Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra

Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

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STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SOTRA
[Ch. X
· As already discusssd in the first section of this chapter soul is endowed with consciousness, infinite knowledge, infinite selfawareness, infinite conduct", power, energy, etc., in its perfect eternal state. But the worldly souls are imperfect, for their innate faculty is clouded by a very fine foreign element imperceptible to the senses, which is called karma and is an aggregate of material particles. This karma-matter, entering into the mundane soul through the physical vocal and bodily actions causes certain conditions in it as a result of the modifications of consciousness comprising four passions viz. anger, pride, deceitfulness and greed.
Thus karmabandha of soul takes place owing to the penetration and assimilation of karma-particles into it. Liberation of soul from this bondage can be attained by the two-fold processes, viz. the stoppage of the influx of karma-matters and their dissociation.
Karmabandha is studied from four points of view, viz. its nature (prakrti-bandha) duration (sthiti-bandha) intensity (anubhāgabandha) and quantity (pradesa-bandha). According to its nature, karma is classified into eight fundamental species (mula praktis), viz. jnānāvaraniya-karma (knowledge obscuring karma), daršahāvarniyakar ma intuition obscuring karina), vedaniya-karma (feeling producing Icarma), mohanīya-karma (deluding karmu which obscures the right attitude of soul to faith and conduct), ayus karma (longevity-determining karma) ; nāma karma (body-making or personality-determining karma with its general and special qualities and faculties), gotra-karma (status-determining karma, e. g. family clan, caste, nationality, social, standing, etc.) and antarāya-karma (soul's energy-hindering karma). They are divided and sub-divided into 158 kinds of karmas.
Nature of Karma
Karmas are bound by consciousness of soul (ceyakaļā kammā kajjanti), because they get transformed into bad place,
1 Bhs, 2, 1, 91. i Io, 1, 4, 38. See also Pannavanā, uddesaka I, and Karma
grantha, s Bhs, 16, 2, 570.