Basic Principles Of Jainism

Author(s): Narayan Lal Kachhara
Publisher: Narayan Lal Kachhara

Page 38

before their fruits are enjoyed. Since nirjara takes place without the enjoyment of their fruits, it is called avipaaka-nirjara. From another point of view, when the karmas are made to fall away by exertion and penances, the nirjara is called akaama or intentional Nirjara. Some karmas have their period of maturity fixed. After the period when the karmas are enjoyed or suffered, they disappear on their accord. This is called savipaaka nirjara.
Kundakunda has emphasized the importance of right belief in shedding of karmas. Umasvami has defined Right Faith as firm belief in the true nature of the tattvas. Right faith arises from innate disposition or by acquisition of knowledge. Right belief creates an awareness of the transitoriness of the worldly objects, checks the operation of passions and does not create entanglements by way of new attachments. The activities of thought of such a person would be pure and will not tend to forge new bondage of karmas. Right belief connotes and means a right outlook of the soul. There is a firm conviction about the destructive and debilitating nature of the karmas and hence they are countered by the vibrations of righteousness born of right belief. Such a person knows that both pain and pleasure are due to bondage of bad or good Karmas. He is always on his guard and ever conscious of his pure self. He realizes that the nature of his soul is pure knowledge and his true path is one of liberation. A person who is not a right believer remains ignorant, perverse and indecisive about the true nature of his self. He therefore indulges in such thought activities as relate to mundane affairs. A right believer is content with his own right knowledge which brings him peace and happiness. A wrong believer or an ignorant person will indulge in sense- gratification and consequently in the accumulation of material possessions which feed his passions. A right believer is free from seven kinds of fear: fear of life, of the next life, of helplessness, of losing what he possesses, of pain, of accident and of death. A right believer is always steadfast in his beliefs and firm in his convictions. This is further discussed in chapter 9.
The force which right belief, right knowledge and non-attachment generate becomes the cause of premature shedding of karmas. The pursuit of self-absorption results in shedding karmas (bhava-nirjara) from which result karmic shedding (dravya-nirjara).
Moksa or Liberation
The seventh tattva is liberation. The soul becomes liberated when there is complete annihilation of all karmas as a result of the absence of the cause of bondage of karmas. While discussing the karma theory, it has been noted that there are eight kinds of karmas: four Ghati karmas and four Aghati karmas. Destruction of the four Ghati karmas, viz., Jnanavaraniya, Darsanavaraniya. Mohaniya and Antaraya, results in bhava-moksa of the soul. The soul in this state is known as Arihant or Kevali. The Arihanta is also known as Jina meaning that he has won over his senses and mind and the inner enemies like anger, ego, lust and greed." Destruction of the four Aghati Karmas takes place when a soul is in the last stage of development known as
13 The greeting Jaijinendra is to venerate the Jinas.