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Chapter - 8
Samayasāra
karmic matter [which when coalesced with the soul, becomes karma], is conceived as extremely fine dust filling up the space. Two fundamental conditions of bondage are threefold activities and fourfold passions. The function of the former is to attract the karmic dust towards the soul while that of the latter is to produce and provide the force essential for lasting bondage. In these verses. the functions of both the above factors are thoroughly clarified by a simple analogy.
As is well known, it was customary to cover the floor of a place of martial/physical exercises with soft sand to prevent injury to the practitioners. It was also customary to do such exercises with an almost naked body [except for a loin-cloth] well smeared with oil. Now if the exercises take place with an oily body, it is certain that the sand will cling to the body and it will be difficult to clean the body. On the other hand, a dry body free from the oil will remain practically unaffected though the actions in both cases might be identical. The inevitable conclusion is, therefore, that when the body is free from the tackiness of oil, the (martial) activities, by themselves are not competent to affect a lasting bondage. In other words activities play a minor part while the tackiness [of oil] is the main cause for the sticking of the sand up the body. Greater the tackiness, stronger is the bond between the body and the sand. Without oil, even if the dust comes into contact with the body, cannot cling to it.
Applying the analogy to the doctrine of bondage of karma, an enlightened sage is free from the tackiness of passions-affection, aversion, attachment etc., while an unenlightened (deluded) person is not. In the worldly life, both have to be engaged in threefold activities which attract the karmic dust. But the bondage will occur only when the psychic dispositions are infected with passions. In the absence of passions there will be no bondage. Thus, the ultimate cause of bondage is the attachment and the like and not the worldly activities.
In the Ultimate Analysis, Nobody can either take or save another's Life
जो मण्णदि हिंसामि य हिंसिज्जामि य परेहि सत्तेहिं । At yeì zrovnaft vnost gat z faditat || ?? ||
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