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The Path of Arhat ; A Religious Democracy
would be equally intense and strong. A man can use his knife to commit murder as also to perform a surgical operation to cure a living creature, and accidently causes death. Both may be responsible to cause death but while one wanted to kill, the other wanted to save. Thus the 'Bhava' or intention of both was entirely different and hence the boodage would also be different.
Mitigation of Bondage
When the intensity of a bondage is extremely strong, it has to be sufferred as it cannot be mitigated. Such karmas are called 'Nikáciť. However, other karmas and their effect can be mitigated by countering them by penances, equanimity and good conduct. This aspect will be discussed in further details when we consider the 'Tattva' called 'Nirjara' ( shedding ) process of being free from karmic bondage.
Fresh Karmas
Self, in its dynamic march through worldly lives is constantly earning and shedding karmas. It earns further karmic bondages even while suffering the fruits of the past karn if it does not suffer the said fruits with equanimity and objectivity. A person who passes through some calamity-mental or physical grumbles against his fate or loses temper and commits acts of indiscretion and violence with a view to avoid the uncomfortable circumstances in which he is placed. Another man who is passing through a period of prosperity or is invested with some power over his fellow men or lower creatures, and while enjoying this prosperity and power, he commits acts of indiscretion and violence. Both these persons are reaping the fruits of their past or present karmas, but while doing so, they are creating fresh and further bondages by their acts of indiscretion and violence. Even acceptance of fruits of good and bad karmas with over joy or sadness disturbs the mental equilibrium and results in fresh bondage of karmas.
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