Dr. Samani Mangal Pragya
Lifespan determining karma determines the soul to have a fixed term of life in its worldly journey (in that particular realm of existence). It sustains a being in a particular realm of existence (gati). Just like a chained person stays in a particular space provided and cannot cross the boundaries, similarly the lifespan determining karma holds the being in a particular realm of existence.[1] The life determining karma is bound once in the life time and the time of that bondage is also predetermined. Celestial, hellish, human and sub-human beings (animals, vegetation etc) with innumerable years of life, bind the lifespan determining karma for their next realm of existence, just when six months of their life is pending. The human and sub-human beings (animals, vegetation etc) with definite or irreducible (anapavartanīya) lifespan, bind the lifespan determining karma of next birth exactly when only the 1/3 rd part of their present lifespan remains pending. Humans and sub-human beings (animals, vegetation etc) with indefinite life span also bind lifespan determining karma of their next birth, exactly when only 1/3 rd part of their present lifespan remains pending. Human and sub-human beings (animals, vegetation etc) with indefinite life span also bind lifespan determining karma of their next birth, when 1/3 part of their present life span remains, but, if it is not bound in that period, then it is bound in the remaining 1/3 rd part of the life span (1/6, 1/9 and 1/27 part of life span) and this process can be deferred up to the last hour of their present life. In the Jain karma theory, this process of bondage of lifespan determining karma is determined.[2]
Bondages Accompanying the Bondage of Life-Span Determining Karma
Class, realm of existence, duration, mass of karmas, intensity and body size- these six factors are also decided with the bondage of life determining karma. They become unalterably (niddhatta) intertwined with life-span determining karma.[3] Here 'niddhatta' (unalterable grouped) means that they are getting bound in the form of niṣeka. Niṣeka means a quantum of karmic clusters which come simultaneously into udaya (rise) in one Samaya (smallest unit of time) and are experienced together.[4] Acharya Mahapragya defines it as 'The cluster of karma particles grouped in such a way that can come to rise or are experienced simultaneously is called as niṣeka.[5] At the time of the bondage of life span determining karma, the class, state etc. are also bound together unalterably, in the form of niṣeka. This means that they are bound and experienced simultaneously with the life-span determining karmas. The soul getting bound with particular life-span determining karmas also bind one of the jāti (class) out of five jātis like one-sensed etc., one gati (realm of existence) out of four like hellish beings etc., span of life, avagāhanā-one body out of the two i.e. audārika (Gross body) or vaikriya (body), the cluster of life-span determining karma particles, power of intensity of karmas and the power of producing results in karmas.
Samavāyāṅga mentions about jātināmaniddhatta āyuṣka etc. in the context of six kinds of bondages of life span determining karmas.[6] All the above description depicts one principle in general that the bondage and fruition of all these six factors with the life span determining karmas takes place simultaneously. Even in Pātañjal Yogasūtra, jāti (form), āyu (life span) and bhoga (experience) have been mentioned together.[7]
Life Span Determining Karmas and Ākarṣa (the System of its Reception)
When the bondage of class, realm of existence etc., are bound with the life span determining karmas, then, those karmas can be attracted or received by the soul either once or up to a maximum of eight times. Ākarṣa means appropriation of karma clusters through special efforts, when the bondage of the life span determining karma occurs.[8] If the adhyavasāya i.e. subtle psychic vibrations of the bondage of life determining karma are intense, then the bondage of class, realm of existence etc. are received by the soul in one ākarṣa (at a time). But if those vibrations are weak or weaker or weakest, then they can receive the karmas in two to eight ākarṣas (receptions) up to the maximum. Hence, the degree of intensity of psychic vibrations determines the numbers of ākarṣas.
In the context of bondage, there is a concept of 'savveṇaṃ savve' in the Bhagavatī.[9] This means that all the soul-units attract the karma clusters, which have to be appropriated simultaneously. There is no question of partial attraction of karmas. Hence, the theory of ākarṣas i.e. the system of attraction is analyzable in this context.
