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68 / Lord Mahavira
2. Karmic Particles & Self
As the power of consciousness, although immaterial, is obscured by taking intoxicating drugs and drinking alcohols so the immaterial self can be attracted or obscured by material karma. Worldly selves are always associated with material karmas, since they are not perfectly immaterial. Karma produces pleasure, pain and sorrow etc, and that is why it is material in nature. Karma is only an instrumental cause while the principal cause of all our actions is the self. Karma cannot produce any effect if it is not associated with self. The self has the magnetic power to attract the karmic particles. Though the self is pure, completely free and potentially divine, yet it becomes subject to limitation by the power of karma. As heat can unite with iron and water with rnilk so karma unites with the self. Karmic matter veils the omnisciences of the self on the dense veil of clouds thereby obstructing the light of the sun. Karma does not mix with the self as milk mixes with water due to the divisible parts of karma and self. The karma covers the essential qualities of the self as the cloud covers the light of the sun.
