Karm Aur Samajik Sandarbh - Book Summary

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Karm aur Samajik Sandarbh" (Karma and its Social Context) by Mahavir Sharan Jain, focusing on the spiritual and social dimensions of the concept of Karma:

The text, "Karma and its Social Context" by Dr. Mahavir Sharan Jain, delves into the profound concept of Karma, extending beyond its purely spiritual implications to explore its relevance in the social fabric of human life.

Spiritual Foundation of Karma:

The Nature of the Soul and Karma: Spiritually, an individual, due to illusion (Maya), forgets their true nature. Driven by attachment (Rag) and aversion (Dvesh), the soul accumulates Karma through thoughts, speech, and actions. Karmic particles (Karm-pudgal) bind with the soul's infinite regions, akin to how iron is permeated by fire, obscuring the soul's pure consciousness.
The Soul-Body Connection: The soul is eternally entangled in the cycle of birth and death. The physical body (pudgal) assists and obstructs the soul's activities. While the soul is conscious and the body is inert, their intrinsic connection creates "secondary qualities" like the mental mind, breath, food, and speech, which belong to neither exclusively. Upon death, these secondary qualities cease, but a "karmic body" formed by bound karmic particles accompanies the soul.
The Cause of Karmic Bondage: The senses, by interacting with sensory objects, lead the soul to experience attachment, aversion, and delusion. Delusion is the primary producer of Karma, with attachment and aversion acting as its seeds. This karmic bondage veils the soul's pure state, leading to its distorted condition. Liberation (Mukti) is achieved by shedding these veils or eliminating the bondage.
Universal Concept of Soul's Obscuration: Indian philosophies, including Jainism, accept that the soul is veiled. While different philosophies use different terms – Jainism: Karm-pudgal, Buddhism: Trishna and Vasna (desire and attachment), Vedanta: Avidya-Agyan (ignorance) causing Maya, Yoga: Prakriti – the fundamental concept of an obscuring influence remains consistent.
Paths to Liberation: Various schools propose different methods for removing these veils. Some attribute liberation to divine grace, initiation, or specific remedies. Others emphasize individual effort and the belief that one reaps the fruits of their actions. Jainism, in particular, advocates the combined path of Right Knowledge, Right Faith, and Right Conduct (Samyak Gyan, Samyak Darshan, Samyak Charitrya) as the way to liberation.

Social Implications of Karma:

Karma and Individual Responsibility: The principle of Karma underscores that individuals are responsible for their actions and the consequences they entail. This explains the diverse life forms, destinies, and circumstances of beings, despite their inherent potential.
Karma as a Catalyst for Social Action: On a social level, the philosophy of Karma awakens individual initiative and encourages people to be truly social and humane. It instills moral values, assuring individuals that good deeds lead to good outcomes and bad deeds to negative ones. A sinner driven by attachment and aversion suffers in the world, much like a blind person on a difficult path.
The Necessity of Action in a Social Context: The text addresses the dilemma of action in a world where Karma is unavoidable. Since the body necessitates action, and action attracts karmic particles, one cannot cease acting. This poses a challenge to social functioning, agriculture, industry, and survival itself.
Ahimsa (Non-violence) in Social Life: The root of Karma is often seen as violence. Ahimsa is presented as the supreme spiritual practice. The text discusses the practical challenges of practicing Ahimsa, especially in a world teeming with life. Lord Mahavir's teachings provided a scientific path for the upliftment of all beings, advocating for equanimity and universal love.
Bridging Spiritual and Social Perspectives: The spiritual and social perspectives converge. Self-realization can be achieved by understanding the self as the "I" that perceives, while everything else is "other." This can be done by separating the self from others or by extending oneself to all beings with universal love and equanimity. Seeing all beings with equanimity means there are no favorites or unfavorites. This leads to self-equality. Understanding one by knowing all, and knowing all with equanimity, is equivalent to knowing oneself. Both paths lead to a state of equanimity, free from attachment and aversion, which is the first step towards religiousness. Lord Mahavir's exhortation to view the world with equanimity, without favoring or disliking anyone, is the essence of Ahimsa.
Ahimsa as an Inner State: Equanimity and self-equality foster involuntary Ahimsa because all living beings desire life and dislike suffering. Harming or killing any being is violence, while not harming or causing suffering is Ahimsa. This is intrinsically linked to one's mentality. An unvigilant (apramatta) soul is inherently non-violent. Even unintentional harm by a farmer, for instance, doesn't carry the same karmic weight if the intention is not violent. Conversely, even a thought of violence, without actual harm, connects to one's mentality.
The Role of Attachment and Aversion: The absence of attachment and aversion signifies Ahimsa, while their presence signifies violence. Actions performed without attachment and aversion, even if resulting in unintentional harm to countless beings, are not considered true violence. Conversely, actions performed with attachment and aversion, even without causing harm, are considered violence.
Violence, Humanity, and Society: Violence breeds bestiality, while Ahimsa fosters humanity and sociality. The tendency to benefit oneself along with others, rather than destroying others, makes humans social and humane. Humans are naturally prone to attachment, greed, lust, anger, and enmity due to their worldly nature. Greed leads to attachment to external objects, lust to illusion and infatuation, and infatuation to arrogance and carelessness. Arrogance fuels anger, which in turn destroys discretion and leads to a destructive outlook, eroding humanity and sociality.
The Decline of Faith and the Modern Mindset: The text notes a decline in people's faith in religious practices. Earlier generations believed in the continuity and wholeness of life, with current problems attributed to past karmas. They viewed the present life as a means to shape the future. Modern individuals, however, are focused on immediate gratification and making the present life as comfortable as possible, often accumulating wealth and material possessions.
Social Dissatisfaction and Systemic Blame: Those lacking basic necessities often blame the social system rather than past Karma for their plight. They expect society to provide them with the means to live and are prepared to disrupt the existing social order if their demands are not met.
Influence of Freud and Marx: The text discusses the impact of Freud and Marx on human thought. Freud's emphasis on the conflict between individual drives and social morality, particularly his focus on sexuality, is seen as leading to a breakdown of restraint and an overindulgence in sensual pleasures, resulting in psychological issues.
The Erosion of Love and Family Values: Western lifestyles are criticized for reducing the meaning of love to sensual gratification, leading to the decline of family structures and the ideal of monogamous love. The text laments the loss of mutual trust, affection, and commitment within families, citing the rise in divorces and the feeling of loneliness even amidst crowds. This leads to increased mental illnesses and reliance on substances for escape.
Marxist Ideology and its Limitations: Karl Marx's focus on class struggle and the economic interpretation of history, while addressing issues of ownership and distribution of wealth, is also critiqued. While Marxist ideas have influenced revolutions and social systems, the text questions whether changing the capitalist system alone guarantees the end of dangers, pointing to the potential for state capitalism and dictatorial tendencies even within socialist frameworks.
The Foundation of Society: The fundamental principles of societal existence are identified as mutual understanding, respect for boundaries, self-restraint, adherence to agreements, and tolerance of each other's rights and existence. This forms the basis for individuals to live with restraint and improve their lives.
The Need for Moral Conduct and Dharma: Human progress is attributed to the tendency for self-improvement and refinement of instincts, leading to social life. Social life is possible only through ethical conduct, which requires self-restraint. A disciplined society thrives on self-controlled behavior. Love, compassion, and fraternity elevate human life and lead to a focus on global welfare.
Dharma as Ethical Conduct and Self-Discipline: Dharma is not a sect but a sacred duty – what one must uphold and the ethical values one should practice. The adherence to Dharma is crucial for social order, peace, and fostering love and trust. Controlling desires is essential for social construction. This control is achieved either through Dharma (self-discipline) or through strict governance (external discipline). While external discipline can lead to a sense of compulsion and suffocation, Dharma empowers individuals to limit their desires through self-inspiration. Dharma broadens one's perspective and cultivates generosity, tolerance, and love.
The Current Need for Reinterpretation: The text concludes by emphasizing the need to re-examine the practical significance of Dharma and philosophical principles in contemporary individual and social life, rather than solely focusing on their impact on future lives. This re-evaluation is crucial for truly understanding the social context of Karma.