Samayik And Chaityavandan Vidhi

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 34

Inherently, soul is imbibed with infinite knowledge, perception, bliss and vigor. But being smeared with Karma, these attributes remain latent and are not manifest at present. This is analogous to coolness of water, which is inherent within it, but that cannot be experienced when it is hot.
The worldly soul has been under the influence of some or other types of Karma since the time without beginning. The association of the Karma obscures and/or obstructs the manifestation of its true nature. It therefore reacts to the given situations with the sense of craving or aversion. Its present unhappy state is the result of such association.
By reacting to the situations with craving etc. soul acquires new Karma that results in getting a new life. Our own Karmas are responsible for our obtaining the favorable or unfavorable situations. By reacting to such situations with craving or aversion, the worldly soul acquires new Karma that leads to getting still newer situations. Thus, the cycle of births and deaths continues and would continue so long as the soul does not understand its true nature and stops reacting to any situation. If the soul accepts the given situations with equanimity, it would not acquire new Karma.
The question would arise how soul initially acquired Karma. It has been stated by the enlightened that there was no time when the worldly soul had ever been without the impact of Karma. This may seem a bit puzzling. If, however, we ponder over, we can realize that it is really not possible to visualize any time when we were without such impact. This is more or less similar to the case of gold in a gold mine being found with impurities. It is not possible to say when the gold got mixed with those impurities. We can, however, mine that gold and with the appropriate processing we can purify it and get pure gold. Similarly, we can eradicate the impact of the Karma by observing equanimity and thereby we can realize our true Self.
Soul is inherently capable to know every thing. Its potentialities are however obscured on account of the operation of Karma. If we start shaking off the Karma, the potentialities of soul would be increasingly evident. In that case, we come to know more and more and ultimately we can come to a stage when we know every thing. This is the Karmaless stage known as Kewaljnän or omniscience. After that the soul has not to take new birth.
The names and other relevant particulars of the 24 Tirthankars are given below.
Name
Symbol
Father
Mother
Birth Place
Rushabhdev
Ox Ajitnäth
Elephant Sambhavnäth Horse Abhinandanswämi Monkey Sumatinäth
Crane
Näbhiraya Jitshatru Jitäri Samvar Megharath
Marudevi Vijaya Senä Siddharthä Mangalä
Vinitä+ Ayodhya Cravats Ayodhya Ayodhya