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BHATTACHARYA : KARMA
the organic matter may be thoroughly assimilated to the Soul, the Soul must be supposed to have a basic tendency, an inclination or aptitude in itself for the said assimilation. This fundamental proneness in the soul for assimilating or absorbing the organic matter peculiar in each case, is called Kaşaya or passion, by the Jainas. Referring to this basic and ultimate causality of the Kaşaya in the matter of structural evolution, Akalanka lucidly says:
"Just as a wet cloth catches in itself the dust brought towards it by winds from all sides, so does the soul, wet with Kaşaya absorb in all its parts the Karma (Organic matter), introduced by the Yoga. Or, just as a red-hot iron-ball when thrown into (a pot full of) water, fully absorbs in itself the water (of the pot) so does the soul, filled with Kasaya, completely take in the Karma brought by the Yoga."
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It may thus appear that the Jaina philosophers also believe in an immaterial factor, required for the structural evolution in an animal, over and above the organic matter.
The dualistic systems of India thus maintain that the congenital differences in structure and other matters in animals, are due to the differences in the pre-natal super-organic forces that work upon the organic matter and shape it into the usual forms. Even the monistic Vedanta admits the causality of these pre-natal forces. Inspite of its acosmistic position, the Vedanta concedes that for all practical purposes, the World must be accepted as real. From the practical standpoint, the animals are to be supposed to have their origination and God, to be their creator. The question, therefore, arises: How are the differences in animals to be accounted for? Is God to be supposed to have meted out differential treatment to the different animals, owing to an unkind spirit of absolute indifference in him? The theistic Nyaya was confronted with the same criticism and the Vedäntist reply to it, absolving God from the charge of unkindness in meting out unequal treatments to creatures is as that given by the Nyaya.
"Inequality in creatures" says Sankara, "is due to the fact that God, in creating, is not free but is dependent on other factors. If you ask as to what other factors the creator had to rely on, we would say, he was dependent on the Dharma and the Adharma (the superorganic pre-natal forces, determining the forms and characters of
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