Book Title: Outlines of Jainism
Author(s): S Gopalan
Publisher: Wiley Eastern Private Limited New Delhi

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Page 183
________________ 174 by some malady and the way in which the body is freed of the malady is described in medicine. JAINISM The human body is considered in its natural state to possess resistance to the various types of diseases. But due to so many factors the body sometimes loses its resistance. This facilitates the various kinds of germs getting into the body and affecting it. The cure consists in the organism developing resistance and stopping the inflow of the disease-producing germs and also in positively getting rid of the germs which have already entered the body (or by making them ineffective). The parallellism will presently become evident. etc. The jiva which is pure in nature gets infected with the karmic particles because of its psychical states of attachment, aversion, Before the soul is actually affected by the karmic particles there is the modification of the soul. We may well describe it as the soul losing its resistance to the 'infection' of karma and becoming susceptible to its evil influence. The first is referred to as dravyaśrava and the second, as bhāvāśrava. Since the modification of the soul precedes the soul getting polluted, nay, prepares the way to it, the ultimate cause of bondage is considered to be bhāvāśrava and not dravyāśrava. Impure psychic dispositions result from the lack of true faith, absence of discipline and having emotions like anger, jealousy, greed, etc. This aids the inflow of the karmic particles towards the soul and the process of pollution. We also find a slightly different opinion in regard to the distinction we were referring to just now. In the place of the two types of aśravas we find acceptance of the principle of aśrava alone. Aśrava is defined as action of body, speech and mind.1 It is obvious that though the psychical and physical actors have been clubbed together the spirit of the argument regarding the inflow of karma is the same. The vibratory activity of the soul caused by the body, mind and speech is technically called yoga and it is the most comprehensive cause of aśrava since it embraces both the empirical souls and the Arhantas within its range.5 The Siddhas are beyond its range since they have no activity of the body, mind and speech. Bandha is again due to yoga, but not yoga alone. The malig 4 Ibid., VI. 1-2 5 K, C. Sogani, op. cit., p. 47 Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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