Jaina Psychology

Author(s): Mohanlal Mehta
Publisher: Sohanlal Jain Dharm Pracharak Samiti Amrutsar

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JAINA PSYCHOLOGY
traditional conception of the Jainas. The lowest unit of time is a samaya'. Innumerable samayas form an 'āvalikā'. 16,777,216 'āvalikās' make a "muhurta' which is of forty-eight minutes of modern time. Thirty muhurtas make a day. Out of the days are formed weeks, months, years, etc. The number of years can be expressed in words up to a number containing seventy-seven cyphers. Beyond that, it is innumerable. An innumerable quantity of years make a 'palyopama'. Ten ‘koțākoți (crore multiplied by crore) palyopamas form a 'sāgaro pama'. Ten koțākoți sāgaropamas comprise an 'utsarpiņi' (ascending period of time). By the same number is measured an 'avasar piņi' (descending period of time).1 The following are the measures by which the maximum and minimum length of duration of various karmas is measured: The maximum length of duration of the comprehension-obscuring, apprehension-obscuring, feelingproducing, and power-obscuring karmas is thirty kotākoți-sāgaropamas, of the deluding-karma is seventy koțākoți-sāgaropamas, of the physique-making and status-determining karmas is twenty kotākoți sāgaropamas, and of the age-determining karma is thirty-three sāgaropamas. The minimum length of duration of the comprehension-obscuring, apprehension-obscuring, deluding, age-determining, and power-obscuring karmas is less than forty-eight minutes, i.e., antar-muhurta, of the physique-making and status-determining karmas is eight muhurtas, and of the feeling-producing karma is twelve muhurtas.?
INTENSITY OF FRUITION
As a sweet dish has in different kinds of preparation a more or less sweet taste, so also the nature of karma varies according to its circumstances in a more or less intense manner. The intensity of the effect of karma as well as the length of its duration depends upon the weakness or strength of our passions. The stronger the passions the lengthier and intenser are the duration and fruition of sinful karmas. As regards the case of virtuous karmas, the length of duration varies according to the strength of passions and the intensity of fruition varies inversely according to the strength.
1 Doctrine of Karman in Jain Philosophy, pp. 20-1;
Outlines of Karma in Jainism, p. 15. 2 Tattvārtha-Sūtra, VIII, 15-21.