Fundamentals Of Jainism

Author(s): Champat Rai Jain
Publisher: Veer Nirvan Bharti

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FUNDAMENTALS OF JAINISM
is here used in its widest sense including the upapada,* the garbha,t and the sammurachhanat forms-by the mechanical action of its inherent force, the result of its own actions in a past life.
The type of action which lead to a low status include pride of birth, lineage, descent, beauty, or learning, the insulting of others for their low birth, and the like, also want of respect for the Deva (holy tirthamkara), Guru (spiritual teacher) and sastra (Scripture), and delighting in proclaiming the low status and circumstances of another. The opposite kinds of actions, such as self-abnegation, humility, worship of the true Deva, Guru and sastra lead to birth in a high family and happy, prosperous surroundings.
We now come to the eighth and the last group of karmas, the antaraya. Its causes may be briefly said to consist in those actions of the soul which tend to interfere with the full development of the functions and faculties, as well as with the freedom of action of another. The following are fairly typical of this kind of actions: preventing another from making a gift, robbing others of their success in their enterprise, spoiling and marring the enjoyment of another, or depriving him of the opportunity for the full development of his natural powers and functions. The marrying of little children or of young girls to aged men, the misappropriation of charity-funds, neglecting to educate one's children, preventing one's servants and dependents from following the path of true dharma, and many other similar acts of omission and commission are also causes which engender the antaraya karma. Virya or the fifth kind of antaraya is also caused by foods which augment laziness and foster lethargy of mind, or body, both.
The above is a fairly complete list of the specific causes of the different kinds of karmas, and although it is possible to carry
*Upapá la is the method of birth of devas and residents of hells, who are born without conception and attain to adolescence at once.
†Garbha means conception in consequence of sexual congress. +Sammuṛachhana is the form of birth in which the soul directly attracts particles of matter to itself to organise its body. It is found in those low forms of life in the animal and vegetable kingdoms which are not born after the manner of garbha.