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236
Bhagavati Sūtra
47. The soul suffers from the effect of self-created karma, never from the karma of others. As has been said,
svayaṁkrtaṁ karma yadâtmană pură falam tadiyar labhate śubhāśubhań pareņa dattaṁ yadi labhyate sphutan svayaṁkstaṁ karma nirarthakaṁ tada
(Of karma created by self in the past, effects good and bad are enjoyed by the self. If the soul starts suffering for others' deeds, then self-created action loses significance.]
48. The word dukkha in the text stands for karma, which covers both pleasure and pain. Worldly pleasure is not only transcient, but it ends invariably in pain, which justifies the use of the word.
49. Karma-effect must be borne ; there is no escape from it. But all karma do not fructify at a time. Only such of them as have come up give effect, not those which are yet to come up.
50. Apparently a repetition of Q. 64 in plural form, for all living beings, this is not redundant, because in a number of cases, living beings in diverse species evince speciality. Hence the repetition clarifies the point.
51. Karma determining life-span is separately considered, because life-span widely varies not only from one existence to another, but also from one living being to another in the same existence. Only one life-span is to be experienced in one existence, never more than one.
Cf. Yasmādekatrabhavagrahane sakrdevă'antarmuhurtamātrakale eväyuşo-bandhaḥ.
[In one existence, one living being binds life-span only once.]
