Jain Journal 1973 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 47

138
JAIN JOURNAL
This karma is accumulated by such activities or mental dispositions, which are associated with the sinful habit of directly or indirectly obstructing the light of knowledge.
(2) Daršanāvaraṇīya Karma obstructs that form of consciousness, which precedes knowledge. It is accumulated by the soul if evil practices referred to as the knowledge-obstrctive karma obstruct the perception faculty of the soul, e.g., a gate-keeper hinders the entrance of a visitor to the residence of a dignitary, similarly this karma obstructs the perception of the objects.
(3) Vedaniya Karma enables the soul to have sensations of pleasure or pain through senses. The sensation of pleasure is not the experience of spiritual happiness, for the pleasure obtained by the operation of this karma is artificial, spurious as well as deceptive e.g., a person enjoys the sweetness of the small quantity of honey applied to the sharp edge of a sword and ultimately meets the tragedy of his tongue being chopped or severly wounded. The enjoyment of carnal pleasures is like the taste of honey-drop. The reactions of this karma produce the sensation of indescribable agony when a person is deeply injured or wounded.
If the soul is interested in pious practices and leads the life of renunciation and self-control, keeps the company of good and helps the troubled people, it accumulates the Sat Vedaniya Karma : on the other hand the cruel activities lead to distress producing Asat Vedanīya Karma whereby the soul passes its time in deep anguish and agony.
(4) Mohanīya Karma is the ring-leader of karmas and cause delusion and perverts the view of self and non-self. It is the root of all miseries. It has been compared to an intoxicant or liquor whereby the drunkard loses all senses and discriminating faculties between right and wrong. This faculty of judging between beneficient and pernicious path is paralysed and so he appears like a spiritually insane and mentally sick fellow. This karma cripples the discriminating faculty of the soul and so the person caught in the cob-web of deceptive objects of the world roams about like a deer running after a mirage in some desert to quench its thurst but to no purpose.
The mundane soul needs few objects, but out of greed it wants to amass more and more. It leaves them behind while departing from this world. This perverted, pernicious and wrong attitude is the result of this Mohanīya karma. As long as this Mohanīya karma exists the soul is unable to make desired progress on the path of Nirvāņa.