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desire for fruits. You should act without any desire for fruits (niśkāma karma). Action with a desire for fruits is called sakāma karma. This reduces the potency of piety of your action. If your action is without a desire for benefits you will get greater benefits.
No other philosophy but Jainism has clearly defined what karma is. Jainism has given scientific and logical explanation of karma, bondage of karma, and its fruits. The Jain doctrine says that a being is free to act and also free to suffer consequences or fruits. What other philosophies call karma, Jains call it yoga or activity of mind-speechbody. For Jains karmas are the ultimate particles that are bonded with space points of soul due to force of passions while the said activity goes on. Karmas are material and non-living and soul is conscious and living. Soul is endowed with infinite dormant energy. As long as he is not aware of that energy he remains unrighteous.
In this situation whatever he does (conduct) is false. He considers the power of karmas to be invincible and is forced to suffer the consequences of karmas mutely. He helplessly indulges in actions according to the karmic bondage he has accumulated. Thus an unrighteous person is free neither in his actions nor in suffering the consequences.
A samyagdṛṣṭi or righteous person through his capacity to discern (bheda-vijñāna) knows self as the self and other as 'the other'. He does not have attachment for 'the other'. When the karmas that exist as bondage come to fruition and bestow fruits he experiences neither joy nor gloom. With the help of his power of knowledge and detachment he precipitates karmas and enforces premature shedding (udiraṇā). As he feels neither joy nor sorrow in the fruits of karmas he does not attract bondage of new karmas. Thus one day he sheds all karmas. Thus a righteous person is free to suffer the fruits of karma and therefore, he is able to gain liberation from karmas.
DOCTRINE OF KARMA AND FATE
The beauty of the Jain doctrine of karma is that its ultimate goal is the freedom or liberation of soul. One who gains the knowledge of the true form of soul and indulges in all activities keeping only that in view, one day gets liberated from the bondage of karmas. One, who
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| SR No. | 001605 |
| Book Title | Introduction to Jainism and its Culture |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Balbhadra Jain |
| Publisher | Kundkund Gyanpith Indore |
| Publication Year | 2002 |
| Total Pages | 334 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English, Religion, & Culture |
| File Size | 21 MB |