Jain Journal 1982 07

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

Page 35

JAIN JOURNAL
some as non-Āryas, some in noble families, some in low families, some as big men, some as small men, some of good complexion, some as handsome, some as ugly men. And of these men, one man is king....".
In fact the caste system in Indian society is specifically explained on the basis of karma.
The Uttarādhyayana 3.4 avers : egacã khattio hoi, tao candāla bukkaso
The jiva sometimes is born as a ksatriya, as a candāla, or in a mixed caste.
The Uttarādhyayana 13.19 points out that a person of the lowest caste, svapāka in his earlier life, had improved his caste position in the present incarnation by accumulating good karmas, parekadai kamāi.
Role of Volition or Intention in Jaina Doctrine of Karma
In Jainism intent is not an essential pre-condition of sin or wrong conduct. Evil intent forms only one of the modes of committing sin. The Sūtrakstānga 1.1.2.29 says : manasā je paussanti puttam tesi na vijjai : a man who bears ill-will, his mind is not pure. In the Sūtrakstānga 1.1.1.3 it is said “If a man kills living beings or causes other men to kill them, or consents to their killing them, his iniquity will go on increasing." The Sūtrakṛtānga 2.2.4-23 specifies thirteen kinds of sinful actions; of these, sins committed for one's selfish interests, lying, stealing, deception, greediness, taking revenge are all acts rooted in the mind and lead to karman. But sins done through accident and error of sight (leading to error of fact) and not involving the mind actively, also attract bad karman. The text cited above states : “We now treat of the fourth kind of committing sins, called accidental”. Intending to kill a deer, a person actually kills another bird or animal. Here instead of one (being) he hurts another, (therefore he is called) an accidental killer. Or while cutting weed grasses, a man cuts rice plant. “Here instead of one (plant) he hurts another, (therefore he is called) an accidental killer. Thereby the bad karman accrues to him”.
In the fifth kind of sins, a person mistaking a friend for an enemy through error of sight, kills the friend by mistake. Likewise, a person kills someone mistaking him for a robber. The Sūtrak’tanga 1.1.2.26-29 attacks the belief of other schools that he who commits violence without knowledge (abuho jam hisai) suffers from that karma only nominally