Asrava and Bandha, the 3rd and 4th Navatattva

 

Asrava (Influx of Karma), the 3^rd Navatattva

The third cardinal principle is Asrava. The causes which lead to the influx of good and evil karma for the bondage of the soul are called Asrava. To explain it more clearly, Asrava is an attractive force generated in the jiva towards sense objects.  Just as water flows into a boat through a hole in it, similarly, karma flows into the soul through asrava and impedes its progress. All activities of body, speech and mind cause inflow of karmic matter. These activities, if good, cause the inflow of meritorious Karmas leading to worldly happiness. If these activities are bad, they cause the inflow of demeritorious karmas leading to misery. At first sight it would appear that only bad activities should be avoided but the good activities also have to be avoided to make the soul free of karma, which is necessary to reach the ultimate goal of liberation.

The cause of asrava are as follows: Mithyattva (perverted belief or ignorance), Avirati (want of self-restraint), Pramada (inadvertence), Kashayas (passions like anger, vanity, deceitfulness and avarice) and Yoga (activities of mind, speech and body) – these are the five causes of the influx of evil karmas; hence they are collectively known as Asrava. There are five more karma opposite to the five major vows. They are: himsa or violence, asatya or untruth, chaurya or stealing, maithuna or sex indulgence and parigraha or attachment to material objects. They are also the cause of influx of bad karmas and therefore, they too are Asrava.

Bandha (Bondage), the 4^th Navatattva

The fourth cardinal principle is Bandha which means the bondage of the soul with karma. It is the envelope made of skandhas within which the soul exists. Skandhas are material objects composed of innumerable particles known as atoms. There is a particular type of particle which being attracted by the ignorance of the jiva, the action of its mind, speech and body, and its reactions of attraction and repulsion, attach themselves to the soul and shroud it. These are called particles of Karma Vargana. Vargana means class or category. Ignorance, passion, actions and reactions of the jiva are the atoms of the karma vargana. If a heated iron ball is immersed into water, the iron ball takes up water particles. If oil is spilled on a cloth, dust will easily adhere on it. Similarly, when the soul is attacked by the passions like anger and love, it takes the pudgala particles fit for the bondage of the karma.

In its essential nature, the soul being pure, transparent, conscious and incorporeal, logically cannot be bound by corporeal and unconscious particles; but from time immemorial it has undergone this bondage by form of karmic matter. This type of bondage is mysterious and timeless. This karmic envelope is called in Jain parlance karmana-sharira. In some Indian philosophies it is called linga-sharira. The jiva is encased in the karmana-sharira from time immemorial, and, in consequence, subject to the impulses and reactions, caused by karma. Attracted by these impulses and reactions, new karmic atoms of matter constantly flow in and attach themselves to the karmic envelope of the jiva. As a result of this inflowing and accumulating karma, the jiva has to whirl on the wheel of samsara and pass through the experiences of both pleasure and pain.

Karmic matter attaching to the soul assumes four forms: 1) Prakriti-Bandha, 2) Sthiti-Bandha, 3) Anubhava-Bandha and 4) Pradesa-Bandha.

Bandha (Karma Bandha) is the mutual intermingling of the soul and karma. Man creates his own karma according to his own character (prakriti). When karmic matter attaches itself to the soul, its development is determined by the action of the jiva’s mind, speech and body at that moment. By the goodness or badness, intensity or dullness of action by the jiva, it assumes the capacity to cover up certain attributes of the soul. If the nature of a person is bitter and harsh, he has to endure bad karma; if his nature is sweet and pleasant, he will accumulate good karma. This form of bondage is called Prakriti-Bandha. It may develop infinite variants in itself according to different energy of the mind, body and speech of the jiva.

Prakriti-bandha can be subsumed under eight heads: i) Jnanavaraniya, ii) Darshanavaraniya, iii) Mohaniya, iv) Antaraya, v) Vedaniya, vi) Nama, vii) Gotra and viii) Ayu.

 Jnanavaraniya karma covers up the soul’s power of knowledge.

 Darshanavaraniya karma covers its power of perception or vision.

Mohaniya karma generates delusion in the soul in regard to its own true nature. The soul identifies itself with or other eternal substances and relationships.

Antaraya karma envelops the soul’s inherent quality. It obstructs the jiva from doing good, beneficial activities and generous contribution in the society.

Vedaniya karma overcasts its intrinsic, infinite and blissful nature of the soul and make the jiva feel evanescent pleasures and pains of the world.  

Nama karma eclipses the soul’s formlessness and constraints it to put on forms with various qualities and identification.

Gotra karma obscures the soul’s characteristics of equanimity and determines the caste, family, social status.

Ayu karma determines the span of life on earth. This obscures soul’s nature of eternal existence. Ayu karma compels the jiva to assume a body for a fixed period of time in each successive birth.

Ghati karma refers to those that directly affect the soul’s attributes. Jnanavaraniya karma, Darshanavaraniya karma, Mohaniya karma and Antaraya karma comes under Ghati Karma. Ghati karma therefore affects the true nature of the soul while they are attached to it. Aghati karma affect the physical body where the soul resides. Vedaniya karma, Nama karma, Gotra karma and Ayu karma comes under Aghati karma.

Karma can be classified according to the time it takes to expiate. The karmic matter which adheres to the soul for a particular span of time is called Sthiti-Bandha. For doing the same work different people may require different time. So sthiti-bandha may vary from second to year for different persons.

The karmic matter that is in its initial stage produced out of raga, dwesha etc, is called Anubhava-Bandha or Rasa-Bandha.

The number of karmic particles that are drawn towards the jiva for attachment is determined by the nature of mind, speech and body of that particular jiva. If the action is on a large scale or intense, the number of karmic particles is large. But if it is on a small scale or lacking in intensity, the number is small. This type of bandha of varying magnitude is called Pradesa-Bandh.

Reference:

The Heart of Jainism by Mrs. Sinclair Stevenson, 1915, Oxford University Press.

Lord Mahavira, His Life and Doctrines by Puran Chand Samsookha,1957, Publisher Jain Swetambar Terapanthi Mahasabha, Kolkata.

www.jaina.org

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