Volume-XII, Special Issue, April 2026 |
A Brief Analysis of Jaina Karmavāda Ms. Shrabani Sarkar, Research Scholar, Department of Philosophy, Raiganj University, West Bengal, India |
Received: 07.04.2026 | Accepted: 08.04.2026 | Published Online: 10.04.2026 | Page No: 338-345 | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.12.issue.specialW.301 | |||||||
ABSTRACT | ||
The Jaina concept of Karma offers a distinctive framework for comprehending morality, the cycle of rebirth, and the pursuit of freedom integral to Jainism. Jainism views it as a concrete substance (pudgala) that clings to the soul (jīva) and conceals its inherent attributes of infinite knowledge, perception, energy, and happiness. In the Tattvārtha Sūtra, Umasvati classifies Karma into eight categories: four destructive (jñānāvaraṇīya, darśanāvaraṇīya, antarāya, and mohanīya) and four non-destructive (vedanīya, āyuṣya, nāma, and gotra). The essay examines the karmic process (asrava, bandha, samvara, nirjara) and delineates ten karmic stages (bandha, utkarṣaṇa, apakarṣaṇa, sattā, udaya, udīraṇā, saṅkramaṇa, upaśama, nidhatti, nikācanā). This essay will analyse the significance of karmic stains (leśyās) and passions (kaṣāyas) as psychological dimensions of Karma. The central claim is that psychological states are not autonomous from karmic bondage; instead, they are deeply intertwined. This debate will juxtapose Jainism's "three jewels" (correct knowledge, faith, and behaviour) with the philosophies of Western intellectuals such as Kant, Green, and James, in contrast to fatalism. The Jains' pragmatic integration of determinism and free will via ethical behaviour and asceticism exemplifies their comprehensive perspective on moral agency and emancipation. | ||
Keywords: Jainism, Karma, Mokṣa, Free Will. |