Vedaniya Karma

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided excerpt from "Vedaniya Karma" by Pravin K. Shah, published by JAINA Education Committee:

Vedaniya Karma: The Karma of Experience and Feeling

Vedaniya Karma is a type of Aghati karma (karma that does not obscure the soul's innate qualities directly) primarily responsible for creating favorable or unfavorable circumstances at a physical level. These circumstances manifest as:

• Unfavorable: Sickness, terminal illness, hunger, fatigue, accidents.
• Favorable: Good health, positive physical capabilities, and sensory experiences.

Essentially, Vedaniya Karma causes the apparent feeling of pain (Ashata) or pleasure (Shata), which is channeled through the physical body.

The Indirect Influence on Mental States:

While Vedaniya Karma operates at the physical level, it plays a crucial indirect role in generating mental happiness (Sukha) and agony (Dukha). This occurs through its interaction with Mohaniya Karma (delusion-inducing karma).

The soul, when under the influence of Mithyatva (wrong belief) and Avirat (lack of vows), interprets these physical sensations (pain or pleasure) in a biased and illusive way. This biased interpretation, driven by Mohaniya Karma, leads to the experience of mental joy or sorrow.

How a Kevali (Omniscient Being) Experiences Vedaniya Karma:

A Kevali, who possesses infinite pure knowledge (Keval-jnan) and has shed all Mohaniya Karma, also possesses Vedaniya Karma. In favorable or unfavorable physical circumstances, the Kevali is a silent observer and knower of these situations. They acknowledge the existence of pain or pleasure through their physical body but do not interpret these as joy or sorrow because they lack Mohaniya Karma. Consequently, a Kevali remains in a state of blissful equanimity regardless of the physical circumstances.

Key Distinctions and Implications:

• Vedaniya Karma, being Aghati, only creates physical conditions and the apparent feeling of pain or pleasure.
• The feeling of happiness or sorrow is ultimately produced by the soul due to the influence of Mohaniya Karma.
• Crucially, without Mohaniya Karma, one cannot experience happiness or sorrow.
• Therefore, an individual with less Mohaniya Karma will experience less sorrow in the same painful situation compared to someone with more Mohaniya Karma.
• The text highlights a distinction between "Vedan" (experience/feeling of pain, pleasure, etc.) and "Sorrow/Agony" or "Joy/Happiness/Bliss." For the average person, these are so intermixed and interrelated by Mohaniya Karma that they are difficult to differentiate.

In essence, Vedaniya Karma sets the stage for physical experiences, but it is Mohaniya Karma that colors these experiences with the emotional tones of joy and sorrow.