Karm Vimarsh

This document, "Karm Vimarsh" by Bhagvati Muni, offers a comprehensive exploration of the Jain theory of Karma, highlighting its centrality to Indian philosophy. The author emphasizes that while interpretations of karma may vary across different philosophical schools, its fundamental role in spiritual liberation is universally accepted.

The text begins by defining karma in a broad sense as duty and action. It then contrasts the Jain view with other Indian philosophies: Vedānta sees karma as rooted in ignorance, Buddhism in desires (vāsanā), Sāṅkhya in afflictions (kleśa), and Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika in unseen potentials (adṛṣṭa). Abrahamic religions, the text notes, attribute negative actions to Satan.

Key Jain Concepts of Karma:

• Nature of Karma: Jainism posits karma as independent, tangible entities composed of infinite atoms (pudgala skandhas) that bind to the soul (jīvātmā) due to its good or bad activities. This binding is described as the "bandhya mānāvasthā."
• Stages of Karma: The text outlines three primary stages:
  • Bandha (Bondage): The initial attachment of karmic matter to the soul.
  • Sattā (Existence/Persistence): The state of karma remaining with the soul until its fruition.
  • Udaya (Fruition/Manifestation): The stage where karma bears its results as pleasure, pain, or obscuration. These are considered analogous to the "kriyamāṇa" (currently performed), "sañcita" (accumulated), and "prārabdha" (initiated) stages in other philosophies.
• Intermediate Stages: Beyond these primary stages, the text details several intermediate processes:
  • Udvartaṇa (Augmentation): Increase in the duration (sthiti) and intensity (anubhāga) of karmic bondage.
  • Apavartaṇa (Diminution): Decrease in the duration and intensity of karmic bondage.
  • Udīraṇā (Precocious Fruition): The premature experience of karma before its scheduled time, often involving a reduction in duration and intensity (sthiti-ghāta and rasa-ghāta). The text distinguishes this from the general use of the term for expressing intense emotions like anger.
  • Saṅkramaṇa (Transmigration/Conversion): The transformation of one type of karma into another of similar nature, driven by specific efforts.
  • Upśama (Quiescence): A state of complete cessation of karma for a limited period (antarmuhūrta).
  • Nidhätta (Fixed/Immovable): A solidified state of karma where modifications like udvartaṇa and apavartaṇa are not possible.
  • Nikācita (Intensely Fixed/Indelible): The most solidified state of karma, considered virtually unchangeable and necessarily to be experienced. The text debunks the absolute immutability of nikācita karma, suggesting partial fruition through "pradeśodaya."
• The Soul and Karma: The author clarifies that karma is the cause of the soul's varying internal capacities. When karma is destroyed, the soul's inherent purity is revealed. External influences affect only the karmically bound soul, and their impact is proportional to the soul's impurity.
• Karma as Physical: Unlike other philosophies that view karma as a mental impression or desire, Jainism asserts karma to be pudgala (physical matter). The text argues that since karma obstructs the soul's natural qualities and causes suffering, it cannot be a quality of the soul itself. It likens karmic bondage to physical restraints like chains or dams.
• The Four Stages of Bondage (Bandha): The document meticulously describes the four ways karma binds to the soul:
  1. Prakṛti Bandha (Nature of Karma): The inherent quality of the karmic particles that determines which of the soul's faculties they will obstruct (e.g., knowledge-obscuring, perception-obscuring).
  2. Sthiti Bandha (Duration of Karma): The determined lifespan of the karmic bond.
  3. Anubhāga Bandha (Intensity/Taste of Karma): The degree of pleasure or pain the karma will cause, determined by the intensity of the soul's passions.
  4. Pradeśa Bandha (Quantity/Extent of Karma): The number of karmic particles that bind to the soul, akin to the number of ingredients in a sweet dish.
• Causes of Karmic Bondage: The text identifies several key causes for karmic bondage:
  • Pramāda (Carelessness/Negligence) and Yoga (Activity): These are primary drivers. Pramāda arises from Yoga, and Yoga from Vīrya (energy), which originates from the body, ultimately stemming from the soul itself.
  • Krodha (Anger), Māna (Pride), Māyā (Deceit), and Lobha (Greed): These passions are seen as direct causes.
  • Mithyātva (False Belief/Delusion): The fundamental misunderstanding of reality.
  • Avirati (Non-abstinence/Lack of Self-control): Indulgence in worldly pleasures and activities.
  • The text emphasizes that "Rāga" (attachment/passion) and "Dveṣa" (aversion/hatred) are the fundamental "bhāva karma" (psychic karma) that lead to the bondage of the eight types of material karma. Moha (delusion) is identified as the root cause of Rāga and Dveṣa.
• The Anaditva (Beginninglessness) of the Soul-Karma Relationship: Jainism maintains that the relationship between the soul and karma is beginningless. The text uses logical arguments to refute the idea of a commencement for this relationship, highlighting the paradoxes that would arise. The analogy of gold and clay, both beginningless but having a finite end through purification, is used to illustrate that while the relationship is beginningless, it can have an end.
• Karma and God: Jainism does not accept an external God as the controller of karmic fruition. The soul, through its interaction with karmic matter, experiences the consequences naturally, much like poison or nectar exert their effects upon ingestion. The analogy of a calculating machine, which performs calculations without error despite being inert, is used to illustrate karma's impartial fruition.
• Dhatī (Destructive) and Adhātī (Non-destructive) Karma:
  • Dhātī Karma: Knowledge-obscuring, perception-obscuring, delusory, and obstruction-causing karma. Their removal liberates the soul's innate qualities.
  • Adhātī Karma: Life-span, name, lineage, and sensation-causing karma. These affect the physical and experiential aspects of life but do not directly obscure the soul's true nature.
• The Process of Karma Exhaustion (Karma Kṣaya): Special spiritual practices like self-study (svādhyāya), meditation, and austerity are necessary to accelerate the exhaustion of karma. The stages from the seventh spiritual level onwards involve significant karmic reduction, culminating in states like "apūrvā sthiti jñāna" (knowledge of previously unknown duration), "apūrvā rasaghāta" (destruction of previously unknown intensity), "guṇa śreṇī" (gradual reduction of karma), "guṇa saṅkramaṇa" (conversion of karma), and "apūrvā sthiti bandha" (binding of previously unknown short duration). The text vividly describes a "fierce struggle" between the soul and karma in the higher spiritual stages, leading to immense karmic destruction.

In essence, "Karm Vimarsh" presents a detailed and systematic exposition of the Jain doctrine of karma, explaining its nature, causes, effects, various stages, and the path to liberation through the exhaustion of karmic matter. It emphasizes karma as a physical force that binds the soul, and liberation as the process of severing this bondage through spiritual discipline and ethical conduct.