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Jaina Philosophy and Religion
If a person has one thousand rupees and he spends a rupee a day, then it will take one thousand days for him to spend all the one thousand rupees. But if he spends one thousand rupees or the remaining part of the capital in a day, then destitution or poverty befalls him at once.
The life-quantum is of two types-viz., apavartaniya (i.e., one whose temporal duration is reducible) and anapavartaniya (i.e., one whose temporal duration is irreducible). Thus the apavartanīya life-quantum can possibly be enjoyed away even before that period is over which was its due period at the time when it was earned by way of karmic bondage, while anapavartanīya life-quantum cannot be thus enjoyed away. That is to say, apavartaniya life-quantum is that life-quantum whose period of enjoyment is less than the period that was due at the time of the concerned karmic bondage, while anapavartaniya life-quantum is that life-quantum whose period of enjoyment is equivalent to this latter period.
Whether the life-quantum earned by way of karmic bondage will be earned in an apavartaniya or an anapavartanīya form is not something that happens automatically, but it depends on the intensity or mildness of the inental perturbation of the time concerned. Thus life-quantum for the immediately next birth is earned by way of a karmic bondage some time during this birth. And if at this time, the prevailing mental perturbation happens to be mild, the resulting bondage of life-quantum is loose—so that when an occasion is available, the period that was its due at the time of bondage can well be reduced. On the contrary, if at that time the prevailing mental perturbation happens to be intense, the resulting bondage of life-quantum is tight-so that even when an occasion is available, the period that was its due at the time of bondage is never reduced, nor is it possible to enjoy it away at one go. The life-quantum that was subject to tight bondage on account of the intensity of the then prevailing mental perturbation is not exhausted before its due period is over, however much one might employ weapon, poison, etc., against the person concerned, while on the other hand the life-quantum that was subject to loose bondage on account of the mildness of the then prevailing mental perturbation can well be enjoyed away even before its due period is over but as soon as one happens to employ weapon, etc., against the person concerned. It is this sudden enjoying away of life-quantum which is called apavartanai.e., time-reduction-or akāla-mytyu, that is, untimely death; on the other hand, the enjoyment of life-quantum for a period that was its fixed due is called anapavartana—that is, impossi
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