Jainism the Creed for All Times

Author(s): D S Baya
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 64

been accepted as one of the three hallmarks of the faith. When the karmic bonds are destroyed, as a result of penance, the soul becomes purer and purer and there comes a time when all the karmic covers obscuring infinite vision and infinite knowledge are removed and the soul becomes enlightened and omniscient. With the passage of time when even the four non-destructive types of karma are also exhausted, the soul becomes fully emancipated and liberates from the shackles of mundane existence.
Qualities Of Penance -
From the qualitative point of view, penance may be of two types. The first type is the penance of the ignorant (Bāla-tapa), which is undertaken with a view to achieve mundane accomplishments such as wealth, good health, freedom from worldly worries, supernatural accomplishments like changing form at will, walking on water, walking on air, etc. The second type is the penance of the wise (Pandita-tapa), which is undertaken without any mundane desires and purely with a view to shed the karmic bondage associated with the soul and aims at only the final liberation of the soul. It is the second type of penance, which is the real or the right penance as it is the one that ensures freedom of the practitioner soul from mundane desires and passions.
External And Internal Penance -
From the practice point of view, the penance is either external (Bāhya-tapa) that is the visible type of penance by virtue of its mainly physical nature and relationship with external agencies or internal (Abhyantara--tapa), which is the invisible form of penance by virtue of its mainly mental and spiritual nature and lack of relationship with external agencies. These two types of penance are respectively interrelated to each other as each type of external penance aids the practice of the corresponding type 36 : JAINISM: THE CREED FOR ALL TIMES