First Steps to Jainism Part 2

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

Page 92

78 First Steps to Jainism
यद्यदैव यतो यावत्ततत्तदैव ततस्तथा, नियतं जायते नान्यात्, के एनां बाधितुं क्षमः ।
Further we find praise of Destiny or Niyati in a number of Sanskrit works; an example from Yogvashista is given below:
fafafaye nafar परिमार्जिता । ऐषा नृत्यति वै नृत्यं जगज्जालकनाटकम् ।
That is "Destiny always dispassionately and beautifully executes the dance drama of wordly affairs.
(d) Purakrit or Past Karmas-In the ordinary sense every act through mind, word or deed (mental, verbal or physical) is known as Kriya or Karma or action. In Jain thought all the actions get recorded on the soul in the form of karman varganas, pudgals or waves due to the vibrations of the soul on account of the acts. If the acts are also accompanied by passions like anger, pride, deceipt and greed, the attachment or bondag of soul is stronger. All such action have their reaction which are the Karma fruits or Karamphal.
It is generally believed that the past Karma were the reasons for the success or failure of one's efforts, and whatever pleasure or pain was derived; was due to past Karma.
Scriptures are full of precepts and examples how past KarmaPurkarit determine the future course of the beings:
कम्मं च जाइ मरणस्स मूलं, दुक्खं च जाइ मरणं वयंति ।
(Karma are the roots of birth and death. Birth and death are the roots of misery).
कडारण कम्मारग रग मोक्ख प्रत्थि ।
(There is no escape (except facing the results) from past Karma).
The above references are from Jain Agam-Uttaradhyayan. However, most of the other schools of thought like Sankhya, Nyaya, Meemansa, Vedanta and Bauddha have accepted the importance of Karma in the lives of all living beings. Looking for