Harmless Soul

SR No.: 001196
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: W J Johnson, Dayanand Bhargav
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas
Publication Year: 1995
Total Pages: 372
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, & Principle
File Size: 20 MB

Page 68

54 Harmless Souls
does not contract bondage of karma by mere injury.22 Pūjyapāda concludes:
He who has passions causes injury to himself by himself. Whether injury is then caused to other living beings or not, is immaterial.23
This argument is derived from the assertion that himsā, the activity which binds, is actually produced by passions. Similarly, P.S. Jaini, using the Sarvārthasiddhi as his. source, notes that the subtlest forms of the passions are called samjvalana ('the smouldering'). These are not sufficiently strong to prevent one entering the mendicant's path, but they induce 'an insidious state of apathy or inertia (pramāda), a lack of drive with regard to the actual purificatory practices enatailed by that path'.24
To summarise, Pūjyapāda is claiming that 'negligence' (pramāda), and thus himsā, is only produced when passions are involved. Consequently, bondage can only occur when there is some kind of volitional activity motivated by passion.25 This is essentially in agreement with the definitions of bondage given by Umāsvāti at Tattvārtha Sutra 8:
Wrong belief, non-restraint, carelessness, passions and
22 S.A. Jain's trans., p. 197, of: maradu va jiyadu va jivo ayadācārassa nicchidā himsă | payadassa natthi bamdho himsāmitteņa samidassa 11
Pravacanasāra 3:17 || See Pravacanasāra 3:16; and see p.156ff., below, for a further discussion of this gāthā.
23 S.A. Jain's trans., p. 197 of: svayam evātmanā "tmānam hinasty ātmā pramādavān
pūrvam prānyantarānām tu paścāt syād vā na vā vadhaḥ || This is in fact a quotation from a Sanskrit source which I have not been able to identify
24 JPP pp. 120. See SS on TS 8:9; cf. TS 10:1. 25 See JPP pp. 112-113.