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kartă of the jar. Thus if the stream of body and karman is beginningless, jiva too will have to be looked upon as beginningless, and its bondage too will be such (1813-15).
It should not be said here that karman being supersensuous is not established, much less can its instrumentality be established. Karman is proved through its effect. Body, etc. must have an instrument, for they like jar etc. are made; pot, etc. being effects cannot be produced without the instrumentality of staff, etc.; so the body being an effect cannot be produced without the instrumentality of something and this is karman. Or soul and body being agent-effect, must be related to some instrument; as the potter and pot standing in the relation of agent-effect have the staff as the instrument. If soul is the agent and body the effect, karman must be accepted as the karana or instrument. Moreover, acts of charity, etc. of sentient beings must have a fruit as agriculture, etc. have. Karman is this fruit of acts of charity, etc. of sentient beings. This point has been discussed earlier in the discussion with Agnibhūti, and the existence of karman should similarly be admitted by Mandika too (1816).
As to the argument that the continuity of the union of jīva and karman being beginningless is also endless, this is no absolute rule. At times the continuity is seen to come to an end, as seen in the case of seed-sprout. If either the seed or the sprout perishes before it has produced the effect, the continuity or the stream would be snapped off. This is true of hen-egg, father-son relationships and so on. The union of gold and soil even though handed down in a beginningless line can be cut off on account of the heat of fire, etc.. Similarly the union of jiva and karman though it may have come down in a begninningless line can be terininated by such means as austerity, self-control, etc. Thus it should not be said that if bondage be beginningless there could not be emancipation (1817-19).
Lord Mahāvīra further clarifies that the mutual relationship of jīva and karman which is beginningless is like that of jīva and sky and also like that of gold and soil and there is no contradictionin this. The former type which is beginningless and endless
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