं नास्ति।
येनाशेन तु रागस्तेनांशेनास्य बन्धनं भवति।।२१४।।

There is no bondage of fate in as much proportion as there are good efforts of right belief, and there is bondage of fate, where there are bad efforts of wrong belief. There is no bondage of fate in as much proportion as there are good efforts with right knowledge and there is bondage of fate in the same ratio where there are bad acts of wrong knowledge.

There is no bondage of fate in as much proportion as there are good efforts of right conduct (samyak charitra) and there is bondage of fate where there are non-virtuous acts of wrong conduct or Mithya-Charitra.

शुभाशुभेपुण्य पापे सुखदु:खे च षट्त्रयम् ।
हितमाद्यमनुष्ठेयं शेषत्रयमथाहितम्।।२३९।।

तत्राप्याद्यं परित्याज्यं शेषौ न स्त: स्वत: स्वयम् ।
शुभं च शुद्धे त्यक्त्यावन्ते प्राप्नोति परमं पदम् ।।२४०।।

Among Shubha-Ashubha, merit-demerit, and sukhadukha etc., the first three (i.e. shubha, merit and sukha) being beneficial for the soul should be followed by jeevas. The remaining three i.e., ashubha, demerit and dukha being harmful for the soul should be discarded by every jeeva.

If jeeva gives up even good acts (i.e. shubha purshartha) then punya (merit) and sukha (worldly pleasures) will be themeselves dissolved or disappeared as they are the outcome of good and noble acts. In this way, jeeva after discarding good efforts and leading to the path of spiritual efforts (Dhyan and meditation) gets salvation i.e., the final goal of life.

It is true that fate is considered to be one of the main factors (reasons) for salvation (Mukti) according to vyavahar naya, but suppose, if we accept this one sided view and consider fate as the sole reason for moksha, in that case there is no possibility of gaining salvation as it is acquired after the absence of fate and due to the most noble deeds i.e., the most perfect acts (spiritual meditaion, tapa).

यस्य पुण्यं च पापं च निष्फलं गलति स्वयम्।
स योगी तस्य निर्वाणं न तस्य पुनरास्रव:।।२४६।।

He whose merit and demert (karmas) exhaust themselves without bearing fruit in a true ascetic, he will never have the karmic influx and will attain liberation.

जह बंधे िंचतंतो बंधणबद्धो ण पावदि विमोक्खं।
तह बंधे िंचतंतो जीवो वि ण पावदि विमोक्खं।।३११।।

As a man in the bondage cannot free himself only through thinking over it, it requires action, like that jeeva can not get rid of the bondage of karma only through thoughts. Mere thinking is baseless. It is good efforts that help every living being to succeed in every field of life.
Man can overcome his fate through continuous efforts’

जह बंधे छित्तूण य बंधणबद्धो उ पावदि विमोक्खं।
तह बंधे छित्तूण य जीवो सम्पावदि विमोक्खं।।३१२।।

जह बंधे भित्तूण य बद्धो य पावदि विमोक्खं।
तह बंधे भित्तूण य जीवो सम्पावदि विमोक्खं।।३१३।।

जह बंधे मुत्तूण य बंधण बध्वो य पावदि विमोक्खं।
तह बंधे मुत्तूण य जीवो संपावदि विमोक्खं।।३१४।।

As a man is freed from the bondage if he cuts it i.e., he makes efforts, like that jeeva can attain salvation (moksha) only through breaking the bondage of karmas (gyanavarni, darshanavarni etc., eight karmas). Good fellow ! the wise man who maintains perfect equanimity in misery and mirth (dukha and sukha) is capable of geeting salvation.

As we cannot have the germination (the power of reproduction) in a burnt seed like that if the seed of fate is once burnt completely, it never the repeats the cycle of mundane existence. The above factors prove one thing that this soul (in mundane existence) is a slave to destiny and will remain a slave till it recognises its real nature (i.e. infinite pure and eternal) and leads to the real and right path of efforts .

`Spiritual’, discarding all worldly attachments and gross emotion aloof. When this jeeva will awaken the supreme power of his inner virtues i.e., enternal darshan gyan, etc., and will dvelop his virtues through good efforts (good and noble) that win at last Remember this thing always ! we can our destiny i.e., karmas through spiritual meditation, tyaga and tapa.

सर्व विवत्र्तोत्तीर्ण यदा स चैतन्यमचलमाप्नोति।
भवति तदा कृतकृत्य: सम्यक् पुरूषार्थ सिद्धमापन्न:।।१।।

When this soul (impure and independent) is free from all adverse feelings (i.e., attachments evil acts and good and bad destiny) then it attains its real state i.e., eternal and ideal full of infinite gunas (virtues) and happiness. At this time, the soul becomes really free.

Abhavya jeeva (having no possiblity of getting salvation) remains a slave to destiny till endless time. Bhavya jeeva (i.e. Mokshagami jeeva) remains a slave to destiny till the time of wrong faith and knowledge. But when the good time comes, the (Bhavya jeeva) makes good efforts to destroy the power of fate (karma), and reaches the 14th guna-sthan i.e., the final stage of destroying karmas and attains liberation (i.e., mukti from all karma) at last.

This shown that evil acts make and multiply karmas. While good and noble efforts (samyak purushartha) destroy the karma. Therefore, we should always do noble acts and religious activities to destroy the power of fate in order to get eternal happiness i.e., salvation. Salvation (moksha) is the end of worldly life and that can be achieved through the means of spiritual efforts only, i.e., samyak darshan, samyak gyan and samyak charitra.