Studies in Jainism

Author(s): Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta
Publisher: Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta

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STUDIES IN JAINISM
is samabhirudha naya. And lastly, when words are used exactly in their original derivative sense and significance, it is evambhūta naya. This is the doctrine of seven approaches (sapta naya) to the clarification of knowledge. The first three are grouped under dravya naya, and the last four under paryāya naya.
KĀRMIC BODY AND ITS END : We now come to the third tattua, the contact of the soul with matter (asrava). There is no God or supreme Being creating, destroying, and recreating the world. Souls exist
he world from time eternal in association with matter. The enjoyment of this association leads to further contact, and so the cycle goes on till the association is brought to, an end in such a way as to avoid any fresh contact; salvation is then achieved. The contact takes place in the following way: The soul is always surrounded by a large volume of fine matter called karma. This invades the soul and settles down on it whenever the soul is found to be in a state of iniquity, i.e. affected by the activities of the body, mind, or speech, owing to the propelling force of wrong belief or moral failings or passions, namely, anger, pride, deceit, or greed. This contact leads to the formation of what is called the karmana sarira (body of subtle karma matter), corresponding to the linga or sūksma sarira (subtle body) of the Samkhyas, which accompanies the soul throughout life as well as in its migrations from one body to another. That this kārmana sarira is formed of actual matter particles is evident from the fact that it has both weight and colour. Soul, by itself, is very light, the lightest of all substances, and hence, in a pure state, it would fly at once to the highest point of the lokākāśa, as far as the existence of dharma matter would make movement possible. But it is actually kept down by the weight of its kārmaņa sarira. The latter also imparts to it a complexion (leśyā) that may be dark, blue, grey, yellow, red or white. The first three of these are regarded as inauspicious and the last three auspicious.
Closely associated with asrava is bandha (bondage), the fourth reality. The karmana sarira, spoken of above, binds