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The Jaina doctrine of karma took a most delatory course of development in the canonical period for it could have never been advanced until the scheme of pudgala began to be developed which took place after the adoption of the atomic theory. The Tattvärthasutra demonstrates the karma theory developed at the end of the canonical age, which is yet elementary in comparison with the karma doctrine accomplished in the middle of the medieval age. As the karma theory developed, the Jainas in the later Agamic stages came to propose logically the eradication of total karma matters established in eightfold main types alone leads one to attain liberation. This is as a matter of fact a logical conclusion of the karma theory. However it gave a revolutionary change to the old concept of liberation of the Jainas, for the action of violence that was proposed by Mahavira to be the sole cause in hindering one from achieving salvation came to be reduced to a partial cause in attracting eightfold types of karma in the then developed doctrine of karma.
And this karma doctrine of the Jainas came to demand a sage to be endowed with kevala-jñāna-darśana in order to be freed from samsăra. It is perfectly understandable if it is said that all the particulars in the system of jiva-ajiva so far developed should be known to a sage who is entitled to attain salvation However, the karma theory developed in the later canonical stages attributed to kevala jñāna-darśana a capacity that can perceive at any moment all the phenomena occurring in the universe in the three tenses of time. This is an absolute impossibility in reality. Liberation therefore came to be admitted impossible to be achieved by anyone any more. Even then, the Jaina authorities had to defend the reason d'etre of the Jaina school, and advocate that the Jainas are ever able to be released from samsara by being born in Mahāvideha, a utopain land in the Jaina universe. In this background arose an idea that 14 Purvadharas alone are entitled to accomplish kevali-hood and Kevalis alone can attain liberation. The Purva problems thus involve with the karma theory and the mechanism of liberation developed in the later canonical age. Let us now take up the individual problems relevant to the Purva.
The rddhi which is also called siddhi or aiśvarya in the other schools is commonly regarded as the supernatural capacity attainable by the performance of tapas, dhyāna or yoga. Ṛddhis play important roles in the Jaina school also in the process of achieving mokṣa through performing śukla dhyāna. Among the fivefold knowledges of the Jainas, avadhi, manaḥparyaya and kevala jñāna that perceive objects without relying on sense organs are regarded as rddhis. Darsana occurs in
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