Ahimsa and Jainism

Author(s): Vijayvallabhsuri
Publisher: Vallabhsuri Smarak Nidhi

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is but a subtle sort of matter which in consequence of activities (yoga ) enters the soul and mixes up with it. The inflow (asrava ) of karmic matter into the soul causes obscuration and distortion of the latter's perfect attributes. In other words the soul suffers a state of bondage (bandha). Because karman plays such a vital role in soul's history, great importance attaches to the doctrine of karman in Jain philosophy. Accordingly as it obscures a particular trait of the soul or determines name, form etc in its various births, it is classified into eight main types called intuitionobscuring (darsanavaraniya), knowledge-obscuring (jnanavaranżya). etc. These types are further subjected to a highly elaborate classification and much attention is devoted to the causes of karmic inflow, its stoppage and dissociation.
Perverse attitude towards truth (mithyatva), attachment to worldly things ( avirati), and in particular the four cardinal passions (kasaya) viz. Anger (krodha), Pride (mana), Deceit (maya) and Greed (lobha ) are the root-causes of bondage.
STOPPAGE (Samvasa) OF KARMAN
When the nature and causes of karman are known it becomes the duty of every right-thinking person to devote all the energy to putting a stop