Book Title: Vedaniya karma Author(s): Pravin K Shah Publisher: JAINA Education Committee Catalog link: https://jainqq.org/explore/200010/1 JAIN EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL FOR PRIVATE AND PERSONAL USE ONLYPage #1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ Vedaniya Karma Vedaniya karma is responsible for the creation of favorable or unfavorable environment or situation mainly at a physical level such as sickness, terminal illness, hunger, fatigue, accident or a good sound health and positive physical (body and sensual) capability. This way it gives the apparent feeling of pain (Ashata) or pleasure (Shata). This feeling is channeled through physical level. This apparent physical feeling helps the Mohaniya Karma of a person to produce happiness (Sukha) and agony (Dukha) at the mental level. The feeling of happiness and agony is produced by the soul because the soul is at Mithyatva/Avirat stage and hence its interpretation of the situation (knowledge wise and feeling wise) is biased and illusive. This way the Vedaniya karma indirectly obscures the blissful nature of the soul via Mohaniya karma. A kevali person possesses Vedaniya karma but not Mohaniya karma, and he also possesses infinite pure knowledge (Keval-jnan). Hence in favorable or unfavorable circumstances he is a silent observer and knower of the various circumstances (Shata or Ashata) that exist through physical body channel, but he does not interpret it as a joy or sorrow, because he does not have Mohaniya Karma. He remains in a blissful state at all the time under all circumstances. In summary Vedaniya karma being Aghati karma can only produce favorable or unfavorable circumstances at the physical level and creating an apparent feeling of pain and pleasure and indirectly makes the soul feel joy and sorrowlagony via Mohaniya karma. But without the existence of Mohaniya Karma one can not feel happiness/joy or unhappiness/sorrow. Thus the person with less Mohaniya Karma is less in sorrow in same painful situation compared with a person with more Mohaniya Karma. Vedan meaning Experience/Feeling of Pain and Pleasure etc. which is completely different from Sorrow/Agony and Joy/Happiness/Bliss. But for an average person with strong Mohaniya Karma pain and sorrow as well as pleasure and joy are so intermixed and interrelated that one can not differentiate it.