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Karma element
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ours. Such people were knɔwn as believers in rebirth and the higher worlds. Their belief was that if there is no karma, the relation between this and the other birth and this and the higher world will not fit in the context. It is therefore necessary to accept the Karma element along with rebirth, These Karmavadins designated themselves as Paralokavādins and theists.
Believers only in Dharma, Artha and Kama
Karmavādins are divided into two groups. One stated that rebirth and higher world are no doubt the fruits of karma, but karma should be of the best order so that one may reap as reward the best birth and the best of the higher worlds. Promulgators of this view believed only in three Puruşārthas- efforts - Dharma, Artha and Kärma because, to them, the best higher world was Svarga and the means to its acquirement was Dharma. In their eyes, Moks -emancipation-bad no independent place as a Puruşārtha. Whereyer we come across prescriptive dharma, the promulgators concede to the view that accepts three Puruşārthas. To state in brief, in their view, dharma means noble actions and its fruit is Svarga, while the fruit of Adharma or unholy karma leads to hell etc Only Dharma and Adharma are Pāpa and Punya or AdȚsta - the invisible. It is only through this that the cycle of birth and rebirth rotates. It is not possible to uproot it. What is possible is only this. Man must ever practise Dharma if he desires to attain to a noble higher world and greater happiness. According to this view, it is Adharma or sin that is contemptible and not dharma or Punya. This view supported the social order and organization. That is precisely the reason why they opine that noble conduct duly sanctioned leads to the rise of dharma while contemptible and low actions lead to Adhama. Consequently, the followers of tbis view supported all good social order and diverted all their attention to this. It is just this view that was later known as Brahmanamārga--the path of the Brāhmanas, the Mināmsaka and ritualistic-Karmakandi view.
Those whose Puruşārtha was Emancipation
The other Karmavādi held quite the reverse views. The view held that Karma is the cause of rebirth without doubt. One can
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