Book Title: Heart of Jainism
Author(s): Mrs Sinclair Stevenson
Publisher: Mrs Sinclair Stevenson

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Page 208
________________ 182 KARMA AND THE karma. (Manuşya āyu karma), and also enters a state in which he understands which gurus and gods are true and which books reliable, and in obedience to them he protects all life and follows the dictates of the Jaina religion. But a man who gives way to craftiness and intrigue will be sentenced to pass some of his next life as a bird or beast (Tiryañc āyu karma); another by indulging in any of the following sins: gambling, drinking intoxicants, cating flesh, unchastity, thieving, or hunting, is determining the time he will pass in hell (Naraka äyu karma). vi. Nāma In studying Ayu karma we have seen that a jiva may be sentenced to spend a certain time as a man, a god, an insect, or a hell-being. Each of these four states or conditions is called gati, and it is according to our past deeds that we are born in the Manuşya gati, Deva gati, Tiryanc gati, or Naraka gati, the karma that decides which of these four shall be our particular gati, i.c. in which prison we shall dwell, being called Nāma karma. There are one hundred and three divisions of Nāma karma, many of which we have already discussed when we were studying the categories of Pāpa and Punya. vii. Gotra An Indian's whole life, his occupation, the locality in karma. which he may live, his marriage, his religious observances and even his food and fellow diners are determined by the caste into which he is born; so that it is small wonder if a.Jaina attach the greatest importance to the accumulation of Gotra karma, which, as he believes, determines his caste in his next and subsequent lives» There are two main divisions of this karma : it decides whether the jiva shall be born in a high. or in a low-caste family. Pride is one of the chief factors in determining a man's future caste: if he indulge in pride about his high caste, his 1 Dr. Bhandarkar quotes Govindananda's saying: "Nāmika, i.e. the belief that I am a person bearing such and such a name; Gotrika, i.e. the knowledge that I now belong to the family of the pupils of the worshipful Arhat.' Loc. cit., p. 97. None of the Jaina that the writer has consulted accept these translations as correct.

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