21. Samaysar Gatha 76-85

Now question arises that whether  the Jiva who knows the pudgala karma , has karta-karma relationship with the pudgala karma or not ? The answer is stated:

Gatha 76 : In spite of knowing a variety of karmas manifesting in the form of paryaya of pudgala dravya , in reality the Gyani does not manifest in the form of paryaya of pudgala dravya , nor does he accept them , nor does he take birth in them.

Commentary : Gyani is knower of the pudgala manifesting as karma.

How is that pudgala karma ? - In general the karma is of three kinds. Prapya (accept) , Vikarya(manifestation in corrupt form) and Nirvritya(generation of new state). Here the receiving of completed task is Prapya karma. Change of the state of substance in corrupted form is Vikarya. Generation of   entirely new state which was nonexistent is called Nirvritya.

These three types of states of  karmas are manifestations of pudgala. Therefore from the aspect of all the three types, these are karmas which are pervaded with pudgala dravya. Hence pudgala dravya only is all pervasive in all the three bhavas of beginning, middle and the end of them. Thus pudgala dravya only receives them, manifests in them, and takes birth in that form.

In this way these manifestations are produced by pudgala dravya only – the gyani knows it. Even so the gyani does not permeate within them internally and remains external to the manifestation of other dravyas and thus without permeating in all the three states of beginning, middle and the end of them, he neither manifests in them, nor receives them , nor takes birth in them. Just as mud manifests in the form of  pot, receives it and takes birth in that form, the gyani does not manifest in these forms.

In this manner it is established that without manifesting in the   forms of karma having characteristics of other dravya  being pervaded in the forms of prapya, vikarya and nirvritya, the gyani   just knows them only  and he does not have karta –karma relationship with the pudgala dravya.

Explanation : Although Gyani knows the pudgala karma, even so he does not have karta-karma relationship with the same. Karmas have been described in three ways: 1) The manifestation of a substance in that form on its own is the Vikarya manifestation ( in corrupted form). 2) The substance receives something by itself is Prapya karma. 3) Or the substance itself generates another is Nirvritya karma. – For all these three types, in reality,  the Jiva does not manifest in the forms of pudgala dravya. This is  so because the Jiva is sentient and pudgala is insentient and the sentient does not manifest in insentient form, nor does he receive pudgala because pudgala is corporeal and Jiva is non corporeal , and it is not possible for non corporeal to receive/acquire corporeal. In the same way , in reality the jiva does not give birth/produce pudgala dravya  since sentient cannot generate insentient.

Thus pudgala is not karma of the Jiva; nor Jiva is karta of pudgala. Jiva is by nature knower only , and manifesting in the knowledge form he just knows pudgala karma only. Thus how can there be karta-karma relationship between the knower and the others?

Now question is raised that whether the Jiva has karta-karma relationship with pudgala , knowing his own manifestations. The reply is stated next:

Gatha 77:  Gyani manifests knowing various types of his own manifestations, but he never manifests into the form of other dravya paryaya, nor he receives them , nor he is born into them. Therefore he does not have karta-karma relationship with pudgala dravya.

Commentary : Karmas are of three kinds namely prapya, vikarya and nirvritya defined earlier. The Gyani manifests within his own soul, permeating within himself, from beginning middle to end, receives, manifests and generates  his own manifestation.   In this way  the soul knows and manifests within himself. Even so he does not indulge in manifestation of other dravya external to himself. Just as mud is pervasive within the pot and manifests in it, the soul does not manifest in the manifestation of other dravya from beginning, middle to end. 

Thus he does not receive, manifest in or generate the states of other dravya.

Thus the Gyani manifests knowing his own manifestations , without indulging in manifestation of other dravya in the three ways described above, therefore he does not have karta-karma relationship with other pudgala.

Explanation: The explanation is similar to the one of the previous gatha. The only difference is that in previous gatha “ the gyani is knowing the pudgala karma” and in this gatha “ the Gyani is knowing his own karma” .

Now question is that whether the Jiva has karta-karma relationship with pudgala, knowing the fruition of pudgala karma ? It is answered next:

Gatha 78 : Gyani manifests knowing infinite types of the fruition of pudgala karma. Even then, in reality he does not manifest into the form of paryaya of other dravya, nor he receives anything from them, nor he is born into them. In this way the Gyani does not have karta-karma relationship with them.

Commentary: Karma have three types of characteristics namely prapya, vikarya and nirvritya. The pudgala karma fruitions are of the types of happiness or unhappiness. In fruitions of these types the pudgala dravya alone is pervasive within them from beginning, middle to end and that only receives them, manifests in them and is born in them. However knowing the fruition of those pudgala karma , the Gyani remains external to those pudgala manifestations without permeating in them from beginning, middle to end ; neither receives them, nor manifests in them, nor is he born into them unlike mud does with the pot.

Then how is it ? Gyani manifests in the form of karma of his own nature having characteristics of prapya, vikarya, nirvritya . Permeating within self from beginning, middle to end, he receives himself, manifests within self and is born into himself. But the Gyani, without manifesting in the form of karmas of other dravya having characteristics of prapya, vikarya, nirvrtya, is only knower of the happiness-unhappiness form fruition of pudgala karmas. Therefore the Gyani does not have karta karma relationship with pudgala.

Explanation: the same explanation is applicable as per the previous gatha.

Now the question is whether the pudgala dravya has karta-karma relationship with Jiva , without knowing the manifestations of the Jiva, its  own manifestations and the fruitions of own manifestations ? The same is replied next :

Gatha 79 : Pudgala dravya also does not manifest into the forms of other drayvas ( Jiva dravya) , nor it receives them, nor is it born into them. Because it manifests only in the form of its own bhavas.

Commentary : Pudgala dravya manifests not knowing the manifestations of the Jiva dravya, its own manifestations and the fruition of its own manifestations. Without permeating into the forms of manifestations of other (Jiva) dravya like mud and the pot, in the beginning-middle or the end it does not receive it, nor manifests into them, nor is he born into them.

Then how is it ? – The pudgala dravya manifests into its own nature in the form of karmas permeating within self from beginning to middle to end. Thus it receives them only, manifests into them and is born into them only. Therefore it does not manifest into the forms of the other (Jiva) dravya having the characteristics of prapya, vikarya, nirvritya. That pudgala dravya does not know the manifestations of Jiva , its own manifestations and the fruitions of its own manifestations. Thus the pudgala does not have any karta-karma relationship with the Jiva.

Explanation: If someone believes that since pudgala is insentient and it does not know anybody, therefore it should have karta karma relationship with the Jiva.  Even that is untrue. Because in reality one dravya does not have karta karma relationship with another dravya.

Now the same meaning is conveyed in the next kalash:

Shloka 50 : Gyani manifests knowing his own as well as other dravya’s manifestations. Whereas pudgala manifests without knowing its own and other dravya’s manifestations. Therefore both of these do not have pervaded-pervader relationship internally because both are different dravyas. Both of them are different at all times hence believing them to have karta karma relationship is delusion. This delusion is present as long as it is not differentiated by means of differentiating knowledge , splitting them distinctly like the stroke of an axe, illuminating with the glow of knowledge.

Explanation : After attaining differentiating knowledge, there is no misconception of karta karma relationship between pudgala and Jiva. Till such time that the differentiating knowledge is not there , till that time due to ignorance there is delusion of karta karma relationship between them.

Now he  says that the manifestations of Jiva and pudgala together have nimitta form relationship between them but not karta-karma relationship.

Gatha 80: Just as pudgala manifests in karma form on account of nimitta of Jiva’s manifestation, the Jiva also manifests in karma form in accordance of nimitta of pudgala karma.

Gatha 81: Just as Jiva is not responsible for qualities of karma ; in the same way the karmas are also responsible for qualities of the Jiva. In this manner both manifest in accordance with the  nimitta of other- thus it should be known.

Gatha 82: Therefore soul is called karta on account of manifestation of own bhavas. However soul is not karta for any of the pudgala karma bhavas.

Commentary : On account of nimitta of jiva manifestation, pudgala manifests in karma form and on account of nimitta  of pudgala karma , jiva also manifests. In this manner the manifestations of Jiva and pudgala have nimitta form relationship. In spite of this the jiva and pudgala have lack of pervaded-pervader relationship. Hence Jiva does not have karta-karma relationship with pudgala manifestatiions nor pudgala karma have with Jiva manifestations. Even then there is no opposition to nimitta-naimittik relationship between the two since the two manifest on account of nimtta relationship between them.

Therefore like a pot of mud , Jiva is karta for his own bhavas at some time   manifesting in own bhavas due to own bhavas. Still just as mud is not karta of cloth, in the same way, jiva is not karta of pudgala bhavas since he is incapable of doing any bhava other than his own at any time- this is for sure.

Explanation: The manifestations of Jiva and pudgala have nimitta relationship between them, however they do not have karta-karma relationship. On account of nimitta of others, he may be called karta of  the manifestations of his own bhavas manifested in ignorance. Still he is not karta of others bhavas at any time.

Hence it establishes that jiva has karta-karma and enjoyer-enjoyable  relationship with his own manifestations:

Gatha 83:   O disciple ! It is the principle of Nishchaya naya that soul acts within himself and experiences or enjoys himself only – know this.

Commentary : Firstly an example is described. Waves in the sea have two states of arising and subsiding on  account of wind blowing or subsiding, however wind and the sea do not have pervaded-pervader relationship hence there is no karta-karma relationship. Therefore it is the sea which alone is pervasive within self from beginning-middle to  end hence responsible for the waves arising within self or the subsiding of the self thus it appears to be manifesting itself and does not appear to be doing someone else. In the same way there is lack of Bhavya-bhavak bhava between the sea and the wind. Since others bhava cannot be experienced by someone else therefore the sea alone experiences the waves within self or the subsiding of the waves by itself. It does not appear to be experiencing something else.

The applicable siddhant in accordance with example is quoted next – With the nimitta of fruition or non fruition of pudgala karma  jiva has two states namely worldly or liberated. Since pudgala karma and Jiva do not have pervaded-pervader relationship hence there is no karta-karma relationship. Hence Jiva being self pervasive from beginning middle to end, pervaded  within his own states of worldly and liberated form, appears to be doing himself and not any one else  in the forms of worldly or liberated. In the same way , the same Jiva, on account of lack of bhavya-bhavak bhava  and since others cannot experience others bhavas, experiences the soul as worldly or liberated i.e. it experiences the self only and nothing else.

Explanation: The worldly or liberated states of soul are with the nimitta of other dravya pudgala. The soul himself manifests in those states on his own; therefore soul is doer –enjoyer of the self. He is not doer-enjoyer of the nimitta form pudgala karma.

Now Vyavahara naya is described :

Gatha 84 : It is the principle of Vyavahara naya that soul indulges in pudgala karmas of several types and he experiences or enjoys those different pudgala karmas. 

Commentary : Firstly an example is quoted – The mud is responsible for making the pot and it enjoys it also since it is pervaded-pervader within self and enjoys as bhavak-bhavya bhava. Even then external to the pervaded-pervader relationship, the generation of pot and the corresponding activities of hand to produce it, enjoying the use of pot with the storage of water in bhavak-bhavya form,  the potter has made or used the pot- such is the worldly popular Vyavahara.

Corresponding siddhant is quoted next- although pudgala karma is pervaded-pervader within self and experiences pudgala dravya as bhavak-bhavya, even then there is ignorance prevalent of the pervader-pervaded relationship. Therefore the manifestation of his own raga resulting  in the bondage of pudgala karma and fruition of pudgala karma resulting in the desires towards the sensual objects which are experienced by the Jiva, it is the jiva who has bonded the pudgala karmas- such is the popular belief amongst the ignorant people of the world.

Explanation : In reality pudgala dravya alone is responsible for pudgala karma and the Jiva is responsible for his own manifestations in the form of raga etc. which are in accordance with pudgala karmas. Seeing their nimitta-naimittik relationship, the ignorant people believe that pudgala karmas are done by jiva – this is the popular eternal  ignorance. 

So long as the ignorant does not have differentiating knowledge between jiva and pudgala , till then the activities of both appear identical, hence without differentiating knowledge he talks in accordance with what is visible. Here shri Guru imparts the differentiating knowledge and show the real form of Jiva and call the belief of ignorant as Vyavahara.

Now the flaw of such Vyavahara is described:

Gatha 85 : If soul indulges in acts of pudgala karma and he experiences  and enjoys them then the soul is the karta of two acts. This scenario is not acceptable in the descriptions of Jina deva.

Commentary : First of all , all acts in the loka are  of the form of manifestations. There is no substance without manifestation and the manifesting dravya is not different from its manifestations. These are not two different entities. Hence it establishes that whatever is the act, it is not different from the actor dravya.

Thus there is no difference between the actor and the act. If such is the behavior of substance then just as  Jiva indulges in his own manifestations as pervaded-pervader , then with bhavak-bhavya bhava, he only experiences and enjoys those manifestations. If that jiva indulges  in the manifestations of pudgala karma as pervaded-pervader also, and experiences or enjoys  them as bhavak-bhavya bhava  then there is no difference between his own activity and the combined activity with others. In such a scenario there is no difference between the self and others. Therefore experiencing such a form of  soul of the form of several dravyas , he is deemed to be Mithyadrishti because such a form of substance has not been told by Jina deva and he is outside the domain of Jina principles.

Explanation: The activities of two dravyas are always different. Sentient does not indulge in acts of insentient nor vice versa. Therefore the person believing one dravya to be the karta of two acts is Mithyadrishti. Because the principle of Jina deva does not accept acts of two dravyas conducted by one dravya.