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Vol. XXVI, 2003
THE DOCTRINE OF KARMA & LEŚYA....
higher state of existence due to impact of good conduct, that is meritorious karmas - says Acārya Haribhadra."
Thus it is Jaina point of view that a human being can achieve freedom from karmas by his own efforts. He alone is responsible for all that he does. It means there is no provision for Creator God. Soul creates his own destiny. The Law of Karma does not advocate the theory of predestination and god's grace. Theory of transmigration is closely linked with doctrine of karma It is evident that the Karma theory is very foundation of Jaina thought.
Part - II
Karma & Leśya - The theory of karma has special significance if we consider it with reference to concept of Leśyā, that is - 'Soul colouring'.
The question is what are the roots of Karmabandh? It is said in Jain texts, that, whenever a soul experiences this or that mental state, at that very time it gets bound by corresponding good or evil Karmas. In Karmagranth, Six Lesyas are described in relation to soul & Karma. In Jain sutras, Leśya is defined as follows :
Jogapauti lessā 12 Kasayaudayāmjiyā hoi Tatto donham Kajjam, baṁdhaccaukm Samuddhittham.'13
It means Occurrence of soul colouring as a result of activities of mind, speech & body due to the rise of passions is called Leśyā. The twin effects of activity and passions is to bring about bondage of four kinds of Karma.! According
to Sūtrakritāngal - Leśyā is a term signifying colour. Lesyā is said to be that by . ' means of which soul is tainted with merit and demerit. It arises out of yoga and
kasāysa, namely, vibrations due to the activities of body and mind and speech and passions. The lesyas are different conditions produced in the soul by the influence of different kinds of karmas. It is significant to note that lesyas are not dependent on the nature of soul but on the Karma which accompanies the soul. Just as the gem called spatika crystal is pure and transparent, the soul also is pure in its original form. If we place near spatika any colour, it acquires that colour and radiance. Soul also assumes various forms in accordance with the effect of Karmavarganā on it. It keeps changing. Leśyā is name given to these various transformations the soul undergoes. Its working is sure subtle. It comes into an operation when an individual adopts certain mental attitude. The point is - karma consists of acts and intentional and unintentional that produce effects on the nature of the soul. The soul is not passive, that is, it does not remain untouched
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