Compendium of Jainism: IX ►The Seven Principles (Tattvas) (Karma Theory Continued)

In his poem entitled ''Starting from Paumanok" Walt Whitman, the great American poet says:

"Was somebody asking me to see the soul? See, your
own shape and countenance, persons, substances, beasts.
The trees, the running rivers, the rocks and sands."

He seems to accept the theory of Karma due to which an individual soul might take its birth in various states of existence. The Karma doctrine is a fundamental part of Jaina philosophy, as it appears to be of most other religions; but nowhere, if our sources and their knowledge are comprehensive enough, has the physical nature of the Karman been asserted with such stress as in Jainism. The doctrine has been developed with a minuteness in detail, care­ful classification and precision in statements. The conception has been most realistic and does credit to the most methodical modern system.^[1] These details can be seen in the voluminous commentar­ies on the 'Dhavalā' and the 'Jayadhavalā', which are found summarised in the 'Gommaṭasāra' referred to above"

It is necessary to remember that according to Jaina Meta­physics, the Universe is divided into two everlasting, uncreated, and independent categories of substances: Jiva (the soul) and Ajiva (non-soul). The link between the soul and non-soul is Karma. Mention has already been made of the characteristics of the soul and how it becomes entangled into the subtle refined particles of Karmic matter. The nature and kinds of Karmas have been the subject-matter of the previous chapter.

Umāsvāmi has defined Right Faith as firm belief in the true nature of the principles.^[2] Right faith arises from innate disposition or by acquisition of knowledge.

1. The soul,
2. the non-soul,
3. influx,
4. bondage,
5. stoppage,
6. gradual shedding and
7. liberation constitute the seven principles or realities.^[3]

Āśrava or Inflow of Karma

In view of the previous discussion of the real characteristics of the first two principles viz., the soul and the non-soul, we may proceed to discuss the third principle of Āśrava or inflow of the Karmas into the soul. Āśrava is that process through which the Karmic matter enters the soul. Etymologically, the word Āśrava in Jaina philosophy means the influx of the matter into the soul, though the Buddhists use its corresponding word in Pali ^'āsava' as being synonymous with 'klēśa' meaning sin, passion, depravity or corruption. Āśrava results from the activities of the body, mind and speech. The Jaina usage is nearer the etymological meaning of the term and obviously more original.

Āśrava is of two types: bhāvaśrava and dravyaśrava. While the former is concerned with the thought-activities, the latter is concerned with the influx of the Karmic matter itself. The causes of the former are the activities of the of the live senses like impure attachments. This may be likened to entry of water into a boat through a hole when the boat is floating over water. Dravyāśrava is the matter which is grasped by the impure thought-activities and is made to attach to the soul. The Bhāvāśrava is classified into five categories: mithyātva (delusion), avirati (lack of control) pramāda (inadvertance), yoga (activity) and kaṣāya (passions).^[4]

Each of these Bhāvaśrava has its own sub-divisions Mithyātva is of five kinds: ekānta, viparīta, vinaya, saṁśaya and Ajñāna, Ekānta Mithyātva is that kind of false belief which is cherished as true without either verifying it with others or without examining its correctness. Beliefs are accepted as true because they are current in the family or society. The second kind of Mithyātva is that belief which is either perverse or accepted as true along with similar other beliefs. Persisting in the belief even after knowing it to be false is Vinaya Mithyātva. Where the mind becomes indecisive about the truth or otherwise of a belief, or, where a person loses faith in the correctness of a tenet, we have a case of Saṁśaya Mithyātva. The last kind of Bhāvaśrava Karma is due to want of knowledge or absence of faith. One who suffers from this infirmity does not use his reason or is incapable of forming any definite idea.

Avirati (lack of control) is also of five kinds: hiṁsā (injury), anṛta (falsehood), caurya (stealing), abrahma (incontinence) and parigrahaṅkha (desire to possess which is not needed). These five Aviratis are equated with avratas or vowlessness.

Pramāda or inadvertance is also of five kinds: Vikatha is reprehensible talk about any individual, state, organization, king, women, etc. Kaṣāya is of four kinds: anger, pride, deceit and greed. Indriya or the five senses are liable to commit inadvertent acts of various kinds. Nidrā or sleep, where it is unnatural may be the sourse of careless mistakes. Raga is the fifth kind of pramāda; it is the result of attachment to different worldly objects.

Yoga refers to activities of the body, mind and speech which are of various kinds like true, untrue and mixed.

Kaṣāyas comprise anger, pride, deceit and greed. These vary according as they are mild, intense or great. Mention has already been made in previous chapter of Mo-kaṣāyas.^[5]

Kundakundācārya has referred to identical causes of inflow of Karmas in Chapter V of his 'Samayasāra': Wrong belief, vowlessness, passions and the vibratory activities are the causes of influx of Karmic matter which obscure the qualities of the soul. These mental conditions and passions begin to operate in a person who has neither firm knowledge nor belief. Influx commences with impure or wrong thought or speech activities Passions form the impelling forces unless they are controlled by right belief, knowledge and conduct.

How does the inflow of Karma bind the soul? The process is illustrated by giving the example of a person who has fully smeared his body with oil and stands out in the open where there is wind. It is natural that particles of dust should stick to the body of such a person. Similarly when a soul is rendered weak by various kinds of thought-activities, it gives room for the particles of Karmic matter to enter. It is the invariable process that the Bhāvaśravas or the thought activities are the direct and proximate causes of Dravyāśravas or influx of matter. The conscious state by which Karma is bound with the soul is called the Bhāvabandha while the interpenetration of the Pradeśas of Karma and the soul is Dravyabandha.^[6]

It is the conscious state of mind that binds the Karma with the soul when the latter is excited by any of the causes like passion or aversion, mentioned above. Bandha is also of two kinds: Bhava-bandha and Dravya-bandha. Bhava-bandha is alliance of the soul with the mental activities which are the result of excitement, passion, wrong belief, etc. It is stated in the 'Vardha" māna Purāṇa' that modification of consciousness consisting of attachment or aversion by which the Karmas are tied to the soul is known as Bhava-bandha.^[7] Dravya-bandha is that bondage which results from the union between the soul and the inter­penetrated Karmic matter. Bandha implies necessarily the assimilation of matter existing in many Pradeśas by the soul. On account of differences in the vibrations in the soul-activity, the Karmic molecules enter and become one and stay with the Pradeśa of the soul. They come in infinite numbers every moment, to each soul.

Umāsvāmi first states that wrong belief, non-abstinence, pass­ions and activities are the causes of bondage. According to him, bondage takes place when the individual self, actuated by passions, attracts particles of matter which are fit to turn into Karma.^[8] Commenting on this verse, Pūjyapāda states: "Just as the digestive fire of the stomach (the gastric fluid or juice) absorbs food suitable to it, so also the self attracts Karmas of duration and fruition corresponding to the virulent, mild or moderate nature of the passions. Owing to the potency of wrong faith, etc., the self, possessed of incessant activity in all states, attracts subtle matter of infinite space-points pervading the same space points occupied by the self, capable of turning into Karmic matter, which then is combined by interpenetration with the space-points of the self. This is bondage. Just as the mixing of several juices of barley, flowers and fruits in a vessel produces intoxicating liquor, so also, matter present co-extensive with the self becomes transformed into Karmic matter owing to the presence of activities and passions''.^[9]

The bondage of Karma is of four kinds according to its prakṛti (nature or type), sthiti (duration) anubhāga (intensity) and Pradeśa (mass or quantity of space-points).^[10] Mention has been made of the fact that there are eight kinds of Karmas like Jñānāvaraṇīya, Darśanāvaraṇīya, etc. and that they are responsible for obscuring the four qualities of the soul and for determining the four conditions of life, including creation of obstacles. Naturally, therefore, there must be difference in the nature of the each kind of the eight Karmas. It must follow as a corrollary that the bondage must be of various nature.

The second variety of bondage pertains to the sthiti or dura­tion of each of such Karmas. The duration of the bondage must be co-extensive with the duration of the Karma itself. The duration is dependent upon the time taken for shedding it off. The duration of the bondage and its intensity depend upon the intensity of the passion. The stronger the passions, the greater is the length of duration and fruition of the bondage. While this is so with regard to the inauspicious Karmas, in the case of auspici­ous Karmas, the intensity of the fruition is less. The greater is the depth of an inauspicious Karma, the greater is the suffering, may be for years beyond conception. The duration is measured in terms of sāgaropama years. The minimum length may be any unit of a muhūrta (48 minutes). The gradation of intensity falls into four groups. If the intensity of the fruition of an auspicious Karma is great, the enjoyment is also great.

While discussing the nature of bondage, mention has been made of anubhāga (intensity). The results of the Karmas, suffering in the case of inauspicious Karmas and enjoyment in the case of the auspicious ones, may be mild, great or intense. This depends upon the passions and activities which produce the Karmas. Diversity in the bondage is the direct result of the degree in depth- of the operation of the Karma. Anubhāga is conceived as divisible into infinite number of indivisible parts which cannot be further divided. Each one of such indivisible parts is called indivisible unit avibhāga-pariccheda. Even the single atom of an aggregate of Karmic matter (Karma-skandha) possessed of the least intensity has an infinite number of such infinite units.^[11]

The fourth variety of bondage is Pradeśa or the quantity of space-points that the Karmas interpenetrate. Since bondage results in the existence of the soul and Karma in unison, we speak of Pradeśa. When there is an incessant influx of Karma into the soul the latter attracts the matter which occupies the space of the soul. Since the extent of bondage is with reference to the space occupied in the soul, the bondage is called Pradeśas-bandha. The space in the universe is filled with Karmic matter and the soul attracts only such number of particles as are wafted into by the activity of passion. The quantity of matter attracted may be of eight main types, as there are eight types of Karmas.

Saṁvara or stoppage of the influx of new Karmas is the first significant step in the process of liberation of the soul from Karma. Samvara is the opposite of Āśrava; it is so called as it prevents the entry of Karma into the soul. Umāsvāmi has given a precise definition: "Obstruction or stoppage of influx is Saṁvara".^[12] It is the harbinger of spiritual development that closes the entry for new Karmas.

Just as Āśrava is of two kinds, viz., Bhāvāśrava and Dravyāśrava, there are also corresponding kinds of saṁvara: bhāvasaṁvara and dravyasaṁvara.^[13] Freedom from attach­ment and aversion stops the influx. Bhāvasaṁvara can be brought about by various means. Since the activities of the body, mind and speech as also the passions are the causes of the influx of Karmas, Samvara can be achieved only by controlling them. There are accordingly many varieties of Bhava-saṁvara: vrata (vow), samiti (carefulness), gupti (restraint), dharma (observances), anuprekṣa (reflection), pariṣahajaya (conquest over troubles) and cāritra (right conduct).

Continuing the earlier simile, if the entry of water into a boat through a hole is to be stopped, the hole must be plugged. If the wind is blowing in through the window, the window must be closed. This is the common-sense remedy. The same principle applies to stoppage of influx of new Karmas. If the influx is to be stopped, the activities which cause it must be stopped. If the passions are the cause, they must be subdued. Many of the Karmas are due to wrong belief. When a person is in a state of delusion or in the grip of a passion, he will not know what is good for the soul. He becomes deeply involved in attachments of the world and afflicted with miseries of various kinds.

This kind of involvement or bondage can be stopped by purifying the mind, body and speech which give rise to various activities leading to influx of Karmas. Similarly the passions must be subdued by right belief and self-restraint.

It therefore follows that the means or Samvara or stoppage have to be sought through the eradication of activities and conquest of passions that bring the influx of Karmas, The five vows or Vratas are: non-violence, truthfulness, abstinence from stealing, celibacy and abstinence from too much accumulation of worldly objects These five rules of conduct are called pañcaśīas in Buddhistic ethics. The observance of these vows will put a stop to many of the evil propensities of the five senses and check the rise of passions,

Samitis are of five kinds. They enjoin carefulness and restraint on conduct and behaviour. Īryā-samiti consists in the exercise of care while walking. It requires the use of only that path which is trodden by men and beasts. The use must be in a manner as not to cause any harm or injury to any creature like ants or insects. Bhāṣā-samiti requires exercise of carefulness in talk. The speech should be gentle, useful and beneficial. Harshness, rudeness, satire, bitterness, etc. ought to be eliminated from our talk with others. Eṣaṇa-samiti requires observance of care in receiving alms so as not to contravene other rules of conduct. Ādāna-nikṣepa requires exercise of care in receiving and keeping things necessary for religious exercises after examination of the place on which they are to be kept. The last one is Utsaraga-samiti. It requires one to be careful in the choice of a place for answering the calls of nature or throwing out other discharges in. One ought to choose an unfrequented place free from insects, etc.

The Guptis are restraints relating to activities of the body, mind and speech. One has to be careful while walking or other­wise moving the body. That is Kaya-gupti. Vag-gupti requires the exercise of restraint over the tongue. One has to be restrained in speech so as not to utter words will hurt others. The third one is Mano-Gupti which requires mental restraint. One should not allow the mind to wander over subjects which are harmful or unhealthy.

Dharma is religion requiring observance of ten virtues or rules of conduct. They are necessarily qualified by the term uttama to distinguish them from what is ordinarily understood. It brings out the superior nature of these virtues. They are: Uttania Kpumā or supreme forgiveness, Uttama Mārdava or 'supreme humility, Uttama Ārjava or supreme straight-forward­ness, Uttama Satya or supreme truthfulness, Uttama Śauca or supreme purity or cleanliness, Uttama Saṁyama or supreme restraint, Uttama Tapa or supreme penance, Uttama Tyāga or supreme abandonment, Uttama Akiñcinya or supreme possession- lessness and Uttama Brahmacarya or excellent celibacy. These are the ten rules of conduct which are intended to bring about purity of mind, cultivation of restraints and development of spiritual outlook. Each of the virtues has to be cherished and observed to the maximum extent in thought and conduct. It may be further mentioned that supreme penance is of two kinds: either internal or external. External penance relates to fasting, control of diet sitting or lying down in solitary places and practising other bodily austerities. Internal penance consists of repentance, reverence, study of scriptures, relinquishment of worldly objects and thoughts, and meditation. Since the ten virtues are of great importance, they will be dealt with later in full detail.

Anuprekṣa or reflections are of twelve kinds:

1. Anity- ānuprekṣa is the reflection that all things in the world are transitory;
2. Aśaraṇānuprekśa is reflection that nothing can give to us refuge and peace in the world except true knowledge of the self;
3. Saṁsārānuprekṣa is reflection that the cycles of worldly existence are endless;
4. Ekatvānuprekṣa is reflection that the man is all alone in this world and is the architect of his own fortune;
5. Anyatvānuprekṣa is reflection that the soul is different from non-self or body;
6. Aśucitvānuprekṣa is reflection that all things except the pure soul are unclean in the world;
7. Āśravānuprekṣa is reflection about the influx of Karmas;
8. Saṁvarānuprekṣa is reflection about the means of stopping the influx of Karmas;
9. Nirjarānupreksa is reflection about the means of getting release from the Karmas which have already accumulated;
10. Lokānuprekṣa is reflection about the real nature of the. universe and the substances that comprise it;
11. Bodhidurlabhānuprekṣa is reflection on the difficulty of getting enlightenment in the world about the path to liberation;
12. Dharmānuprekṣa is reflection on the nature of true religion and its essential principles.

Parīsaha-jaya is exerting to get victory over twenty-two kinds of troubles.

1. Kṣudhā is victory over the pangs of hunger;
2. Pipāsā is victory over the troubles of thirst;
3. Śīta is victory over the troubles and effects of cold;
4. Uṣṇa- is victory over the troubles of heat;
5. Daṁsamaśaka is victory over the troubles of bites of mosquitoes, bugs, etc.;
6. Nāgnya is victory over the feelings of shame arising as a result of nakedness;
7. Arati is victory over the feeling, of dislike or dissatisfaction;
8. Strī is victory over the mental disturbances at the sight of women or their movements;
9. Caryā is victory over the feelings of fatigue and distress due to wandering on foot;
10. Niṣadyā is victory over the desire to move from the fixed place of meditation or the inconvenient pains caused thereby;
11. Śayyā is victory over hardships arising as a result of sleeping on bare ground or absence of a bed;
12. Ākrośa is victory over feelings of anger that may be caused by the behaviour of others;
13. Bādhā is victory over the troubles caused by the disturbances or ill-treatment by others;
14. Yācanā is conquest of the desire to beg for anything even when badly needed;
15. Alābha is victory over dissatisfaction of troubles due to failure to failure to get alms;
16. Roga is conquest over the pains or suffering caused by a disease;
17. Tṛṇa is conquest over pain and suffering caused by pricking of thorny shrubs;
18. Mala is conquest over the feeling of dissatisfaction or disgust due to dirt or uncleanliness of one's own body;
19. Satkār is victory over the desire for getting respect and eulogy;
20. Prajñā is conquest over conceit of knowledge or learning;
21. Ajñāna is victory over the feeling of despair and shame on account of one's own ignorance; and
22. Ādarśana is conquest over despair and sadness arising out of one's failure to realise one's own ideal after leading a life of piety and observance of austerities.

These are the twenty-two kinds of troubles or hardships which one must conquer in order to maintain equanimity of mind and save oneself from the effects of pain and sadness due to various situations and matters of every- day life.

The seventh means of Bhava-saṁvara is right conduct (Cāritra) which is of five kinds:

1. Sāmāyika is equanimity resulting from self-absorption and observance of the five vows;
2. Chedopasthāpana is recovery of equanimity of conduct after repenting for lapses arising out of negligence and inadvertance;
3. Parihāra-viśuddhi is purity obtained from non-injury to living beings;
4. Sūkṣma-sāmparāya is conduct free from all passions except that of greed;
5. Yathākhyāta is conduct which is free from all passions which have been subdued. It is present in beings who are in the 11th to 14th stages of development.^[14]

It is clear from what has been stated above that stoppage results when there is spiritual development from various points- It is the activities and passions that lead to transmigration. Their cessation naturally leads to psychic stoppage or Bhāvaśrava. A check on activities and conquest over passions stop the influx of Karmic matter, that is, results in Dravya-saṁvara.

The root-cause of all evil is wrong belief and the rise of passions which lead to endless mundane existence, and lack of self-restraint. They hinder higher stages of spiritual development. Stoppage is brought about by control of the activities of body, mind and speech. One ought to regulate oneself in normal activities like walking, eating, sitting and sleeping so as to avoid injury to minute organisms. A regular and meticulous practice of the ten virtues or duties awakens the inner consciousness of purity of thought and action. The various types of reflections discussed above are helpful in cultivating mental and spiritual' qualities of the highest order. They open the vast vistas of real knowledge about the self and the transitory nature of the material world. They clear our delusions and free us from attachments of all kinds, per­sonal and material. Contemplation over the miseries of mundane existence enables us to distinguish the real from the unreal. In this transient world, the ten virtues alone stand out as our read guides and philosophers. To reflect on the self as separate from the body convinces us that the latter is only a receptacle of impurities. Constant devotion to religion and the practice of rules enjoined by it can create a barricade against the new Karmas. Afflictions ought to be endured to make us unshakable in our faith. Those who face different kinds of afflictions with equanimity will not swerve from the paths of truth and ahimsa. In order to stop the influx of fresh Karmas, observance of external and internal austerities is essential. Expiation,- contemplation, pious services to the ascetics and the members of the fourfold community, study of scriptures and renunciation are all the means of acquiring internal purity.

When the influx of new Karmas is stopped in the manner discussed above, a question naturally arises as to what happens to Karmas which have already infiltrated into the soul? The process by which the Karmas are made to fall off is called Nirjarā. In one sense it is destruction of the Karmas. When the dis­appearance of Karmic matter takes place after the fruits of the Karmas are enjoyed or suffered, there takes place what is called Bhava-Nirjarā; it may take place due to penance also. The destruction of Karmic matter itself is known as Dravya-Nirjarā. Nirjarā is therefore of two kinds.^[15]

The fruition of Karmas is either involuntary or by deliberate efforts (Sakāma or Akāma). Certain Karmas of beings in the four states of existence fall off after they are suffered or enjoyed for the period of their duration or maturity. Dissociation by conquest through exertion of one's own efforts is of the second kind.

Umāsvāmi has stated that dissociation of Karmas takes place by penance or austerity also.^[16] He has dealt with Sam vara and Nirjarā together in some of the sutras since the same austerities, conquests, regulations and religious practices are both conducive to stoppage and to release as the case may be. Ascetics and spiritually developed human beings practise various kinds of austerities and religious practices which result in the disappearance of the Karmas even before their fruits are enjoyed. Since Nirjarā takes place without the enjoyment of their fruits, it is called avipāka-Nirjarā. From another point of view, when the Karmas are made to fall away by exertion and penances, the Nirjarā is called Sakāma or intentional Nirjarā. Some Karmas have their period of maturity or enjoyment fixed. After the lapse of the period.when the Karmas are enjoyed or suffered, they disappear of their own accord. This is called savipāka Nirjarā.

The soul regains its purity after the Karmas have fallen off either due to enjoyment or destruction. Kundakunda Acarya has dealt with this subject in verses 144 to 146 of the Pañcāstikāya. According to him, a person who has practised a number of austerities and observed rules for the purification of his activities, will be able to shed away many of his Karmas. The austerities are both internal and external. A person who understands the real nature of the self and the futility of attachment to objects of the world will have right knowledge and thereby acquire the ability to destroy the Karmas due to his purity of thought and action. He alone will be able to cast away his Karmas who on account of his right knowledge contemplates on the self with full concentration.

Kundakunda has emphasised the importance of right belief in shedding of Karmas.^[17] Right belief creates an awareness of the transistorizes of the worldly objects, checks the operation of passions and does not create entanglements by way of new att­achments. The activities of thought of such a person would be pure and will not tend to forge new bondage of Karmas. Right belief connotes and means a right outlook of the soul. There is a firm conviction about the destructive and debilitating nature of the Karmas and hence they are countered by the vibrations of righteousness born of right belief. Such a person knows that both pain and pleasure are due to bondage of bad or good Karmas. He is always on his guard and ever conscious of his pure self. He realises that the nature of his soul is pure knowledge and his true path is one of liberation. A person who is. not a right believer remains ignorant, perverse and indecisive about the true nature of his self. He therefore indulges in such thought- activities as relate to mundane affairs, A right believer is content with his own right knowledge which brings him peace and happiness. It is only the wrong believer or an ignorant person that will indulge in sense-gratification and consequently in the accumulation of material possessions which feed his passions. A right believer is free from seven kinds of fear; fear of life, of the next life, of helplessness, of losing what he possesses, of pain, of accident and of death. A right believer is always steadfast in his beliefs and firm in his convictions.

The force which right belief, right knowledge and non-attach­ment generates becomes the cause of premature shedding of Karmas. The pursuit of self-absorption results in shedding Karmas by thoughts (bhava-Nirjarā) from which results Karmic shedding (dravya-Nirjarā),^[18]

The seventh principle is the principle of liberation. The soul becomes liberated when there is complete annihition of all Karmas as a result of the absence of the cause of bondage and the shedding away of Karmas from the soul. While discussing the Karma theory, it has been noted that there are eight kinds of Karmas; four Ghāti Karmas and four Aghāti Karmas. The destruction of the four Ghāti Karmas, viz. Jñānāvaraṇīya, Darśanāvaraṇīya, Mohanīya and Antarāya, results in bhava-mōkṣa of the soul. The destruction of the four Aghāti Karmas takes place when a being is in the last stage of development known as yogi. There is perfect liberation when there is destruction of all the Karmas in their entirety.

According to the Jaina thinkers, the whole universe comprises of Jīva and Ajiva. The soul is pure and perfect with infinite knowledge, bliss, etc., but from beginning less time, it has already been in association with the Karma. The bondage between the soul and Karma which is a kind of subtle and fine matter is brought about by the activities of the body, mind and speech. Due to these activities and passions, the soul gets bound with different kinds of Karmas, becomes responsible for different states of its existence and suffers endless births and deaths. The soul is master of its own destiny. The causes of entanglement of Karmas and means of getting liberated have been laid down with scientific accuracy.

The attainment of complete freedom from Karma by the soul is liberation or Mokṣa. Since Mokṣa is the goal of every living being, the subject will be discussed later in a separate chapter.