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Or, as the external gross body is seen to be connected with the soul so the soul inust be admitted to be conjoined with the karmic body when it passes from one life to another, for
therwise there would not be the taking of another body as pointed out earlier. If it is said that the external body is connected with the jiva on account of dharma (merit, good), and adharma (demerit, sin, evil), then are these latter corporeal or incorporeal ? If they be corporeal, how could they be related to the incorporeal soul ? If they be related somehow, then karma too could be so related, If they are incorporeal, even then it will have to be shown how they can be related to the external gross corporeal body. If they are not related to the body, they will not be instrumental in bringing about the activity of the body. And if the relation of the incorporeal dharma, adharma to the corporeal body be admitted, there should be no difficulty in accepting the relation of the soul and karma (1636).
Agnibhūti objects as to how karma even though related to the incorporeal soul can influence it — favourably or unfavourably by according pleasure or pain to it. The sky though related to fire, is not influenced by it. Mahāvīra explains that there is no such rule that a corporeal thing cannot influence favourably or otherwise an incorporeal thing. Consciousness, memory, etc., the attributes of the soul though incorporeal are influenced by corporeal things--unfavourably by the consumption of wine, poison, etc. and favourably by that of milk. ghee, etc. So the soul though incorporeal can be influenced by the corporeal karma (1637).
Mahāyira has, till now, merely set at nought Agnibhūti's misconception that a corporeal thing cannot influence something incorporeal. But in his view the soul in the transmigratory condition is not utterly incorporeal; it is also in a way corporeal. As iron coming into contact with fire assumes the nature of fire, so the soul coming into connection with the beginningless karma comes to be of the nature of the modification
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