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11
IMPELLENT FORCES, THE CAUSES OF KARMAS
It is not under all circumstances that a person's action or word or thought would be the cause of the karma, it is only in certain circumstances. That is to say, when the exercise of the different faculties of the person is preceded by certain impellent forces, or in other words, when by reason of certain impellent forces in him a person says something or does something or thinks something, then he generates the karma.
These impellent forces are not the cause, because the cause is the person himself. The circumstantial causes are the instrumental causes, and these are his impellent forces. There are four kinds, namely, as follows:
1. Mithyatva (Delusion): When a person is in that condition and does, thinks, or says something, then he generates karma. For instance, by way of illustration, when a man does not examine the belief into which he is born, as to its merits or demerits. Also doubts come under this heading. Again, when a man knows or believes that his doctrines are wrong and still preaches them, he generates a bad karma. Again, the state of delusion here meant is found in those living beings in whom right belief does not exist, they having formed no right or wrong beliefs, it is a state of the lack of development. Lack of development is injurious. The Sanskrit name of this first impellent force by reason of which the karma is generated is mithyātva. (mithya means wrong; and tva means 'ness'.)
There are five kinds of this cause (mithyatva), namely: 1. Abhigraha mithyatva. It is a state of mind in which you stick to a false belief. You may not know it. If you think, speak, or act when in this state, you generate fresh karma [the
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