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Shubh Kare Fal Bhogave, Devädi Gatimäny; Ashubh Kare Narkädi Fal, Karma Rahit Na Kyäny
If one does wholesome work, he would enjoy its fruits in heaven or such other states; if he does unwholesome, the fruits would be in hell etc. Nowhere can he be Karmaless. (88)
Explanation & Discussion:
The pupil contends that whatever the worldly soul has been doing is either good or bad. As such, it has been acquiring wholesome or unwholesome Karma. The bondage of wholesome Karma would lead to heaven or such other happy life, where it can avail the highly comfortable situations. If the bondage is unwholesome, that would lead to infernal or such other unhappy life, where it has to bear the evil consequences. As such, there is no scope for getting rid of Karma; the soul can therefore never reach the Karmaless state.
By saying that the soul can get to heaven or some other happy life by virtue of wholesome Karma, the pupil has hinted at a very pertinent point. Many people believe that by undertaking wholesome activities, they would be able to attain liberation. Most religions support that view. But Jainism specifically states that however wholesome the activities, they cannot lead to liberation. Its concept of liberation is the Karmaless state, where the soul stays in a totally unadulterated and pure state forever.
As unwholesome activities lead to bondage, so do wholesome ones. The difference lies in the nature of the consequences. The wholesome activities lead to a superior type of life, while the unwholesome ones lead to an inferior type. Since both of them cause continuation of the worldly life, they are not helpful in proceeding towards liberation. The wholesome bondage is differentiated from the unwholesome one by calling the former as shackles of gold and the latter as shackles of iron. In order to attain liberation one has to break both types of shackles.
