________________
40
KOKILA H. SHAH
SAMBODHI
This moral order ensures that everyone gets the good or bad fruits of his actions. The differences among souls arise due to impact of karma. The diversity is produced as the result of forces generated in the past. Lord Mahavira is known to have said to his disciple Gautam, that just as a sprout has a seed for its cause, there is a cause for happiness and misery. Thus it is that each act inevitably leads to its fruits. The acts of one's life are called karmas, the good or bad effects of which it is impossible for a person to avoid. Jaina scriptures like Sthānānga Sūtra, Uttaradhyāyansūtra, Bhagvati sūtra etc. contain general outline of the doctrine and the details have been worked out in karmagranthas.
In Jainism 'Karma' is refined matter - the subtle matter gets transformed into different kinds of actions producing effect. As it is said "Karma is matter, peculiarly modified because of its proximity to the conscious principle. Karma supplies to and builds up for the soul the various instruments, through which it functions in the mundane sphere." In Pancāstikāya Kundakundācārya says - Jivoti Kamma Samjuto i. e. Jiva is in association with Karma.2 In Tattvārth Sūtra Umāsvāti says karmic matter flows into the soul and binds it. “Activities of body; speech and mind is yoga – it is inflow of karma”3 Thus Karma is attached to the soul by its own actions. The fruit of karma is irresistible. On the destruction of Karma future happiness of soul depends. Karma theory shows how different Karmic energies become operative in the spiritual career of the soul. In Uttaradhyayansūtra - it is said, that the painful condition of the self is brought about by one's own action and not by any other cause like fate or chance or the like. Sometimes, the effect of an act may take time to be explicit, but the Karmas are never fruitless. It is further said in Jaina texts that all living beings owe their present form of existence to their own karmas. Thus souls' position can be improved or worsened by Karmas. Each individual will get the return according to the energy he puts forth and except for Karmas earned for oneself by oneself, none gives anything to anyone.
The theory presupposes that there is a soul which needs to be realised. It is necessary to understand the essential principles of Jainism and its assumptions which are as follows:
1) Existence of soul as an independent substance
2) Immortality of soul. 3) Karma and Rebirth
4) Possibility of liberation from the bondage of Karma
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
