5.3. Three Stages (2): Nirjarā (Dissociation of Karma)

The soul in bondage is a stage of saṃsāra. One must do something to help the soul to set free. According to Jainism there are three stages to free the soul from bondage. They are saṃvara (selfrestraint), nirjarā (dissociation of karma) and mokṣa (liberation).

Second stage is nirjarā. Nirjarā means freeing the soul or removing the karmasarīra by tapa or self-mortification. All sins previously committed are utterly and entirely worn away. It is the shedding of karma matter.

This nirjarā also is of two kinds,

1. bhāva-nirjarā and
2. dravya-nirjarā.

Bhāva-nirjarā means that change in the soul by virtue of which the karma particles are destroyed. Dravya-nirjarā means the actual destruction of these karma particles either by the reaping of their effects or by penances before their time of fruition, called savipāka and avipāka nirjarā repectively.^[1]

This nirjarā also means burning up mental defilements (kleṣa) or karmasarirā. There are two karmas to be burned up: Pūraṇa-karma and nava-karma. Puraṇa-karma is a karma that has acquired through body, speech and mind in the present life. Pūraṇa-karma must be removed by tapa and the nava-karma is to be stopped by saṃvara.

Along with the practice, of saṃvara or arresting the influx of fresh karma-pudgala as stated in the preceding chapter a mumukshin jīva is required to act in such a way as would help him in throwing away the already acquired dirt of karma which has been subjecting him to go round and round the wheel of births and deaths. For until and unless a jīva' s entire karma-matter clothing his soul-worked out or neutralized in a manner as would make it impossible to transform into udaya—kinetic state of its being, a jīva cannot expect to attain to freedom. And the processes and activities whereby the karma-matter clothing the soul is worked out or their effects completely neutralized so much so that they would fall away from the constitution of the jīva is called nirjarā.

The Jain sages have classified this Nirjarā into two kinds viz:

1. Akama Nirjarā
2. Sakama Nirjarā

To deal with akama nirjarā, karma-pudgalas while standing in some relation with the soul assume various phases through successive processes of transition according to laws inherent in them.

This is the reason why the sages have come to another kind of classification of the karma-bargains by the names of:

1. Satta
2. Bandha
3. Udaya
4. Udirna

(1) By satta karma—The sages mean the karma-bargains which getting in to the constitution of the jīva remains there merged as it were in the soul. Satta-karma corresponds to the Sanchita-karma of the Hindus: The whole man that still remains behind the man not yet worked out-the entire unpaid balance of the debit and credit account.

(2) By bandha karma—the Sages mean the karma-bargains in the state of satta enter by virtue of subjection of the jīva into a relation of identity with the soul where by the jīva takes in further karma-matter in its current lease of life to mould its destiny for the future. This bandha karma is analogous to the kriyaman karma of the Vedanta philosophers.

(3) By Udaya karma—The sages mean the karma bargains which standing simply in relation of identity with the soul for sometime develop into an energy of movement for the enjoyment of the soul at the commencement of each life. This is analogous to the prarabdha karma of the Hindus by which they mean the amount apportioned to the man at the beginning of his life on earth. It is important to note here that this third type, the udaya karma, is the only destiny which can be said to exist for man and this is what an astrologer might foretell for us, that we have apportioned to us so much good and evil fortune -so much of the good and evil actions of our past lives which will react on us in this life.

(4) By Udirna karma—The sages mean the karma barganads which by the resolute will and exertion of the soul are worked out into the energy of movement for the enjoyment of the jīva before they are due.

[Read next page—Two types of tapas]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ibid;