First Steps to Jainism Part 2

Author(s): Sancheti Asso Lal, Manakmal Bhandari
Publisher: Sancheti Trust Jodhpur

Page 19

The Doctrine of Karma
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called varganas. These varganas are of eight types (with many subtypes) like Bhasha vargana or category of speech, Sharir vargapa (category of body), Mano vargana (mind category) etc. One of such categories of pudgals is Karma varagana i.e. pudgals that have the potentiality of becoming Karma matter of different types and of getting attached to the soul. It is this particular category of matter called Karma Vargana which is absorbed by the contaminated and thus material soul due to its activity and passions and is converted into Karma body (Karma Shareer) just as an oil lamp absorbs oil and converts it into a flame due to its heat. It has been mentioned that it is the contaminated soul that absorbs Karma matter. This needs to be elucidated. Essentially the soul is pure consciousness and is absolutely non-contaminated and non-material--the liberated souls (Siddhas) are like this. Such pure souls cannot be contaminated by Karma--as they are two categories distinctly separate from each other i.e. one is living being (Jeeva) and other is non-living being (ajeeva). But due to the beginningless contamination with matter (Karma) the soul's pure non-material form has also become partly material and, therefore, it may further be contaminated. As stated earlier pudgals joining the soul are in the form of Karma Vargana each with infinite number of pudgals in their fine (sookshama) form and constitute the Karma body or Karma Shareer of the soul. These Karma varganas are the finest (sookshama) of all other varganas, which means that while they have the largest number of Pudgals, yet they occupy the least space (as explained in a separate chapter).
12. All the Karma matter associated with a soul form the soul's Karma body (Karma Shareer) which is one of the five categories of bodies of the soul i.e. (i) Audarik, (ii) Vakriya, (iii) Aharak, (iv) Tejas and (v) Karman (to be discussed separately). Here it will suffice to say that (i) Karma body has beginningless association with the soul which is renewing itself by shedding old Karma and acquiring new ones and wbich can and finally end only upon the complete liberation of the soul (ii), it consists of the highest number of infinite pudgals and is the finest (sookshma) of all the other bodies, (iii) it is not stopped by any obstruction, (iv) it always travels with the soul on its transmigration from one life to another and finally, (v) it determines the destiny and course of life of the soul in this world and the next which is, good, bad or indifferent depending on the nature of the Karma body-Karman Shareeraccompanying the soul and giving results.