Chapter 2 : Karta Karma Adhikar

19. Samayasar  Gatha 69-72

Now commentator says that Jiva and Ajiva together enter the stage in the disguise of karta-karma ( doer and the act).

Just as two people jointly make a disguise and enter the stage, the same metaphor has to be adopted here. There the right knowledge recognizes the disguise hence in tribute to that knowledge the next kalash is stated:

Sholka 46 : The flame of right knowledge reveals itself explicitly.

How does it reveal itself ? – Ignorant people believe in karta –karma in following way – In this world myself of the nature of conscious soul is the karta(doer) and the anger etc. bhavas are my karma( acts)- such attitude of karta-karma is extinguished by the flame of knowledge.

How is that flame of knowledge ? – It is absolutely great and is not subordinate to anyone.

And how is it ? – Extremely patient i.e. it is totally unperturbed.

And how is it ? -  without assistance of anyone it has the nature of illuminating different objects, therefore it sees and knows the entire loka-aloka directly. 

Explanation : This soul of the nature of knowledge illuminates himself by removing the ignorance of karta-karma in the context of   other dravyas and their bhavas.

Now he says that till such time that the Jiva does not recognize the difference between the soul and Asrava (influx), till that time he remains ignorant and absorbing himself in asravas he accrues bondage of karmas.

Gatha 69 :  Till the time that the Jiva does not recognize the difference between the soul and the asravas by means of their different characteristics, till such time he remains ignorant and manifests in the asravas of the type of anger etc.

Gatha 70 : Manifesting in anger etc. leads to accrual  of karmas to the Jiva. In this manner omniscient has described the bondage of the Jiva with karmas. 

Commentary : The soul and knowledge have the relationship of having oneness , hence between the soul and knowledge there is no difference. Therefore the soul manifests in the form of knowledge unhesitatingly without finding any difference. In this manifestation the act of knowing is natural because it has not been generated due to nimitta of someone else, hence it has not been negated. Therefore the soul knows by means of  the manifestation of knowingness , which is not a vibhava ( unnatural) manifestation.

Now, just as soul manifests in the form of knowledge, in the same way, due to the combinational relationship, the soul manifests in the form of asravas of anger etc., without knowing any difference due to his ignorance. Thus he manifests in the form of anger etc. without hesitation believing them to be his own. Although in this manifestation the acts of anger etc. are generated out of other corrupted bhavas, hence should be rejected, but the ignorant believes them to be generated out of his own nature. Thus  the soul manifests in the form of anger, raga, and moha on his own. 

In this manner, the soul, due to his own ignorance, discarding his own natural state of detached knower and observer, appears to manifest in the form of anger etc. and engages himself in this way. Thus he becomes the doer of those karmas . In another way, without  manifesting  in the form of   knowledge, the bhavas of anger etc. which are internally generated , appear to be the karmas of the doer. Thus from beginingless time , the soul has been engaging in the form of karta-karma( doer-act) out of his own ignorance.

In this way, out of his own ignorance, the soul manifesting in anger etc. with the spirit of doer and the act, accrues pudgala karmas which have manifested on their own due to the nimitta of the manifestation of soul in the form of anger etc. This establishes the interdependent relationship of bondage between Jiva and pudgala having the characteristics of occupying the same space. This bondage keeps continuing in lineage form in different objects- this lineage also overcomes the flaw of interdependence between them. Hence this bondage is the causal agent of the ignorance resulting in tendency of doer and the act.

Explanation : Just as the soul has the nature of manifesting in the form of knowledge , in the same way he also manifests in the form of anger etc. Till such time he does not know the difference between knowledge and anger etc. , till that time he manifests in the form of doer and act. At the time of manifesting in the form of anger etc. , he himself is the karta ( doer) and the anger etc. are his karma( act).

On account of eternal ignorance he has the inclination of  karta-karma. This inclination is the cause of bondage and the lineage of the bondage is the ignorance. In this manner an eternal lineage is progressing in which there is no flaw of interdependence. This way, till the soul manifests in the form of karta of anger etc. karmas , he has the inclination of karta-karma , and till such time he accrues bondage of karmas.

Now someone enquires that when does the inclination of karta-karma vanish. In reply he tells the next gatha:

Gatha 71 : The moment this Jiva  knows the difference between the soul and the asrava by their specific characteristics, he does not accrue bondage  any further.

Commentary : In this loka every substance has its own nature and remaining natural only is called its nature. With this it is clear that the manifesting in the form of knowledge is the soul while manifesting in the form of anger etc. is anger etc. itself. Therefore manifesting in the form of knowledge is not manifesting in the form of anger etc., because at the moment of  knowing only knowledge is experienced and not anger etc. In the same way at the moment of manifesting in anger etc. , knowledge is not experienced and only anger is experienced. Therefore definitely the knowledge and anger etc. are not the same substance.

In the same way , when the soul realizes the difference between the soul and the asravas by their characteristics , at that very moment he gets rid of the inclination of karta-karma in others which has been in practice eternally. By such disposition, the bondage of pudgala dravya karmas which was being accrued with the nimitta of ignorance is also stopped. Thus it establishes that the knowledge alone leads to prevention of bondage.

Explanation : Anger etc. and knowledge are different substances. Knowledge does not contain anger etc. and anger etc. do not contain knowledge – this way when the differentiating knowledge is generated between them, then  the ignorance of believing their oneness is removed, hence the bondage of karmas is also prevented. Thus the knowledge itself causes the prevention of bondage.

Now the question arises that how does the knowledge alone prevent the bondage ? This is answered in next gatha :

Gatha 72 : After knowing that the asravas are the impure, unnatural and cause of misery, the Jiva  gets rid of them.

Commentary : These asravas are impure , just as the algae in water itself is impure and also makes the water impure. In the same way the asravas themselves are impure and they cause soul also to experience impurity. However soul is bhagwan himself, knowledgeable, having the nature of pure conscious self, therefore he is extremely pure , clean and bright.

Asravas  have different nature compared to soul. They are objects of knowledge because being insentient  they are worthy of being known by others.  The insentient does not know itself , nor does it know others; it is always known by others. On the other hand the soul is of the nature of dense block of knowledge, hence he is conscious himself ; he is a knower having different nature compared to asravas  and knows self and others.  

Asravas are cause of misery because they generate perturbation within the soul. On the other hand the soul is of the nature of remaining unperturbed at all times. Neither he is an act of others , nor he is cause for others, hence he himself  is not the cause of misery.  

In this manner by observing these three differences between the soul and asravas , when the soul differentiates between them, then he gets rid of anger etc. asrava bhavas. If he is still encumbered with the asravas then he cannot attain the real true differentiating knowledge. Therefore it is said that the purging of anger etc. asravas is indicative of the differentiating  knowledge which represents the overcoming of the bondage of  pudgala karmas due to ignorance called Samvar ( stoppage of karma influx ) .

Here one should notice this specially that whether the differentiating knowledge between the soul and asravas is knowledge or ignorance ? – If it is ignorance then it has not differentiated between the soul and asravas and not separated them. If it is knowledge then further question arises that whether that knowledge is indulgent in asravas or non indulgent ? If the knowledge is still indulgent in the asravas then that knowledge has not differentiated with asravas and is of the form of ignorance only and nothing has been achieved. If that knowledge is not indulgent in   asravas then it establishes that knowledge only caused the prevention of bondage. By means of this proof, the singular disposition that by Kriya-naya alone one could prevent bondage without knowledge , is refuted. Further by stating that it cannot be called knowledge unless the soul has gotten rid of asravas – it negates the singular disposition of gyana-naya- which in reality is agyana-naya. 

Explanation : Asravas are impure, inert and cause for misery, while soul is pure, knower and blissful. In this manner, knowing the differences of the two, the soul which discards asravas , does not accrue bondage of karmas. In spite of knowing the differences , if one does not get rid of asravas then that knowledge is ignorance only.

Now someone enquires that Avirat Samyakadrishti ( 4^th gunasthana samyakdrishti) does not have asravas pertaining to Mithyatva and Anantanubandhi Kashaya , but he has asravas and bondage of other karmas, then should he be called Gyani or Agyani ( ignorant)?

Answer – The bondage of karmas to Samyakdrishti jiva is not due to his intent. After attaining Samyaktva, he does not have ownership of the other dravyas , therefore till such time that he has fruition of Charitra Mohaniya, till that time he has accrual of asravas and bondage. However he does not have ownership of them and truly he wishes to get rid of those desires , hence is  called  Gyani only. Here the bondage of Mithyatva which is cause for eternal transmigration is the main issue ; while the bondage due to lack of control etc. has small bondage period and low intensity in fruition which is not cause of prolonged worldly existence , hence not considered important.

In other words the knowledge is not cause of bondage. Till such time the Mithyatva was in fruition he was called ignorant and now after destruction of Mithyatva , he does not have ignorance but knowledge. Here the ownership of  impurity due to Charitra Moha is not attributed to the Gyani hence he does not have bondage. The corruption causes bondage hence it belongs to lineage of bonding and not in the lineage of knowledge. This is asserted in the next gatha :

Now a kalash is recited as prelude :

Shloka 47 : Now the knowledge makes appearance directly.

How is it ? Indivisible, since earlier on account of nimitta of objects of knowledge and due to characteristics of the Kshayopasham knowledge ( knowledge based on subsidence and suppression of gyanavaraniya karma) the knowledge was experienced in various divided forms. Now undivided form of knowledge alone is experienced , hence here adjective of indivisible is used.

And how else is it ? It is generated  devoid of divisions in the form of Mati Gyana etc , hence too it is called indivisible.   

And how is it ? Due to nimitta of others it was manifesting in the form of ragas, now it appears discarding such a practice.

And how is it ? Gloriously brilliant. It is so powerful that it does not manifest in the form of ragas due to nimitta of others.

Hence Acharya states- “ Oh! In such a knowledge, how can there be consideration  of manifesting in the form of karta-karma of other dravyas and bondage of pudgala karmas ? – Not possible. ”  

Explanation : The bondage of karmas was due to ignorance which resulted in manifesting in the form of karta-karma. Now with differentiating knowledge  and withdrawal of tendency of causing  manifestation in others, the singular knowledge has appeared. With that the tendency of manifesting as various  different predicates has vanished, so why should there be bondage?  - It does not happen.