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PAÑCALINGĪPRAKARAŅAM : 15
5–6. Four types of passions - fleeting (sañjvalana), renouncement inhibiting (apratyākhyāni), renouncement blocking (pratyākhyānā-varana) and infinitely bonding (anantānubandhi) are said to be tailing the living for periods of a fortnight, four months, an year and for entire life respectively and also they are believed to yield heavenly, human, animal and hellish rebirths for the souls under their influence. However this belief cannot be substantiated, because according to this belief a righteous but unrestrained living being will reborn as an animal or a subhuman creature. Also, according to this belief, if we take it that the infinitely bonding persistent passions tail a soul lifelong, how can, then, a victim of false belief ever gain right-belief and how can a righteous and part restrained aspirant also ever gain human rebirth bonding karma?
Here, the author is trying to clarify the point that what anomalies present themselves if we take the first indicator of right-belief to be based on passions. The two examples presented here clarify this point – firstly, if the four types of passions are taken to be responsible for heavenly, human, animal and hellish rebirths, we end up with the conclusion that a righteous but unrestrained living being will gain an animal rebirth (and also that a righteous and part restrained aspirant may not gain the human rebirth), which is not in conformity with the scriptural teachings. Secondly, if the infinitely persistent passions tail a soul lifelong how can, then, a victim of false-belief ever gain right-belief?
For these reasons it is not appropriate to believe that the passions are responsible for different kinds of rebirths.
