Jain Moral Doctrine

Author(s): Harisatya Bhattacharya
Publisher: Jain Sahitya Vikas Mandal

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JAIN MORAL DOCTRINE
the Jiva or the self or to the Ajiva or the non-self. The Jivādhikarana or the Asrava which depends on the self consists practically in the attitude of the self. Thus the Samrambha or the 'resolve' to do a thing, the Samārambha or the preparation' for doing it by having recourse to the means for it and the Arambha or the actual commencement of the doing, naturally influence the nature of the Asrava. The inflow of foreign matter in the self, dependent on the Jiva is thus primarily of three kinds. The Yoga at the back of the Asrava being of three sorts with reference to body, mind and speech, the Jivādhikarana or the soul-depending Asrava is sub-divided further into nine modes. It would be seen that each subjective act which causes the Asrava, may be done by the agent himself; or that the agent may have it done by others; or, thirdly that the agent may acquiese in the act, when done; the Asrava is nevertheless caused in each of these cases and the nine modes of the Asrava may thereby be divided into twenty seven forms. All subjective acts, inducing material inflow into the self are again primarily due to the Kaşāya or the passions, which are four in number, viz., anger, greed, conceit and deceitfulness. The 27 forms of the Asrava thus become 108, when viewed in connection with their basic causes, i.e., the four Kaşāya's, and when we remember that each of the passions admits of four aspects (..e., the Anantānuvandhi or error-supporting, the Apratyākhyāna or preventing the partial practice, of the vows, the Pratyākhyāna or preventing the practice of vows altogether and the Samjvalana or preventing the practice of right conduct), the modes of the Asrava or inflow become ultimately 432 in number.
The nature of the Asrava is dependent not only on the attitude of the agent but also upon the state or the manner of the phenomena other than it for the time being. An example may help us in the better understanding of this fact. Let us suppose that a man is hungry and is to take food. This in-take of food depends both on the mental state of the man and on the state of the circumstances related with him. On the subjective side, the man, though hungry, may or may not be disposed to actively do anything for the removal of his hunger and this naturally influences the intake of food by him. On the objective side, again, the consumption of food is dependent upon the capacity of his body etc, etc. The Asrava or the inflow of matter into the soul in this latter aspect is the Ajivādhikaraṇa i.e. dependent on non-subjective element and is conceived by the Jainas as of the following sorts. There are the two kinds of the Nirvartanā. The first of these, the Mula-guņa, shows how the state of one's mind (which is a subtle form of matter, according to the Jainas), his body, his speech and his respiration, affects the Asrava,
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