Jain Journal 1973 01

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

Page 48

JANUARY, 1973
139
(5) Ayuh Karma determines the length of life in a particular body. This karma makes the soul captive in a particular body for a limited period in the four conditions of life. Due to this karma a person enjoys long lease of life or prematurely dies. This karma is like a clock. When we wind a clock it moves on and indicates correct time, but if it is disturbed, its winding screw gets affected and the clock stops all of a sudden. Similarly, a soul inhabits a particular body, in accordance with this karma but if one disturbs the operation of this karma, the soul soon departs to occupy another body which has been pre-arranged by this very Jīva due to his dispositions. Premature death occurs when a person is poisoned or is haunted by serious sickness without necessary medical aid, etc. Thus the span of life is cut short. This premature death has been termed as Akāla-Marana. Jaina view is that life can be cut short but it cannot be prolonged beyond the limit fixed in the previous birth, The pious souls are born as heavenly beings or happy persons. One devoted to Mammon-worship and inordinate greed becomes a brute or a hellish being and suffers untold miseries. Socrates had said : "The sensual soul ... goes to the body of an ass; the unjust or tyrannical soul into the body of a wolf or a like ... only the souls of philosopher go and live with God. That is why philosopher abstains from bodily pleasures... The soul ... goes to a place that is glorious.” (Trial and Death of Socrates).
(6) Nāma Karma is responsible for physical forms, complexion, constitution etc. of the body. This karma predetermines the constitution of physical frame which is to be occupied by the soul after death. When a person dies his gross body is left here but his subtle bodies named Taijasa and Kārmaņa follow the Jiva till liberation is attained. In Hindu scriptures the subtle body is known as Linga Sarira. The infinite varieties of living beings and their manifold forms are due to this karma which is like a painter, who with the aid of his brush and colour paints ugly or lovely designs. Similarly this karma is responsible for the multiplicity of physical forms put on by the Jīva. This karma is an extremely interesting principle almost anticipating many elements of modern biological theory. The principle of Nāma karma tries to explain many of the biological problems (The Religion of Ahimsā, P. 90).
Ordinarily people hold God responsible for this variegated world, but Jaina philosophers hold this Nāma karma as the cause of bringing out manifold forms and physical changes. The soul puts on the size of the body that is provided to it by this karma..
Some thinkers suppose that the soul like the body must be also impermanent. Jaina logicians have refuted this illogical stand which