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2. AGNIBHŪTI REGARDING KARMAN
Hearing that Indrabhūti had become a monk and a follower of Mahāvīra, his brother Agnibhūti was very much perturbed. He decided to defeat Mahā vīra in debate and to bring back Indrabhūti. He could not understand how Indrabhūti, a master mind could be reduced to this state, when ordinarily people did not even dare to approach him for a proper logical discourse. It might have been that he was defeated by the tricks of logic viz. quibble, futile rejoinders, etc., or Mahāvīra might have exercised his sorcery and thus turned the minds of all--men, gods and all. No one knew what had actually taken place. Hence it was highly necessary that he should go to the spot and get first-hand information and expose Mahāvīra and his tricks. But as Agnibhūti approached Mahāvīra the latter addressed him as Agnibhūti Gautama. Agnibhūti was taken aback, but even then he argued to himself that it was not very surprising that Mahā vīra should know his name so well for he was a well known figure. If Mahā vīra could read his thoughts then alone there would be some ground for wonder and admiration (1606-1609).
'Agnibhūti', said Mahāvīra then, you have a doubt regarding the existence of karma, whether there is really anything like karma.' Agnibhūti had found conflicting statements in the Veda regarding karma and this had led him to doubt karma. On the one hand the Vedas say 'Purușa evedam sarvam ...' and it is also stated: 'Punyaḥ punyena karmaņā, pā paḥ pāpena karmaņā' (Brhadaranyaka Up. 4. 4. 5) ('He becomes meritorious by meritorious action, sinful by sinful action'). (See Gathās 1581, 1643). Moreover, like Indrabhūti in the case of the jīva, Agnibhūti believes that karma cannot be regarded as real because it does not fall within the scope of the means of knowledge. 12
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