________________
812
THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE.
fication of the senses also deprives one of the power of judgment, the sense of morality, and the capacity to act in the right way, follows as a necessary corollary. The associations, too, are determined by the same cause, since a drunkard can only find pleasure in the company of men of his own type, and so forth. The duration of life, i.e., longevity, also depends, to a considerable extent, on the nature of the active tendencies of the soul, since the pursuit of sensual pleasure constantly acts as a strain on the body hy subjecting it to all kinds of unhealthy surroundings and uncongenial environment. Besides, desires invariably bring us into conflict with men also bent on gratifying their lusts and often lead to quarrels, duels and wars. As a matter of fact, the physical body also can be made to defy death and decay, to a considerable extent, as will be shown more fully later on, but that requires an active attitude of the soul, whose desires and actions in the state of bondage are only calculated to jeopardize and imperil its 'life' every moment.
The bondage of karmas is got rid of in two different ways, either naturally, or by the active exertion of the will. The difference between the two modes lies in the fact that, while in the former case the release is always partial and brought about by the exhaustion of the force of one or more karma-prakritis, in the latter it results from the knowledge of the real nature of the Self, and the consequent exertion of the will to remove the obstacles from its path. The result is that in the former case the soul is freed from one kind of bondage only to fall into some other, but in the latter all kinds of bonds are broken, one after another, by the conscious
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
