Society Epistemology And Logic In Indian Tradition

Author(s): Dharmchand Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharati Academy

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Society, Epistemology and Logic in Indian Tradition
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race or descent is a result of high status (ucca gotra) karma and birth in a lower race or descent is a result of lower status (nīca gotra) karma, but it is to be clarified that according to the theory of Jain karma philosophy nīca gotra karma may change into ucca gotra in the same life-span.** Thus here 'gotra' word does not denote any caste or sub-caste, but it denotes the internal impressions (samskāra) of a person. If he does not have pride of his own caste, beauty, creed, richness, character, knowledge, penance and power, then he bears an ucca gotra, and if he takes pride in these then he becomes a person of nīca gotra." In one life span one can have both the gotras.“ Hence the concept of gotra karma in Jaina philosophy is not related to the birth in specific caste. It is related to the internal impressions of the attitude of a person. Question is - what is the social aspect of gotra karma? Here we can say that although it is related to the higher or lower impressions of a person, which is an internal matter, its effect is seen in outer world also. In the view of Jaina karma theory, a person who is possessed with pride is not great, but the person who is not possessed with superiority and inferiority complex is great.
The concepts of pleasure giving (sātāvedanīya) karma and grief or pain giving (asātā vedanīya) karma instruct the society in a right path that if you do good to others it will result in good to you and if you do bad to others it will bear bad
* KG 2:16: says that nīcagotra karma remains manifested up to fifth guṇasthāna,
after that ucca gotra occurs in sixth and other higher gunasthānas. When a
person becomes a sādhu, he bears ucсagotra karma. * In the commentary of AN 2.88: Jātirupakulaiśvaryasilajñanatapobalaih;
kurvānohankytim nīcagotram badhnāti mānavaḥ. * Utt 12: Harikesi Muni is an instance of this fact.