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Jaina Philosophy and Religion
(fixed and unalterable), the karma is known by the name 'Niyati'.
We have seen above the power of the five causal factors. All the five are useful in their own places. All contribute to the production of an effect. We should not give exclusive importance to any one of them, rejecting all others or relegating them to utterly insignificant place. The believers in the doctrine of time are under the sway of illusion, if they accept time to the exclusion of all others without properly evaluating their contribution. That view is the right view, which accords proper place to all the causal factors. Contrary to it, that view is the wrong view, which regards anyone of them as the sole cause, neglecting the rest.
We have before us many instances of the cooperation of all the five causal factors in the production of an effect. All these five factors cooperate in bringing about the birth of a baby. Without the due period of time (i.e., before the completion of the period of time that an embryo requires for its full development) a baby is certainly not born. This is quite obvious. Again, it is quite clear that only a fertile woman can give birth to a baby. This means that the inherent nature as a causal factor is present there to make its necessary contribution in bringing about the birth of a baby. Moreover, it goes without saying that human effort is certainly present there in the aggregate of the causal factors. And a baby is born to a woman, only if the past karmas or destiny of the parents are favourable. Thus, the union of all the five causal factors is necessary to bring about the birth of a baby.
Let us take another example. A student secures first class in the examination. It is noticed that all the five causal factors jointly cause the occurrence of this event. Certain duration of time for the continuous study is noticed to be present there as one of the causal factors. Without effort conducive to development, the student cannot secure the first class. Thus human effort is also noticed there as a causal factor contributing to the occurrence of the event. The studious nature of the student is also there as a necessary causal factor. And the favourable karma or destiny is also to be taken as present in the causal aggregate.
But we are not to understand that in the production of each and every effect, all the five causal factors are equally important. Of course, all of them are necessarily present there to produce an effect. But with respect to a particular effect a particular causal factor acts as a principal one and the rest act as subordinate to it.
The period of time can be changed through effort, etc. The period of
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