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Study of Jainism
and ajiva as the essential constituents of the universe. We shall now present a brief survey of the principles mentioned above from the spiritual point of view. The ultimate end of life is to attain perfection. It is mokşa. That is the end for all Indian philosophers except Carvaka. The soul due to contact with Ajiya has its activity. Due to the activity of the soul (yoga) karmic particles flow in into the soul. This influx of karmic matter is called Āsraya. The soul forgets its original nature due to the cncrustation of karma and gets involved in wheel of life. This invoivement is beginningless but it has an end. The involvement in the wheel of saṁsára is due to the influx of Karma. Just as water flows into a pond from different streamlets, so also karma flows into the soul from different directions due to various types of activity.57
This influx of karma has been distinguished into two types : 1) Dravyaasrava and the other 2) Bhavasrava. The influx of karmic matter which causes jñandvarasiya and other karmas is dravya Asrava. 68 The karmic matter enters into the soul and obscures its capacity of knowledge, intuition and activity. That modification of the soul by which karma gets into it is called the Bhavasrava. The Bhavaśrava refers to the psychic impediments which are responsible for the creation of the conditions of the influx of karmas. And dravyasrava refers to the corpus of the karmic particles flowing into the soul and causing bondage. The Bhavasrava would in a sense become the condition for the influx of the karmic matter. But at the same time Dravyaśrava does bring certain psychic accompaniments which are responsible for the psychic states and events producing the conditions for influx of the karmic matter. Aśrava refers to the source through which karmic matter flows into the soul. In this sense we may distinguish five sources from which karmic matter flows in.
1) Mithyarva : It is the perversity of outlook. It may be distinguished into two types : i) sahaja mithyatva (inherent perversity) and ii) grahita mithyatra it is acquired perversity in both these forms there is the absence of a hunger and thirst after sighteousness. Perversity of attitude is the root cause of all evil and it binds the jiva to the cndless whcel of samsara.
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