Jain Journal 1974 04

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

Page 83

APRIL, 1974
221
of knowledge and of ignorance;29 (2) darśanāvaranīya, that which obscures right intuition, e.g., sleep; (3) vedaniya, that which obscures the bliss-nature of the soul and thereby produces pleasure and pain ; (4) mohaniya, that which disturbs the right attitude of the soul with regard to faith, conduct, passions, and other emotions, and produces doubt, error, right or wrong conduct, passions and various mental states. The following 4 kinds of karma concern more the individual status of a being; (5) āyuşka, that which determines the length of life of an individual in one birth as hell-being, animal, man, or god ; (6) nāma, that which produces the various circumstances of elements which collectively make up an individual existence, e.g., the peculiar body with its general and special qualities, faculties, etc. ; (7) gotra, that which determines the nationality, caste, family social standing, etc., of an individual ; (8) antarāya, that which obstructs the inborn energy of the soul and thereby prevents the doing of a good action when there is a desire to do it.
Each kind of karma has its predestined limits in time within which it must take effect and thereby be purged off. Before we deal with the operation of karma, however, we must mention another doctrine which is connected with the karma theory, viz., that of the six leśyās. The totality of karma amalgamated by a soul induces on it a transcendental colour, a kind of complexion, which cannot be perceived by our eyes ; and this is called leśyā. There are six lesyäs : black, blue, grey, yellow, red, and white. They have also, and prominently, a moral bearing ; for the leśyā indicates the character of the individual who owns it. The first three belong to bad characters, the last three to good characters. 30
The individual state of the soul is produced by its inborn nature and karma with which it is vitiated ; this is the developmental or pārināmika state. But there are 4 other states which have reference only to the behaviour of the karma. In the common course of things karma takes effect and produces its proper results ; then the soul is in the audayika state. By proper efforts karma may be prevented, for some time, from taking effect ; it is neutralized (upaśamita), but it is still present, just like fire covered by ashes then the soul is in the aupaśamika state. When karma is not only prevented from operating, but is annihilated altogether (kşapita), then the soul is in the kşayika state,
29 For details, see ERE, the art. 'Demons and Spirits' (Jaina), vol. iv, pp. 608 ff;
'Cosmogony and Cosmology' (Indian), 4, vol. p. 160 f. and 'Ages of the World'
(Indian), vol. i., p. 200. 30 The Jainas acknowledge five kinds of knowledge : (1) ordinary cognition (mati),
(2) testimony (sruta), (3) supernatural cognition (avadhi) (4) direct knowledge of the thoughts of others (manahparyaya), (5) omniscience (kevala).