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PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
excepting salt. He totally recovered from illness. Some day his parents had left for some work and the boy seeing almonds fried with salt was inclined to taste them. At his commands the servants gave saltish almonds to the boy. Having eaten to his fill, he began to lose consciousness. The parents arrived. On inquiry they learned facts and rushed to the mendicant who expressed his inability to save the boy realising that he had eaten salt. The mendicant said, “There was no other alternative but to offer final prayers to God as the boy now could hardly live for half an hour or little more". Hearing these words the relatives passed cries of lamentations and the boy expired in half an hour.
This is not a fiction but a fact which actually occurred a few years back. From this occurrence, you can realise how human nature operates when Karmas which create feelings of displeasure (Ashata Vedaniya) are unfolded. Then the human being decides not to contract Karmas but when Karmas creating feelings of pleasure are unfolded then such decisions are shattered and he follows his own downtrodden path without reluctance to contract bondages of karmas and their consequences.
The gentleman was satisfied with our elucidations and today he is present in our discourse to learn more information about Karma.
CAUSES OF KARMIC BONDAGES EXIST SINCE
THE BEGINNINGLESS TIME Soul exists since the time without beginning. Karmas also exist since beginningless time. Their bondages and the causes of these Karmic bondages also exist since beginningless time. Effects do not follow without their precedent causes.
General causes of Karmic bondages are four : False belief, attachment, passions and vibrations of the soul. (Mithyatva, Avirati, Kasshaya and Yoga respectively). Some thinkers include negligence or indolence and thereby declare five causes of Karmic bonds but indolence is already conveyed by attachment and vibration of the Soul. The fourth treatise on Karmas viz., 'Shadashiti' mentions four causes of Karmic bonds, viz. False beliefs, attachment, passions and vibrations of the Soul.
