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Soul Science : Samayasara by Jain Acarya Kundakunda
Ātmakhyāti, Ācārya Amịtacandra highlights this aspect by saying that this chapter ends with an inference that auspicious Karma and inauspicious Karma appearing as two entities in the beginning of the chapter, now appear as
one entity which can simply be called as Karma. Question: The analogy of whiteness of cloth given in stanzas 157
159 together with stanza 160 indicates the possibility that at some point of time in the past the soul might have been clean
and pure, i.e., without any Kārmika dust. Is it right? Answer: No, it is not possible. A soul free from any Kārmika dust
is a Siddha (see Appendix-2). Without wrong belief, ignorance, and inclination of attachment and aversion (Kaṣāya), there cannot be any new Kārmika bonding. A pure soul (Siddha) always continues to be pure. Therefore, if a soul is associated with Kārmika dust at present, then for that soul one can say that it was never free from Kārmika dust in the past; and if a soul is free from Kārmika dust at present, then for that soul one can say that it would never be bonded
again in the future. Question: Stanza 160 says that soul is not omniscient due to
bondage with the ignorance-causing-Kārmika dust. Does it mean that Kārmika dust can reduce the ability of soul? Further, stanza 83 says that soul is the doer of the transformations in the self and soul experiences only itself.
How do we see agreement between stanzas 83 and 160? Answer: In getting the answer of this question, the following
points may be helpful. (i) In reality, the past actions of the soul, not the Kārmika dust, are responsible for the lack of its omniscience. In this context, the words ‘own Karma' of stanza 160 are also worth noting. Further, as discussed in the answer of the previous