Part 29 (1/2)

Plants in which only one soul is embodied are always gross; they exist in the habitable part of the world only. But those plants of which each is a colony of plant lives may also be subtle and invisible, and in that case they are distributed all over the world.

The whole universe is full of minute beings called _niG.o.das_; they are groups of infinite number of souls forming very small cl.u.s.ters, having respiration and nutrition in common and experiencing extreme pains. The whole s.p.a.ce of the world is closely packed with them like a box filled with powder. The niG.o.das furnish the supply of souls in place of those that have reached Moksa. But an infinitesimally small fraction of one single niG.o.da has sufficed to replace the vacancy caused in the world by the Nirvana of all the souls that have been liberated from beginningless past down to the present. Thus it is evident the [email protected] will never be empty of living beings. Those of the _niG.o.das_ who long for development come out and continue their course of progress through successive stages [Footnote ref 1].

Karma Theory.

It is on account of their merits or demerits that the jivas are born as G.o.ds, men, animals, or denizens of h.e.l.l. We have already noticed in Chapter III that the cause of the embodiment of soul is the presence in it of karma matter. The natural perfections of the pure soul are sullied by the different kinds of karma matter.

Those which obscure right knowledge of details (_jnana_) are called [email protected]_, those which obscure right perception (_dars'ana_) as in sleep are called _dars'anavaraniya_, those which

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[Footnote 1: See Jacobi's article on Jainism, _E. R.E._, and _Lokaprakas'a_, VI. pp. 31 ff.]

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obscure the bliss-nature of the soul and thus produce pleasure and pain are _vedaniya_, and those which obscure the right att.i.tude of the soul towards faith and right conduct _mohaniya_ [Footnote ref 1]. In addition to these four kinds of karma there are other four kinds of karma which determine (1) the length of life in any birth, (2) the peculiar body with its general and special qualities and faculties, (3) the nationality, caste, family, social standing, etc., (4) the inborn energy of the soul by the obstruction of which it prevents the doing of a good action when there is a desire to do it. These are respectively called (1) [email protected] karma_, (2) _nama karma_, (3) _gotra karma_, (4) _antaraya karma_. By our actions of mind, speech and body, we are continually producing certain subtle karma matter which in the first instance is called _bhava karma_, which transforms itself into _dravya karma_ and pours itself into the soul and sticks there by coming into contact with the pa.s.sions ([email protected]_) of the soul. These act like viscous substances in retaining the inpouring karma matter. This matter acts in eight different ways and it is accordingly divided into eight cla.s.ses, as we have already noticed. This karma is the cause of bondage and sorrow. According as good or bad karma matter sticks to the soul it gets itself coloured respectively as golden, lotus-pink, white and black, blue and grey and they are called the _les'yas_. The feelings generated by the acc.u.mulation of the karma-matter are called _bhava-les'ya_ and the actual coloration of the soul by it is called _dravya-les'ya_. According as any karma matter has been generated by good, bad, or indifferent actions, it gives us pleasure, pain, or feeling of indifference. Even the knowledge that we are constantly getting by perception, inference, etc., is but the result of the effect of karmas in accordance with which the particular kind of veil which was obscuring any particular kind of knowledge is removed at any time and we have a knowledge of a corresponding nature. By our own karmas the veils over our knowledge, feeling, etc., are so removed that we have just that kind of knowledge and feeling that we deserved to have. All knowledge, feeling, etc., are thus in one sense generated from within, the external objects which are ordinarily said to be generating them all being but mere coexistent external conditions.

[Footnote 1: The Jains acknowledge five kinds of knowledge: (1) _matijnana_ (ordinary cognition), (2) _s'ruti_ (testimony), (3) _avadhi_ (supernatural cognition), (4) [email protected]_ (thought-reading), (5) _kevala-jnana_ (omniscience).]

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After the effect of a particular karma matter ([email protected]_) is once produced, it is discharged and purged from off the soul.

This process of purging off the karmas is called _nirjara_. If no new karma matter should acc.u.mulate then, the gradual purging off of the karmas might make the soul free of karma matter, but as it is, while some karma matter is being purged off, other karma matter is continually pouring in, and thus the purging and binding processes continuing simultaneously force the soul to continue its mundane cycle of existence, transmigration, and rebirth.

After the death of each individual his soul, together with its karmic body ([email protected]'arira_), goes in a few moments to the place of its new birth and there a.s.sumes a new body, expanding or contracting in accordance with the dimensions of the latter.

In the ordinary course karma takes effect and produces its proper results, and at such a stage the soul is said to be in the _audayika_ state. By proper efforts karma may however be prevented from taking effect, though it still continues to exist, and this is said to be the _aupas'amika_ state of the soul. When karma is not only prevented from operating but is annihilated, the soul is said to be in the [email protected]_ state, and it is from this state that [email protected] is attained. There is, however, a fourth state of ordinary good men with whom some karma is annihilated, some neutralized, and some active ([email protected]'amika_) [Footnote ref 1].

Karma, asrava and Nirjara.

It is on account of karma that the souls have to suffer all the experiences of this world process, including births and rebirths in diverse spheres of life as G.o.ds, men or animals, or insects.

The karmas are certain sorts of infra-atomic particles of matter ([email protected]_}. The influx of these karma particles into the soul is called asrava in Jainism. These karmas are produced by body, mind, and speech. The asravas represent the channels or modes through which the karmas enter the soul, just like the channels through which water enters into a pond. But the Jains distinguish between the channels and the karmas which actually

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[Footnote 1: The stages through which a developing soul pa.s.ses are technically called [email protected]_ which are fourteen in number. The first three stages represent the growth of faith in Jainism, the next five stages are those in which all the pa.s.sions are controlled, in the next four stages the ascetic practises yoga and destroys all his karmas, at the thirteenth stage he is divested of all karmas but he still practises yoga and at the fourteenth stage he attains liberation (see [email protected]@rtti, 13th verse).]

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enter through those channels. Thus they distinguish two kinds of asravas, bhavasrava and karmasrava. Bhavasrava means the thought activities of the soul through which or on account of which the karma particles enter the soul [Footnote ref 1]. Thus Nemicandra says that bhavasrava is that kind of change in the soul (which is the contrary to what can destroy the karmasrava), by which the karmas enter the soul [Footnote ref 2]. Karmasrava, however, means the actual entrance of the karma matter into the soul. These bhavasravas are in general of five kinds, namely delusion (_mithyatva_), want of control (_avirati_), inadvertence (_pramada_), the activities of body, mind and speech (_yoga_) and the pa.s.sions ([email protected]_). Delusion again is of five kinds, namely _ekanta_ (a false belief unknowingly accepted and uncritically followed), _viparita_ (uncertainty as to the exact nature of truth), _vinaya_ (retention of a belief knowing it to be false, due to old habit), [email protected]'aya_ (doubt as to right or wrong) and _ajnana_ (want of any belief due to the want of application of reasoning powers).

Avirati is again of five kinds, injury ([email protected]_), falsehood ([email protected]_), stealing (_cauryya_), incontinence (_abrahma_), and desire to have things which one does not already possess ([email protected]@sa_).

Pramada or inadvertence is again of five kinds, namely bad conversation (_vikatha_), pa.s.sions ([email protected]_), bad use of the five senses (_indriya_), sleep (_nidra_), attachment (_raga_) [Footnote ref 3].

Coming to dravyasrava we find that it means that actual influx of karma which affects the soul in eight different manners in accordance with which these karmas are cla.s.sed into eight different kinds, namely [email protected], [email protected], vedaniya, mohaniya, ayu, nama, gotra and antaraya. These actual influxes take place only as a result of the bhavasrava or the reprehensible thought activities, or changes ([email protected]_) of the soul.

The states of thought which condition the coming in of the karmas is called bhavabandha and the actual bondage of the soul by the actual impure connections of the karmas is technically called dravyabandha. It is on account of bhavabandha that the actual connection between the karmas and the soul can take place [Footnote ref 4].