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236
THE KARMAS WHICH CONSTITUTE MERIT
into the eight species of karmas. Owing to activity these are made one with the soul by the soul. Thus space-bondage must be understood in brief.
While it was contended that merit and demerit should have been included after bondage (vide commentary on sutra 4), it was rejected under the plea that these were included in bondage. Hence it must be explained here what merit is and what demerit is. The next sutra determines the karmas that constitute merit.
सद्वेद्यशुभायुर्नामगोत्राणि पुण्यम् ॥ २५ ॥
Sadvedyaśubhāyurnāmagotrāņi punyam (25) 25. The good variety of feeling-producing karmas and the auspicious life, name and status-determining karmas constitute merit (punya).
'Subham' means auspicious. It is added to the rest soverallyauspicious life, auspicious name and auspicious status.
The three life-karmas which. determine birth in the plant and animal world, the world of humanity and the world of celestial beings are the three auspicious life-karmas. The auspicious name (physique-making) karmas are of thirty-seven kinds. They are as follows. The human state of existence, the celestial state of existence, the class of beings with five senses (pañcendriyajāti), the five bodies, the three chief and secondary parts of the bodies (angopāngas), the symmetrical structure of the body (samacaturasrasannsthāna), the utmost firmness of the joints (vajrarṣabhanārācasamhanana), pleasant colour, taste, odour and touch, two ārūpūrvis—that which causes the soul to move towards human birth, and that which causes the soul to move towards celestial birth, neither heavy nor light (agurilaghu), lia bility of being injured by others (parāghāta), capacity for breathing, emitting a warm splendour, emitting a cold lustre, graceful gait, movable .body, gross body, complete development of the organs and the faculties of the body, possession of an individual body, firmness of the bodily frame, etc., beauty of the body, charm, melodious voice, lustrous body, glory and renown, the formation of the body with the parts
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