Doctrine of Karman in Jain Philosophy

Author(s): Hiralal R Kapadia
Publisher: Vijibai Jivanlal Panalal Charity Fund Mumbai

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THE DOCTRINE OF KARMAN
5. The possession of eternal life (akṣayasthiti).
6. Complete formlessness (amūrtatva).
7. Complete equality in rank with other jivas.
8. Unrestricted energy (virya).
All these attributes belong by nature to every soul. In the world, however, comparatively only few souls exist in which they develop to perfection. On the other hand, the majority of all living beings has only restricted knowledge and energy, adheres to false metaphysical doctrines and neglects the laws of morality, experiences joy and grief, possesses the manifold individual qualities, and has only a temporal limited existence. The question as to how it happens that the peculiarities of the jiva are so changed into their contrary, is answered by Jainism in the following manner: All the eight gunas can become apparent if the jiva is free from all external influences. This, however, can only be the case with few souls. Most of them are not pure, but are infected by something foreign which veils their natural faculties, i.e., hinders them from entering into appearance. This foreign element is the karman. Karman does not here mean "deed, work invisible, mystical force (adṛṣṭa), but a complexus of very fine matter, imperceptible to the senses, which enters into the soul and causes great changes in it. The karman, then, is something material (karma paud galam), which produces in the soul certain conditions, even as a medical pill which, when introduced into the body, produces therein manifold effects.
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The fine matter which can become karman, fills the entire cosmos. Through the vibration of the particles of the soul, which must necessarily follow when the soul puts into motion the material substrata of its activity, the pudgalas are attracted and are drawn to unite themselves to it; they become karman and enter into union with a jiva, more intimate than that between milk and water, than between fire and an iron ball. The matter once entered into the soul separates itself into a greater number of particles, the karma-prakṛtis, with varying effects. Their number and character are conditional upon the conduct of the jiva; if this is good, the jiva assimilates good karman species, he "binds" good karman; when bad, he binds bad karman. The karman may remain latent in the soul for a time without entering into appearance; but when the right moment arrives it becomes apparent, it realises itself. The duration and intensity of the effect of a karman depends upon the state of mind (adhyavasaya) at the moment of the assimilation. When its efficacy expires it becomes extinguished.
The soul is eternally infected by matter; its union with the karman has no beginning and, as every moment it is gathering new