Studies In Umasvati And His Tattvartha Sutra

Author(s): G C Tripathi, Ashokkumar Singh
Publisher: Bhogilal Laherchand Institute of Indology

Page 82

72 Studies in Umāsväti
However, according to William Johnson, in the area of karma theory, Umāsvāti/Umāsvāmī was not merely a masterful organizer but an innovator as well for in this work he introduced the kaṣāya doctrine, namely, that activity causes the influx (āsrava) of karmic matter to the soul while passion (kaṣāya) causes its bondage (bandha). The introduction of kaṣāya to the process of karmic bondage, in the opinion of Johnson, was undertaken in order to 'systematize, as far as possible Jaina doctrine for the whole Jaina community, and perhaps most of all for the growing lay audience'.3
In a book entitled Harmless Souls: Karmic Bondage and Religious Change in Early Jainism with Special Reference to Umāsvāti and Kundakunda, Johnson has discussed how the question of what is perceived to be the immediate cause of bondage of the soul in samsāra has changed over time. After comparing passages in the earliest portions of the Svetāmbara canonical texts with those found in the Tattvärthasūtra, he has concluded that 'in the earliest Jaina texts the influx of karmic particles and their bondage to the soul is seen as being the inevitable result of activity (yoga)... and that for early Jainism volition is not a relevant factor in bondage'. Before examining the question of whether it is realistic to construct a model of karmic bondage that does not include kaṣāyas, I will review briefly the process of karmic bondage as described in the Tattvärtha Sutra, or as Johnson has titled one of his chapters, in 'Umāsväti's Jainism'.
Matter is attracted to the soul by vibrations (parispanda) of its space-points (atmapradeśa). These vibrations occur when vīrya-antarāya karma obstructs the infinite and perfect energy (virya) of the soul and when there is activity expressed through mind (manas), speech (vacas), and body (kaya).5 This subtle matter is transformed into different varieties (prakṛtis) of karma, each named in accordance with its function or its effect on soul. It is bound with the soul for a certain period of time (sthiti)