Chapter-47 - Karma

1. What is the' Karma'?

That which makes the soul dependent on others, is 'Karma'.

2. How the existence of Karma can be known ?

The relation of Jeeva & Karma is continuously going on from beginningless time. "Iexist" By this experience, the Jeeva is known. In the world some one is wise, some one is devoid of wisdom, some one is poor, some one is rich, some one is ailing, some one is having good health. From this peculiarity, the existence of Karma can be known.

3. How the Karmas are attracted to the soul ?

Just as a fire-heated round lump of iron, when is poured in the water, immediately it attracts water from all around, similarly, at every instant the worldly soul attracts Karma due to activities mind, speech and action through the soul-points. The Karmas cling to our body,due to our attachment-aversion thought activitirs.

4. How many Karmas are there?

Karmas are of eight kinds -

1. gyanavarna Karma - That which veils (covers) the attribute of knowledge of the soul, is gyanavarna Karma.
2. Darshanavarana Karma - That which veils (covers) the attribute of perception of the soul, is 'Darshana-varana Karma.
3. Vedniya Karma - That which causes to feel pleasure/pain, is 'Vedniya Karma'.
4. Mohniya Karma - That which kills the attribute of right belief and conduct of the soul, is 'Mohniya Karma'.
5. Ayu Karma - That which detains the soul in a particular body (human, etc.) is 'Ayu Karma'.
6. Nama Karma - That which forms good or bad body, is Nama karma.
7. Gotra Karma - Due to rise of which Karma the soul gets higher/low 'Gotra' (exogamous subdivision of caste), is 'Gotra Karma.
8. Antaraya karma - That which obstructs in donation, profit, enjoyment, consumption and vigour, is 'Antrai Karma'.

5. Which examples are given for showing the functions of all the eight Karmas ?

Following examples are given for showing the function of all the eight Karmas -

6. How many Karmas are destructive and how many non-destructive out of these eight Karmas ?

Destructive Karmas are four in number and non-destructive Karmas are also four.

1. Destructive Karma - Those which kill the internal virtues of the soul are destructive Karmas. These are four - 'gyanavarna Karma', 'Darshanavarna Karma', 'Mohniya Karma' and 'Antraya Karma'.

2. Non-destructive Karma - Those which do not kill the attributes of menifestion of the state of Godship of the Jeeva, even then keep the Jeeva detained in the world, are non-destructive Karmas. These are four - 'Vedniya Karma', 'Ayu Karma', 'Nama Karma' and 'Gotra Karma'.

7. By which reasons, the 'Jñãnavarna Karma' is bonded?

Following are the reasons for binding knowledge-obscuring Karma :

1. Concealing the name of spiritual teacher.

2. Causing difficulties in study of others, for example, to off the light, tearing the book, to steal the book, etc.

3. Hearing the greatness (glory) of the knowledge of someone, not uttering any thing from mouth but keeping envious in innerself.

4. Misuse of the means (instruments) of knowledge.

5. Not imparting knowledge to others, saying - I do not know due to some or the other reason.

6. Not imparting knowledge to others even having it out of jealousy.

7. Preventing the knowledge displayed (brought to light) by others. (Tattvartha Sutra, 6/10)

8. Selling the scriptures, etc. 'Jñõnavarna Karma' is bonded due to above reasons. (Raj Vartika, 6/10/20)

8. By which reasons, the 'Darshanavarna Karma' is bonded?

Perception-obscuring Karma is bonded due to following - Envy in perception, obstruction in perception, to make someone blind, contrary (opposite) tendency against the nature of senses, pride of vision, prolonged sleep, sleeping in the day, idleness, atheism, blaming the right-believer (censuring), praising the false place of pilgrimage, violence and having disposition of hate (languor) towards saints, etc., are the reasons for binding of 'Darshanavarna Karma'. (Raj Vartika, 6/10/20)

9. What are the reasons of the bondage of 'Vedniya Karma'?

Vedniya Karma is bonded due to following - Existence of suffering, sorrow, agony, moaning, injury to others and pathetic mourning in ownself, in others or in both, are the reasons of the bondage of 'Asata Vedniya Karma' and having compassion towards all living beings, service of those engaged in observing vows, charity, restraint with slight attachment, partial restraint, childish austerity, keeping peace (tranquility of hearts), renouncing greed passion ,etc., are causes of binding 'Sata Vedniya Karma'. (Tattvartha Sutra, 6/11-12)

10. What are the reasons of 'Mohniya Karma'- bondage ?

Mohniya Karma is bonded due to following -

Attributing faults to Omniscient, to the scriptures, to the congregation of ascetics, to the true religion and to the celestial beings lead to the bondage of 'Darshan Mohniya Karma' (faith-deluding Karma),i.e. bondage of false-belief and due to intense feeling of passions, preventing some one from taking/accepting vows of conduct, causing to corrupt someone by conduct lead to 'Charitra Mohniya Karma' (conduct - deluding Karma). (T. S., 6/13-14)

11. What are the reason of 'Ayu Karma'- bondage ?

The Age Karma is bonded due to following -

1. Narkayu - life of hell - Excessive endevour in occupational and house-hold activities leading to violence of living beings and excessive attachment to belongings lead to the life of infernal regions. (Tatvartha Sutra, 6/15)
2. Triyanchayu - Animal life - Due to deceit, illusive passion, treachery, counselling contrary to spiritual instructions (Sarvartha Siddhi, 6/16/640), not paying somebody's debt, etc.
3. Manushayayu - Human life - Due to natural mildness or naturally mild, affectionate in offering food ,etc. to worthy persons (ascetics ,etc.) slight house-hold injury and slight attachment to belongings etc. (Raj Vartika, 6/17)
4. Devayu - Due to observing restraint, mildness of passion (less passionate), giving donation, serving places of pilgrimage, involuntary dissociation of Karmas, penance practised by a wrong-believer (childish austerity),etc. (Tattvartha Sutra, 6/20)

12. What are reasons of the bondage of 'Nama Karma' ? (Physique-making karma)

The following are the reasons for binding Physique-making Karma -

Crookedness of mind, speech and body ,i.e. thinking something but speaking something other and still doing altogether other, slandering, unsteadiness of mind, using false (spurious) weights and measures and deceiving others, are the reasons for the bondage of inauspicious 'Nama Karma' (Rajvartika, 6/22/1-4). Contrary to these, namely straightforwardness of mind, speech and body, renunciation of slandering, steadiness of mind, etc. lead to the bondage of auspicious - physique-making Karma' and the Teerthankara auspicious-physiquemaking Karma is bonded by meditating Solahkaran Bhavna (sixteen reflexions leading to Teerthankar-Karmic nature). (Tattvartha Sutra, 6/23)

13. What are the reasons of Gotra Karma bondage ?

Following are the reasons for binding Gotra Karma -

Censuring others and praising one's ownself, concealing good qualities present in others and proclaiming noble qualities absent in own-self, absence of devotion to Arihant Deity (Omniscient), etc. lead to the bondage of low status Karma. Contrary to this, disparagement of one's ownself, praise of others, not proclaiming one's own good qualities and proclaiming the good qualities of others and bowing before the Omniscient ,i.e. displaying devotion to Arihant Deva ,etc., are the causes of the bondage of auspicious (high) 'Gotra Karma' (high status determing Karma). (Tattvartha Sutra, 6/25-26)

14. What are the reasons of 'Amtraya Karma'- bondage (obstructive karma) ?

Following are the reasons for binding Antraya Karma -

Causing obstacle in charity, prohibiting worship of Lord Jina, using for one's ownself the worshipping articles already offered to the Lord (remains of an offering made to a deity) and hiding (concealing) one's own strength, i.e. capacity or power ,etc. lead to bondage of 'Antraya Karma'. (Tattvartha Sutra, 6/27)

15. What are called 'Dravya Karma', 'Bhava Karma' and 'No-Karma' ?

1. Dravya Karma - Aggregate / lump of matter-particles related to soul, is called 'Dravya Karma' (Karma Kanda-6) or the karmic body ('Karman sharir') which is the root cause of the generation (origin) of all types of bodies, is called 'Dravya Karma' (Raj vartika, 2/25/3).
2. Bhava Karma - i.e. Psychical Karma having passionful nature. The potency of aggregate/lump of matter-particles to give fruit, is Bhava Karma (G.K.,6) or the feelings of attachment-aversion, are Bhava Karma.
3. No-Karma (i.e. gross body-karma) - Due to rise of 'Audarika' (gross body), 'Vaikriyika' (transformable body), 'Aharaka' (the projective or assimilative body) and 'Taijasa' (luminious body) 'Nama Karma' four types of body are generated. They are 'No-Karma' body, the fifth is the 'Karmic body', it is, precisely, a Karma in itself. (J.K. 244)

16. What 'Jñãnavarna',etc. Karma say ?

1. Gyanavarna Karma - Gyanavarna Karma tells that I caused a great valiant like 'Bahubali' standing for one year, did not let him attain the Omniscience.
2. Darshanavarana Karma - Darshanavarana Karma tells that I abstained / refrained even an ascetic of perfect conduct from perceiving the soul and compelled him to undertake again the journey to the inferno and 'Nigoda' destination.
3. Vedniya Karma - Vedniya Karma tells that I caused the body of Sanat Kumar Muniraj to suffer the disease of leprosy for 700 years and for 100 years of the body of Vadiraj Muni and caused Shripal to be exiled from the kingdom by making him leprous who had the strength of crore of combatants, .
4. Mohniya Karma - Mohniya Karma tells that I caused an eminent person like Rama to roam keeping the dead body of Laxmana on his shoulder for six months and caused him to search Seeta in the forest after forest. Demoted Muniraj even of the stage of suppressional ladder (Upsama Shreni) to the first stage of spiritual development, i.e. stage of wrong belief.
5. Ayu Karma - Ayu Karma tells that I have kept blocked even a man of irrevocable right faith ,i.e. Kshayika Samyagdrishti like king Shrenika and personages like Ravana, Subhom Chakravarti ,etc. in hell.
6. Nama or Physique making Karma - tells that I have made many beings as dumb, hunchbacked, black, Ashtavakra (man of crooked limbs in eight parts of the body),etc.
7. Gotra Karma or status determining Karma - Gotra Karma tells that I had thrown many beings in high and low pedigree.
8. Antraya Karma - Antraya Karma' tells that I prevented 'Adinath Muniraj' from finding food for 7 months and 9 days.

17. How many' Karmas take rise of one being ?

All the eight Karma take rise from first Gunasthan (Stage of spiritual development) to the tenth Gunasthan and in the eleventh and twelfth Gunasthan all the seven Karmas except deluding (Mohniya) Karma and in the thirteenth & fourteenth Gunasthan, four nondestructive Karmas take rise.