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affect the nature of the soul but are to be enjoyed by it). These distinctions of the karmas are important for Jains mainly to defend their acts on the basis of morality. For example it is said that Lord Ṛsabha in his previous birth put a mouth band on a cow so that the cow does not eat; as a result of which during his ascetic life he had to go without food for six months; charities or service of monks result in nice births in heavens etc or not sharing or imparting knowledge to others may result in knowledge obscuring karmas affect that individual later in the present or future lives.
2.2 Duration of Karma Effect (sthiti)
The time that karma remains associated with the soul is called duration (sthiti) of the karma. Sthiti literally means existence of karma with the soul. The maximum duration of all karmas whether good or bad is considered inauspicious and the minimum duration is considered good. Duration of karma of a living being is dependent on his psychic state (adhyavasaya) and therefore on the strength of passions (kaṣāyas). The more sinful a being is, the more is the duration of the karma bonded while the purer the psychic states the shorter is the duration of bondage.
The duration is of two stages i.e. state called abadha of karma (when the karma just exists as associated with the soul) and the other when the karma is active. Duration of different karma is different and expressed in the units of time from smallest being samaya and the largest being utsarpini. For details please see Doctrine of Karma by Glasenapp.
2.3 The Strength of Karma Effect (rasa or anubhāga)
The karma shows its effect, according to circumstances, in a more or less similar manner. The intensity of this effect corresponds to weakness or otherwise of the four kaṣāyas | passions (anger, deceit, greed and pride). According to the four-degrees (anantänubandhi, pratyākhyāna, apratyākhyāna and sanjvalana) of passions, four degrees of strength are recognized.
With the bad prakrtis the strongest (anantänubandhi), the 4 degree of the rasa is produced by the most violent passions, those of life long duration. Similarly the decreasing intensities are produced by pratyakhyāna, apratyakhyāna and sarjvallana states of passions with the last one being the weakest. With the good karma species, reverse is the case. However a rasa of first degree i.e. anantānubandhi does not exist with the good prakṛtis which are
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