Jains in India and Abroad

Author(s): Prakash C Jain
Publisher: International Summer School for Jain Studies

Page 41

Whereas the first two items represent the structural elements of the universe, the last five unfold the dynamics of the Karma doctrine. "Stated briefly, karma is matter which 'flows in', asrava, and 'sticks', literally. What I do, sticks to me, and determines my character, the quality of my life and relationships. My thoughts, emotions and my speech are also 'acts'. They are called bhavasrava. They determine my perceptions, which lead me to act in the way that I do.... It is my thoughts and emotions, whether my own or inherited, that draw a veil over my perceptions. Untruth, delusion, and violence are its outcome. Jainism suggests to us that anekanta-vada, or the manysidedness of truth; a-prigraha, or not-grasping; and a-himsa, or notviolence are the true basis of human freedom” (Badrinath 1996).
Karma doctrine is a corner stone of the Jain philosophy. Jain scholars have gone into great details by classifying karmas into eight kinds and 148 sub-kinds. Based on the criterion whether a particular karma obstructs or destroys the essential attributes of the soul, the eight karmas are divided into the following two categories: (i) the ghatia (obstructive) and, (ii) the aghatia (non-obstructive) karmas. The former category consists of (a) Jnanavarniya (knowledge obstructing), (b) darshanavarniya (conation obstructing), (c) vedaniya (which causes feelings of pleasure and pain, etc.) and mohiniya (deluding) karmas. In the latter category are included the rest of the four karmas, namely: (a) ayuh (age), (b) nama (body making), (c) gotra (family determining) and (d) antaraya (karmas which hamper the innate qualities of the soul). It is easily clear that the aghatia karmas are mainly concerned with the state and particular conditions of embodiment (name, age family, etc.).
A cursory look at the typology and functioning of karmas would suggest to their over-deterministic role in human life, but the Jain scholars emphatically maintain that theirs is not the doctrine of fatalism. Instead it is only a law of cause and effect. "Jainism does not fortify its followers by the terrors of karma nor does it make them languish in unhealthy, effeminate fatalism, as many people think all oriental religions do, but on the contrary, it trains the individuals to become a true hero on the battle field of selfconquest” (C. Krause quoted in Sangave 2006: 44).
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