Karm Vichar - Book Summary | JainGPT

This document, titled "Karm Vichar" (Consideration of Karma) by Dr. Praditya Prachandiya, delves into the fundamental principles of karma within Jainism. Here's a comprehensive summary:

The Nature and Origin of Karma:

Karma is defined as actions arising from impurities like mithyatva (wrong belief/delusion).
These actions contaminate the soul, and their workings are complex and profound.
Karma is identified as the root cause of suffering and the cycle of birth and death.
The origin of karma is rooted in moha (delusion or attachment).
The cycle of reincarnation occurs due to the soul's experiences and results in the bondage of karma.
Crucially, self-results ( atmabhav) are the cause of karmic bondage, not the external object itself.
Bondage to karma occurs not due to external things but due to the resolve (adhyavasaya) driven by attachment (raag) and aversion (dwesh).
An individual who does not engage in internal attachment and aversion (bhav karma) does not incur new karmic bondage.
The quality of karma (auspicious or inauspicious) is determined by the state of consciousness (bhav) at the time of the action.

The Mechanism of Karmic Bondage:

Karma follows the doer.
While the soul is free to incur karmic bondage, it becomes subject to experiencing the results of that karma when it manifests (udaya). This is likened to a person voluntarily climbing a tree but falling down involuntarily due to carelessness.
At times, souls are subject to karma, and at other times, karma is subject to the soul, similar to how a lender is strong when giving credit and a borrower is strong when repaying.

Types of Karma:

In general, karma is considered one, but it is of two types based on substance (dravya) and manifestation (bhava):
- Dravya Karma: The aggregate of karmic particles (pudgala) that attach to the soul.
- Bhava Karma: The inner modifications within the soul, such as attachment and aversion, that arise due to the influence of dravya karma.

Overcoming Karma:

One who conquers their senses and focuses on their true self through knowledge and perception does not get bound by karma. Such individuals are not bound by material influences and do not have to undergo rebirth.

The Eight Principal Karmas and Their Nature:

There are eight main types of karma, each with specific functions compared to various roles:

Jnānavaran (Knowledge-obscuring karma): Prevents the manifestation of the soul's inherent quality of knowledge. Its nature is like a veil.
Darshanavaran (Perception-obscuring karma): Hinders the soul's inherent quality of perception. Its nature is like a door-keeper.
Vedaniya (Feeling-producing karma): Causes experiences of happiness and sorrow. Its nature is like a sword.
Mohaniya (Delusion-producing karma): Causes the soul to forget its true nature and develop ego and possessiveness towards external objects. Its nature is like alcohol or intoxicating drink.
Ayukarma (Life-span determining karma): Determines the lifespan in different realms of existence (hells, heavens, etc.). Its nature is like a farmer or irrigator.
Nama Karma (Body-determining karma): Responsible for the formation of the body and physical attributes. Its nature is like a painter.
Gotra Karma (Status-determining karma): Determines one's birth into high or low families. Its nature is like a potter.
Antaraya (Obstruction-causing karma): Creates obstacles in acts of charity, gain, etc. Its nature is like a treasurer or storekeeper.

Sub-types of Karma:

Each of the eight main karmas has numerous sub-types, totaling 148.
- Jnānavaran: 5 sub-types
- Darshanavaran: 9 sub-types
- Vedaniya: 2 sub-types
- Mohaniya: 28 sub-types
- Ayukarma: 4 sub-types
- Nama Karma: 93 sub-types
- Gotra Karma: 2 sub-types
- Antaraya Karma: 5 sub-types

Punhya and Pap Karma (Meritorious and Demeritorious Karma):

Based on the nimitta (causal factor), karma is divided into two types:
- Punhya Karma: Incurred through auspicious states of consciousness (shubhopayoga).
- Pap Karma: Incurred through inauspicious states of consciousness (ashubhopayoga).

The Materiality of Karma:

Karma is not an inherent quality of the soul because the soul is immaterial (amurti), and an immaterial entity cannot be bonded.
An immaterial karmic substance cannot influence or cause harm or benefit to an immaterial soul.
Although karma itself is subtle and imperceptible, it is considered material (murti) because its effects, such as the physical body (audarika etc.), are material.
Since material effects can only be produced by material causes, the imperceptible karma is proven to be material through the visible physical bodies it creates.

The Relationship Between Soul and Karma:

From the perspective of nishchaya naya (ultimate truth), the soul and karma are independent substances, and thus there is no bondage.
However, from the perspective of vyavahara naya (conventional truth), the soul is not independent when karma exists, hence bondage is recognized.
The experience of unity between the soul and karma from a conventional standpoint leads to the perception of the soul as material. This materialistic perception means there is no contradiction in the bondage of material karma with a perceived material soul.

Karma as the Cause of Suffering and Inequality:

Every being in the cycle of existence is bound by karma.
The physical body is a testament to this bondage.
The cause of this subjugation is karma.
Various inequalities in the world, including economic, social, and natural ones, are not solely human-made.
The cause of these inequalities is an external, foreign substance that resides with every soul – that substance is karma.
Just as impurities are separated from gold through specific heating processes, karma is removed from the soul through austerity (tapasya).

Key Takeaways from the "Karm Sukti" (Karma Verses):

One experiences suffering from their own actions because the results of actions must be experienced without escape.
Just as a ripe fruit, once detached, cannot reattach to the branch, karma, once detached from the soul, cannot reattach to a soul that has achieved equanimity (vitaraag).
Attachment and aversion are the seeds of karma. Karma arises from delusion, is the root of birth and death, and birth and death are indeed the source of suffering.