‚
JAINA SIDDHANTA
SHRI GOMMATASARA
KARMA-KANDA
ÖÖê´´Ö™üÃÖÖ¸ü: I
( ú´ÖÔ úÖ‹›ü´ÖË )
CHAPTER I.
Description of the Prakriti or Nature of Karmas.
¯Ö‹Ö×´ÖµÖ ×ÃÖ¸üÃÖÖ ‹ÖØ´Ö Öã‹ÖµÖ¸ü‹Ö×¾Ö³ÖæÃÖ‹ÖÓ ´ÖÆüÖ¾Ö߸Óü l
ÃÖ´´Ö¢Ö¸üµÖ‹Ö׋ֵֻÖÓ ¯ÖµÖÖ×›ü´ÖãÛŒ ú¢Ö‹ÖÓ ¾ÖÖê””Óû ll 1 ll
¯ÖÏ‹Ö´µÖ ׿ָüÃÖÖ ÖêØ´Ö Öã‹Ö¸üŸÖ×¾Ö³ÖæÂÖ‹ÖÓ ´ÖÆüÖ¾Ö߸ü´ÖË l
ÃÖ´µÖŒŸ¾Ö¸üŸÖ×Ö»ÖµÖÓ ¯ÖÏ éúןÖÃÖ´Ö㟠úߟÖÔÖÓ ¾Ö–µÖÖ×´Ö ll 1 ll
1. Having bowed with the head to Lord Nemi, (who is) adorned with the jewels of the pure soul’s attributes, a great hero, (and) a mine of the gem of right-belief, I shall speak of the description of the Prakriti or nature of Karmas.
¯ÖµÖ›üß ÃÖᯙ ÃÖÆüÖ¾ÖÖê •Öß¾ÖÓ ÖÖ‹ÖÓ ¡¯ÖÏ‹ÖÖ‡ÃÖÓ²ÖÓ¬ÖÖê l
ú‹ÖµÖÖê•Öê ´Ö»ÖÓ ¾ÖÖ ŸÖÖ‹ÖÛŸ£Ö¢ÖÓ ÃÖµÖÓ ×ÃÖ¬¤Óü ll 2 ll
¯ÖÏ éúןÖ: ¿Ö³»ÖÓ Ã¾Ö³ÖÖ¾Ö: •Öß¾ÖÖ›üµÖÖê¸üÖÖפüÃÖ´²Ö¬Ö: l
úÖ úÖê¯Ö»Öê ´Ö»ÖãÓ ¾ÖÖ ŸÖµÖÖê¸üÛß֟¾ÖÓ Ã¾ÖµÖÓ ×ÃÖ¬¤ü´ÖË ll 2 ll
2. The eternal bondage of soul and Karmic matter is their nature, “Prakriti”, “Shila”, “Svabhava”. The existence (of soul and Karmas) is self-proved (as) the dirt in golden are. “
Commentary.
The union of soul and matter is self-proved. This is the first point from which Jainism starts. This corresponds to the mighty and pregnant division of all things into Jiva and Ajiva, i. e., living and non-living, or soul and non-soul. Soul always, and soul alone, has consciousness. It alone is living, i. e., is Jiva. An else is non-soul, non-living, devoid of consciousness, which never had and never shall have consciousness, and is incapable of being conscious. Everything that is not Jiva is without consciousness. Pure soul is pure consciousness. Pure non-soul is without consciousness, or without any semblance of consciousness. This is not a merely logical division, convenient for analysis, arrangement or exposition. It is a basic fact. It must be thoroughly understood. Any error or doubt about this will certainly vitiate one’s understanding of Truth. The duality of a human being is obvious. My nails are different from my idea of Shakespeare, or my ambition of being a worthy citizen of my country. The nail detached from me is dead matter. Not so the idea of Poetry or Patriotism. A still finer observation may be made. Life means a grouping together of so many vitalities, e. g. those faculties which enable me to apprehend objects by means of my senses, or to sense my own powers of body, speech and mind, or my respiration. These vitalities exist in me, but not in dead matter. Every fact in life, to the truly observant soul, cries out in a most unmistakable tone the message of this inherent and inevitable mundane duality. There is Life. There is Lifelessness. We see it in every thing. We see it around us. We see it in us. It is only the man imbued with a philosophy, in the phrase of Hume, “subversive of all speculation”, who blinds himself to the obvious existence of these two facts, or who by looking too long and too intently and exclusively only upon one of these, thinks fit to apotheosize the one and to deny the other. Of this one-sided attitude are born the pure materialists and the pure spiritualists, typified by the Charvakas and the Vedantists of India respectively. For one, all is matter; for the other, all is soul. Thus at the very outset, Jainism sounds a clarion note of dissent from these one sided views of Truth. It takes its stand on the plurality of the aspects of Truth, and teaches us that both the materialists and the spiritualists are correct, but only partially. Certainly; there is matter, there is Ajiva; thus Charvaka is right and the Vedantist wrong. There is also Spirit, there is Jiva; thus Vedantism is true, and Charvaka wrong. We must see both, as both are obvious. Take only one broad common phenomenon of death. John dies. The whole of John does not disappear. His body is there. His vitality is not. He is not there; he has gone from the body. That ‘he’ who has gone from the body and who when he was with it and in it, made it. ‘alive’, is the true John, the Jiva who was called John, according to Jainism. The body which he wore and which he dropped or left on death is the other partner in the firm of soul and matter; it is Ajiva. And still though the fact of this duality, this universal union of Jiva and Ajiva is obvious, yet its full grasp and thorough comprehension are far from easy. A beautiful little book by the author of Gommatasara himself gives us as clear a notion of Jiva, as any can be obtained in the peculiar and natural circumstances of things. The reader is referred to Dravya samgraha, where in Gatha 2, the 9 chief characteristics of the soul are enumerated, and each of them elaborated in the succeeding Gathas. But here the point to be realised clearly is this, that matter -one of the 5 chief forms of Ajiva -is in union with soul, the only living and conscious substance. Lifeless matter is found united with living soul. The whole Drama of life is played or danced together by the living soul being in close grasp of lifeless ‘matter. Lifeless space is the stage; Lifeless Time is the duration; and lifeless Dharma and Adharma, the indispensable assistants for the dancers to move or to rest. The exercise of dancing is their eternal movement in the cycle of mundane existences. At each step, the momentum for a new movement is gained. At each embrace of matter, the delighted deluded soul throbs and vibrates for a fresh embrace. Wily matter is ever ready to attack the soul and to flow into it with its million insinuations and to keep alive and vigorous the bondage of the living by the non-1ivng. The inflow of the non-living matter into the living soul is called Asrava; the bondage is Bandha. The stoppage of Asrava is Samvara; the release of bondage is Nirjara; the total Liberation of the living from the bondage of the non-living is Moksha. The 7 Tattvas or Principles of Jainism are treated in Umasvami’s Tattvartha Sutra, to which the reader is referred for further information about them. The activity of the soul which invites and enables matter to flow into it, as also the matter which actually does flow into the soul, is technically called Karma. The thought activity is Bhava-Karma; the actual matter flowing into the soul and binding it is Dravya-Karma. This book - the Karma-Kanda of Gommatasara deals with Karmas, their incidence, kinds, etc.
Notice also that in the world, all souls are always found united with matter. Pure souls abide only in Siddhakshetra, the Abode of the Liberated. In universal space, souls are from eternity subject to the bondage of matter. The Panchastikaya of Shri Kunda Kundacharya, talking of such souls, tells us in Gatha 27:
•Öß¾ÖÖê×¢Ö Æü¾Öפü “Öê¤üÖ ˆ¾Ö¡¯ÖÏÖê Ö×¾ÖÃÖê×ÃÖ¤üÖê ¯ÖÆæü ú¢ÖÖ l
³ÖÖê¢ÖÖµÖ¤êüÆü´Ö¢ÖÖê ‹Ö×Æü ´Öã¢ÖÖê ú´´Ö ÃÖÓ•Öã¢ÖÖê ll
Jiva (mundane soul) is (always) combined with Karmas. This bondage of Karmas is from eternity, but when once it is broken and Liberation attained, then it is destroyed totally and for ever. Of course the matter of the bondage is freely and constantly being changed; but the fact and condition of the bondage of Jiva by Ajiva persist through all these changes. Old Karmic matter is shed; and new assumed; but there never has been a moment when the mundane soul was free from its vestment of Karmic matter.
¤êüÆüÖê¤üµÖê‹Ö ÃÖ×Æü¡¯ÖÏÖê •Öß¾ÖÖê ¡¯ÖÏÖÆü¸üפü ú´´Ö ‹ÖÖê ú´´ÖÓ l
¯Ö×›üÃÖ´ÖµÖÓ ÃÖ¾¾ÖÓ ÖÓ ŸÖ¢ÖÖµÖÃÖد֛ü¡¯ÖÏÖê¾¾Ö •Ö»ÖÓ ll 3 ll
¤êüÆüÖê¤üµÖêÖ ÃÖ×ÆüŸÖÖê •Öß¾Ö ¡¯Ö ÖÏÖÆü¸ü×ŸÖ ú´ÖÔ ÖÖê ú´ÖÔ l
¯ÖÏןÖÃÖ´ÖµÖÓ ÃÖ¾ÖÖÔ’Ó ŸÖŸ¯ÖÖµÖ: د֛ü×´Ö¾Ö •Ö»Ö´ÖË ll 3 ll
3. By the operation of the body sub-class of body-making Karma the soul attracts Karmic and quasi-Karmic (physical molecules) every instant to the whole body as a hot iron ball (draws in) water (from all sides).
Commentary.
The soul united with the body, is constantly taking in material molecules to renew and build its Karmic and two other bodies. Karmic molecules build up the Karmic body; and the physical molecules build up the other physical bodies.
In all there are 5 possible bodies of a mundane soul (1) Audarika, the external physical body, (2) Vaikriyika, fluid body of the celestial and hellish beings, (3) Aharaka, the assimilative body in which a saint’s soul flashes to an omniscient to resolve some doubt, (4) Taijasa, electric body, (5) Karmana, Karmic body. These are all material. The molecules of which they are formed are of 2 kinds. (1) Karma-vargana of which the Karmic body is made. (2) No-karma-vargana, of which the other bodies are made. The no-karma vargana is of 2 kinds” Taijasa vargana, of which the electric body is formed; and the Aharaka vargana, of which the externa1 physical, fluid and Aharaka bodies are made. Every embodied soul has at least 3 bodies, the Karmic, the electric and either the fluild or the external physical body. Sometimes it has 4, for one antar-muhurta, when the Aharaka body emanates from a saint in doubt. And in transmigration, i. e., its passage from one to another condition of existence, the soul has only 2 bodies - i. e., the Karmic and the electric.
All these bodies are in form like the external body occupied by the soul; they are all co-extensive. Except that the Aharaka body is human in form but in size of a length equal to the forearm of the saint himself, i. e., from the elbow to the tip of his middle finger.
The fluid body also, although it is changeable at will. is yet one to begin with, and its identity persists throughout life.
×ÃÖ¬¤üÖ‹ÖÓןֳִÖÖ ÖÓ ¡¯Öϳ־¾Ö×ÃÖ¬¤üÖ‹‹ÖÓŸÖ Öã‹Ö´Öê¾Ö l
ÃÖ´ÖµÖ¯Ö²Ö¬¤Óü ²ÖÓ¬Öפü •ÖÖê Ö¾ÖÃÖÖ¤üÖê ¤ãü ×¾ÖÃÖ׸üŸ£ÖÓ ll 4 ll
×ÃÖ¬¤üÖÖÛŸÖ´Ö³ÖÖ ÖÓ ¡¯Öϳ־µÖ×ÃÖ¬¤üÖ¤üÖŸÖ Öã‹Ö´Öê¾Ö l
ÃÖ´ÖµÖ¯Öϲ֬¤Óü ²Ö¬ÖÖ×ŸÖ µÖÖê Ö¾Ö¿ÖÖ¢Öã ×¾ÖÃÖ¥ü¿Ö´ÖË ll 4 ll
4. An infinite part of the number of Liberated souls (which is also infinite), and infinite times the number of souls, incapable of becoming liberated is the (maximum and minimum respectively) of unit of bondage, or the number of molecules (which the soul) binds (to itself) in one instant, owing to the soul’s vibratory activity (intense or mild). But (the number of molecules is) unequal; (i. e., sometimes more and at other less are bound). .
Commentary.
Instant-bondage, Samaya Prabaddha, is the number of Karmic or no-Karmic molecules bound by the soul in one instant. Henceforth we call it the unit of Bondage or Instant-bondage.
•Ö߸üפü ÃÖ´ÖµÖ¯Ö²Ö¬¤Óü ¯Ö¡¯ÖÏÖê Ö¤üÖê ‹Öê ÖÃÖ´ÖµÖ²Ö¬¤Óü ¾ÖÖ l
Öã‹ÖÆüÖ‹ Öß‹Ö ×¤ü¾Öœü›Óü ÃÖ´ÖµÖ¯Ö²Ö¬¤Óü Æü¾Öê ÃÖ¢ÖÓ ll 5 ll
•ÖßµÖÔŸÖê ÃÖ´ÖµÖ¯Öϲ֬¤Óü ¯ÖϵÖÖê ÖŸÖ: ¡¯ÖÏÖê úÃÖ´ÖµÖ²Ö¬¤Óü ¾ÖÖ l
Öã‹ÖÆüÖ‹ÖßÖÖÓ «ü¬¤Õü ÃÖ´ÖµÖ¯Öϲ֬¤Óü ³Ö¾ÖêŸÖË ÃÖ¢¾Ö´ÖË ll 5 ll
5. One unit of bondage is shed (every instant); and many units of bondage (are shed in one instant) by effort (i. e., austerities, etc). The one and one-half of Gunahani’s (multiplied) by unit of bondage represent the molecules which remain bound to the soul.
Commentary.
Note- Öã‹ÖÆüÖ×Ö Gunahani (G) is the numb!’:!’ 01 terms of a series, the sum of which is the number of mol~eules of a unit of Bondage, (M. U. B.) and each term in which is half of the term immediately preceding it.
Öã‹ÖÆüÖ×Ö ¡¯ÖÏÖµÖÖ´Ö Gunahani-a-yama, (G. A.) is the number of instants (Samayas) in one Gunahani. .
Öã‹ÖÆüÖ×Ö ¡¯ÖÏÖµÖÖ´Ö nana gunahanis is the group of gunahanis in one Unit
of Bondage.
Öã‹ÖÆüÖ×Ö ¡¯ÖÏÖµÖÖ´Ö Anyonya-bhyasta-rashi=2 raised to the power of the number of gunahanis in one Unit of Bondage.
Thus guna am-ayama =Duration of Bondage {S).
Number of gunahanis.
E.g. If 48 samayas is the duration)of Units of Bondage, and 6 is the number of gunahanis, then gunahani-ay:ama-4 8/6=8.
Here nana-gunahani=the group of 6 gunahanis.
Anyonya bhyastarashi here=26 -64. This minus one, being the divisor of the number of a Unit of Bondage gives us the last term of the series.
E.g. If a Unit of Bondage have 6300 molecules, then the last term I 6300/64—I=100.
Thus the series of 6. gunahanis here is.
3200 + 1600 + 800+ 400 + 200 I- 100=6300.
In the example given above, the soul which binds in one instant 6300 molecules, of a duration of 48 samayas and of 6 gunahanis, will shed 3200 molecules in the 1st 8 samayas.
1600 ” 2nd ”
800 ” 3rd ”
400 ” 4th ”
200 ” 5th ”
100 ” 6th ”
×ÖÂÖê úÆüÖ¸ü Nishekahara (N=2 G.A.)is always double the number of gunahani ayama. Thus in the above example nishekahara is double of 8”=16.
“ÖµÖ Chaya (C) is the regular arithmetic difference between any consecutive two of the terms of the series of a gunahani. Chaya is the molecules of a gunahani divided by
nishekahara + No. of gunahani ayama + 1 x gunahani ayama.
2
______molecules of a gunahani x 2
(nishekahara + No. of a gunahani ayama + 1) X gunahani ayama.
molecules of a gunahani x 2
(2 gunahani ayama+ No. of gunahani ayama+1) X gunahani ayama.
M. U. B.x2
- (-2 S/G +S/G + 1) X S/G
The molecules shed in the 1st instant (F). in any gunahani—F=Chaya X Nishekahara.
— 4M / 3S/G+1=M/3S/4G+1/4
Where M is the number of molecules in a gunahani; S is the total samayas in Sthiti, and G is the number of gunahanis.
4M x G Chaya= 1st term =F/ 2S/G
2 gunabani ayama -
Thus in the 4th 8 samayas in the above example, 400 molecules are shed. We want to find out how many molecules are shed in the 1st samaya, and by how many molecules the shedding becomes less and less in each succeeding samaya.
To find out the molecules shed in the 1st samaya. i. e., F we apply the formula.