Jain Journal 2014 07

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

Page 35

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JAIN JOURNAL: VOL-XLIX, NO. 1-IV JULY 2014 JUNE 2015
the living being that carries the less karmic load during transmigration rencarnates with more potent vital powers. For example, two living beings A and B carrying karmic loads of K, and K, during transmigration are born as human beings, A with the first type of bone joint (vajra-rṣabha-nārāca samhanana) and B with the second type of bone joint (rṣabhanārāca samhanana). Because the former bone joint (samhanana) is more potent than the latter bone joint (samhanana), karmic load K, must be less than karmic load K.
Similar illustration of the 'rule of development to the other subclasses of the physique determining karma (Nāma-karma) can be given. For example, one of the subclasses of the Nāma-karma is the Parāghāta-nāma-karma that gives the capacity to protect the body from the attackes of the extrinsic substances such as virus and bacteria33. This capacity to protect the body can be considered as the immune power. The karmic load of the living being born with a weak immune power or less potent vital power of the Parāghāta-nāmakarma is greater than that of the living beings born with strong immune power or more potent vital power of the Parāghāta-nāmakarma.
Moreover the potencies of their vital powers keep changing during their life span and increase with decreasing karmic load they carry with their karmic body. As the karmic load of a human being decreases, he or she climbs the ‘ladder of the fourteen spiritual stages; and then the intensity of fruition of the auspicious nondestructive (aghātiyā) karma increases, the intensity of the inauspicious nondestructive karma decreases, and the potency of the vital powers increases.
The spiritual and physical development of living beings is depicted graphically in Figure 6. The rate of change of the karmic load of a living being gradually increases as the living being evolves from the least developed life-from of nigoda beings to the most developed life-form of human beings. It is logical to assume that the change in the karmic load is negligible in the nigoda birth-species.