Portrait of Jain Religion

Author(s): Narendra Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 74

ASRAVA-INFLOW OF KARMAS
Inflow of karmas (asrava) - good or bad is caused by 'Mithyatva' (ignorance and false perception), 'Avirati' (lack of self-restraint and self-control), 'Pramada (unmindfulness, idleness and addiction), 'Kashaya' (passions like anger, conceit, ego, deceipt, delusion, greed and attachment (krodh, maan, maya and lobha), and 'Yoga' (activities of mind, speech and body).
BANDH-the process of karmic attachments
Following 'asrava', 'bandh' comes up as the continuous process of attachment of karma particles to the soul through physical, verbal or mental activities. These activities may be done by oneself or by askingor encouraging others to carry them out. Karma bandha, thus, attached could be Prukruti bandh (nature of karma), Pradesha bandha (quantity or location of karma), Sthithi bandha (duration), and Ras bandha (intensity).
TYPES OF KARMAS
Karmas are grouped in eight categories. Four among them are called Ghati karmas (destructive karmas), and the other four Aghati or non-destructive karmas. As explained in other chapters, ghatti karmas are knowledge obscuring (Jyanavarniya), perception obscuring (darshanavarniya), obstructing (antaraya), and deluding (mohaniya) karmas. Of these the mohaniya karmas are the most difficult to overcome. It is wellknown that Indrabhuti Gautam could not attain Omnicience as long as he harboured 'moha' (attachment) for Lord Mahavir. For achieving Omnicience, it is imperative to overcome all the four ghatti karmas completely.
The four 'aghati karmas' are ‘vedaniya karma' (feeling producing like good or bad health, happiness or sorrow), 'Nam karma' (body determining like healthy or unhealthy physique), 'Gotra karma' (status determining like higher or lower status in the society), and 'Ayushya karma' (life span determining in all the four gatis. Siddhahood is achieved as soon as the soul gets rid of these
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A Portrait of Jain Religion