Sramana Tradation

Author(s): G C Pandey
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 27

Sramaņa Tradition
etasyaivānandasya anyäni bhūtāni mātrāmupa jivanti.' It may be emphasized, that this is a bliss higher than any other and that attaining to it the Sramaņa and the Tāpasa transcend themselves.
Describing death, Yajñavalkya says that the actions, character and deeds of a person accompany him at the moment of departure. * Tam vidyakarmani samanvārabhete pūrva prajñä сal' Just as a caterpillar creeps from one blade of grass to another, so the soul transmigrates from one body to another. 'tadyatha tyna jalāyuká trnas yântam gatvå'nyam akramam ákramyătmănam upasamharaty evamevāyamn ätmedam śarīram nihatya avidyam gamayitvå 'nyam akramam äkram yātmānam upasamharati | Just as a goldsmith may make a new ornament from the gold taken from an old one, so the soul makes for itself a new body the quality of which depends on the moral quality of his deeds. Yathakarī yathacari tatha bhavati sadhukäri sädhur bhavati på pakāri pāpo bhavati punyah punyena karmană bhavati påpah påpenal' “According as one acts, according as one conducts himself, so does he become, the doer of good becomes good. The doer of evil becomes evil. One becomes virtuous by virtuous action, bad by bad action." Not only are the facts of transmigration and the doctrine of Karman described here but the psycho-ethical principles underlying the law of Karman are also clearly stated. From desire proceeds will and from will action which in turn produces consequences for the soul. 'atha khalvåhuh kamarnaya eväyam purusa iti sa yathakāmo bhayati tatkratur bhavati yatkratur bhavati taikarma kurute yatkarma kurute tadabhisampadyate l’Hume translates “But people say 'A person is made (not of acts, but ) of desires only. (In reply to this I say): As is his desire, such is his resolve; as is bis resolve, such the action he performs; what action he performs, that he procures for himself.” Here the first sentence is made out as a kind of pūrvapakşa to be rebutted by what follows. This does not appear to be correct. As Sankara has pointed out the opening words - kämamaya eväyam puruṣah - go to the root of the matter. Desire is the source of Samsāra. In its absence even Karman does not bind. Kamaprahäne tu karma vidyamanamapi punya punyopacayakaram na bhavati l' This is a typi. cally Buddhist doctrine. This is almost a simple description of Pratityasamutpäda such as is found in some of the earlier texts like