Lord Mahavira

Author(s): Bool Chand
Publisher: Jain Cultural Research Society

Page 77

( 69 )
of matter, which have the peculiar property of deve. loping the effects of merit. Karma acts in such a way that every change which takes place leaves a mark which is retained and built into the organism to serve as the foundation for future action. Punya is the name of those actions which lead to the good karma, which in.its turn is productive of peace of mind ; Papa is just the opposite of gon. Punya may be laid up in the following nine ways ; by giving food to deserving people who are hungry, weak, destitute of help and needy (nach), ,by giving water to the thirsty (9179met ); by giving residence, by giving sleeping accommodation, by giving clothes, by thinking well of every one and wishing them well (79); by exerting ourselves to render service to others or to save life ; by speaking sweetly and so as to influence others towards religion and morality (Faa); and by reverent salutations (FAETIT). Papa may be earned in eighteen ways; by destroying life (910faara) by speaking untruthfully (मपावाद); by acting dishonestly (अदत्तादान) by unchaste conduct ( Aga ); by excessive love of one's own possessions (aftue); by getting angry without a cause ( en ); by conceited behaviour (plat); by intrigue or cheating (1147); by avarice (an); by over-fondness ( 2017 ) for a person or a thing; by hatred or eavy (am); by quarrelsomeness (1957); by slander of others (erittregla); by telling stories to discredit any one (TI); by continually thinking of other's faults (ref1977); by excessive attachment to temporal and transitory objects of affection (fa); by lypocrisy (
F IAT); and by false faith (Tacurica). It is needless to' labour the point that such' detailed analysis of the acts of merit and demerit entitles Jainism to be coasidered as primarily an ethical philosophy.
Karma, the accumulated result of action, is one of the central ideas of Jain Philosohphy, and Asrava deals with the way in which karma is acquired by the human soul. There are forty-two chief channels of Asrara through which karma affects a jiva; of these seventeen are regarded as major-the five