Journal of Gyansagar Science Foundation 2013 04 01

Author(s): Sanjeev Sogani, Vimal Jain
Publisher: Gyansagar Science Foundation

Page 70

Prof. (Dr.) Sohan Raj Tater, Volume 1 Issue 1 April 2013
results. Through these therapies, one man's thoughts are conveyed to the other man and affect the other man to a great extent. Research done in this direction will be able to prove this biological hypothesis. This theory will help us lead a happy, contented and balanced life and a new happy contented society will come into existence.23
have found out only those atoms which determine our characteristics, but the doctrine of karma goes upto the kārmaa body and describes many more characteristics. The doctrine of karma also describes how āsava karma sticks to soul and how āsava can be detached from soul. It also says that the unwholesome karmas can be removed by austerities and the state of joy can be achieved.30
One germplasm contains many chromosomes. These chromosomes have genes. In fact, only the genes are the messengers of virtues and vices, they are the cause of virtues and vices. According to genetics, every embryo contains 23 chromosomes of father and 23 chromosomes of mother.24 The biologists guess that due to the meeting of these all chromosomes-16, 77, 216 kinds of various similarities are expected.25
It is sure that mental as well as intellectual merits of genes are necessarily affected by a man's prebirth internal state, i.e.nature, and also by the after-birth, outer environment such as air, temperature, light, moisture, nutrition, etc., i.e. nurture.31 If two identical twins are kept separately in the outer environmental conditions, their body structure, their personality and mental characteristics will greatly differ from each other. Whereas both have the same genome structure and similar development of the embryo. These two identical twins, in spite of having similar internal and outer environment, their original form will differ. These factors clearly indicate towards karma- the controlling factors and existence of soul. After a thorough research of Jaina Theory of Karma, the described consequences may be achieved. 2
Till now the science of genetics has reached only upto genes. It is one of the component units of this gross body, on the other hand, karma is one of the component of our subtle body. Inside this gross body (sthūla sarira) resides the astral body (taijasa sarira). The more subtle is the karma body, and it is the most subtle body.26 At every limb of this most subtle body is written the account of our self-exertion of our virtues and vices, of our limitations and of our reactions. The human starts behaving according to the vibrations coming from karma śarīra. Ācārya Mahaprajña writes, "the genes not only bears the genetic traits of its parents, but these also represent the karmas performed by the individual.27
The Scientific Communistic Thought of Jainism
According to the modern anatomy, all creatures have the same genetic codes-fundamental building blocks of life.33 It is only due to the mutation of the genetic codes, different types of species of creatures-right from amiba to man, take birth. Thus, the doctrine of Jaina karma believes that all the jīvas are possessed with similar soul and similar capacities but their different karmas provide them different bodies. 34
One scholar tells us that the controlling elements of our body have been found out and it seems to be a great achievement. Today, through the genetic mapping, all the genes have been found out which control the various states of our traits. We have also discovered all the sequences of genes set up, and everyday new researches in this field are revealing new knowledge about the genes. A group of researches led by Paul Thomasan of the University of California of Los Angles has given clear evidence that intelligence is largely determined before birth.28 Still the whole puzzle, regarding all the traits of human beings, has not been fully solved. But the Jaina karma theory-describes elaborately about the karma particles-and these karma particles determine not only the characteristics of the body of jīva but also its happiness, sorrow, perception, age and gotra are also decided.29
First of all, it should be made clear that every incident does not occur only due to karma. Karmas are not all in all. If we believe that whatever happens is subject to karmas only, it will be such an explanation that the thiest (believer in God) says that every thing happens only due to the command of God or all that happens is subject to fate (fate or pre-destined), we cannot introduce any change.
Thus, the genes and genetic codes to which the scientists are considering supreme of all are the only particles functioning under the karma vargaās. It requires a great research because while science has stopped only on body characteristics, on the other hand, the doctrine of karma has gone far ahead of it. Genetic science states that they
If karma is believed to be all in all, there will be no room for self-exertion to eliminate them nor there will be any possibility for achieving salvation (moksha), becauseas the karmas are done, so do they rise and reward the doer, and he or she will act according to them and bear further bondage of karmas. If it is so, then the thought of self-exertion and salvation will prove wrong. Thus, it is proved that karmas are not all in all.
65