Neuroscience and Karma: Glossary of Sanskrit/Prakrit Words

Terms Related with Jain Philosophy

Abādhākāla:

Period of inactivity during which karman remains inactive after bondage. (See, sattā)

Adharmāstikāya:

One of the six eternal substances; medium of rest, (see dharmāstikāya).

Aghātin Karman:

Types of karman that do not obscure any fundamen­tal quality of the soul.

Akāśāstikāya:

Space; one of six eternal substances that contains all other substances.

Anantānubandhin (Kaṣāya):

Most virulent type of passion-quartet which are sub-species of deluding (Mohanīya) karman, that leads to endless worldly existence by destroying the right faith.

Antarāya Karman:

Energy-obstructing karman - one of the eight main species of karman that obstructs the spiritual energy.

Anubhāga (bandha):

Intensity of fruition of karman determined at the instant of bondage but amenable to change by particular potency of soul.

Apratyākhyānin (Kaṣāya):

Type of passion-quartet that is less virulent than the most virulent type; inhibits the aptitude even for partial renun­ciation; sub-species of deluding (mohanīya) karman.

Apavartanā:

Attenuation of the duration (sthiti) and intensity of fruition (anubhāga) of karman after the bondage; also see udvartanā; sankramaṇa.

Aśātā Vednīya Karman:

One of the two sub-species of feeling-producing (vednīya) karman that produces feeling of misery and suffering.

Audārika śarīra:

One of the five types of (gross or physical) bodies of the living organisms.

Āyuṣya Karman:

Life-span-determining karman; one of the eight main species of karman that determines the life-span of the organism.

Bandha:

Bondage; the process of intimate association of the soul with karma-pudgala; the soul under the influence of passions attracts karmic matter (karma-pudgala) which is then inseparably mixed up with it; the resultant state is bondage.

Bhāṣā:

Speech; a vital function of some organisms; one of their three activities (yoga) which are also the cause of bondage. Also see manaḥ; śwasocchvāsa.

Bhāṣā Vargaṇā:

A group of material aggregates used for producing speech.

Brahman:

Absolute; the Ultimate Solitary Reality - single conscious element which pervades the entire universe according to the Vedanta philosophy.

Darśana:

Intuition or indeterminate cognition; one of the two inalien­able characteristics of the soul; the faculty of cognising reality without separation of contents; counterpart of knowledge, also see jñāna.

Darśanāvārṇa Karman:

Intuition-obscuring karman - one of the eight main species of karman that obscures 'darsana' which is one of the eight innate qualities of soul. Also see darśana, kevala darśana.

Dharmāstikāya:

One of the six eternal substances; medium of motion, also see adharmāstikāya.

Dravya:

Substance. Six eternal/indestructible substances (dravyas) produce the infinite world processes through their modifications and interactions.

Ghatin karman:

Types of karman that obscure fundamental qualities of soul.

Sarva-ghātin:

Those which are completely obscuring.

Deśaghātin:

Those which are partially obscuring. Also see aghātin karman.

Gotra karman:

Status-determining karman - one of the eight main species of karman that determines the status and family conditions.

Guṇa:

Quality or inalienable attribute of a substance.

Jīvāstikāya/Jīva:

One of the six eternal substances; only one that possesses consciousness; soul; individual self; the conscious constituent of a living organism.

Jñāna:

Knowledge or determinate cognition; the faculty of cognising reality with separation of its contents; counterpart of intuition; also see darśana.

Jñānāvarṇa karman:

Knowledge-obscuring karman - one of the eight main species of karman that obscures jnana which is one of the eight innate qualities of soul.

Kāla:

Time; one of the six eternal substances.

Karman:

1. Threefold action or activity of a living organism viz.,
1. mental,
2. vocal
   and
3. physical or bodily action.
2. Imperceptible transcendental effect resulting from thought, speech and bodily action; a potential psycho-physical force which is the cause of the worldly existence of soul; it obscures, vitiates and obstructs the eight inmate qualities of the soul through its eight main species.

Karma-phala:

Fruition of karman; karman rises from its hitherto supine state and manifests itself and gives its fruit (fructifies).

Kārmaṇa Vargaṇā:

Group of material aggregates capable of being attracted and transformed into karman by living organisms.

Kevala darśana, Kevala Jñāna:

The basic innate qualities of a soul in its purest natural state; pure and perfect intuition and knowledge; direct experience of the total reality without any contradiction or discrepancy; also see darśana, jñāna.

Kaṣāya:

Passions; the principal armament of the psycho-physical force of karman for perpetuating its existence; it is the main cause of the bondage of new karman and continuation of the worldly existence of the soul, its four bold manifestation viz. angary, arrogance, deceit and greed are the sub-species of the deluding (mohanīya) karman.

Kṣaya:

(Total) Destruction of karman; one of the three states of non-fruition of karman.

Manuṣya Ayuṣya, Manuṣya Gati, Manuṣya Anupurvi:

These three sub-species of karman are the joint determinants which bestow the human state to the soul.

Ksayopaśama:

Destruction-cum-subsidence of karman; one of the three states of non-fruition of karman, applicable to four ghatin karman; permits partial manifestation of the innate qualities of soul; see also Kṣaya, Upaśama.

Manaḥ-Vargaṇā:

Group of material aggregates specifically used by living organisms for the process of thinking; also see Bhāṣā.

Mithyātva:

Nescience; perverted or false faith/attitude; predilection for untruth; opposite of samyakatva.

Mohanīya karman:

Deluding karman; one of the eight main species of karman; produces delusion - metaphysical and ethical;

1. darśana mohanīya - prevents the innate ability of belief in truth and
2. cāritra mohanīya - destroys equanimity of conduct.

Nāma karman:

Body-making karman - one of the eight main species of karman. It has a large number of sub-species, accounting for various forms of embodied existence of soul.

Paramāṇu:

Ultimate indivisible unit of pudgalāstikāya i.e. physical order of existence. It is the ultimate cause of the physical existence; also see pudagalāstikāya; skandha.

Prakṛti:

Nature, type, or species of karman after bondage with soul.

Mūla Prakṛti:

There are eight main species (mūla prakṛti)

Uttara Prakṛti:

Mūla Prakṛtis are divided into many sub-types (uttara prakṛti).

Prakṛti Bandha:

Type-bondage; one of the four categories of bondage determining the type or species of the karman, at the time of bondage.

Pratyākhyānī (Kaṣāya):

One of the four types of passion-quartet. It is less virulent than apratyākhyānī and inhibits the aptitude for complete renunciation (ascetic life) but allows partial renunciation.

Pudgalāstikāya:

The physical order of existence. One of the six eternal substances that possesses senuous qualities and thus can be cognised by sense-organs.

Punya and Papa:

Auspicious or virtuous and inauspicious or sinful karman respectively. Fruition of the former results in physical pleasure and that of the latter, in suffering, physical as well as spiritual.

Samyaktva:

Right faith: predilection for truth; it is the innate charac­teristic of the soul, but it remains obscured by perversity (mithyātva) from eternity.

Saṁkramaṇa:

Process of transformation of one sub-type into another sub-type of the same main species of karman by an effort of the soul.

Sātā Vednīya:

One of the two sub-species of vednīya karman that produces feeling of pleasure; also see asātā vednīya.

Sattā:

Existence; inactive state of karman after bondage prior to the state of rise (udaya). (see, abādhākāla)

Skandha:

Aggregate or composite body. In the case of pudgala - the physical substance - ultimate atoms (paramānus) combine together to make skandhas. All visible perceptible objects are skandhas.

Sthiti Bandha:

Bondage of karman with respect to duration; one of the four categories of bondage determining duration of association of karman; it is determined at the instant of bondage but amendable to change by special potency of soul.

Sukha and Dukkha:

Physical happiness and misery; normally, results of punya and papa respectively, by the fruition of feeling-producing (vednīya) karman. Ātmika sukha (self-generated spiritual bliss) is, however, an innate quality of pure soul and is independent of anything external.

Śwasocchvāsa:

Breathing; a vital function which needs the help of a specific group of matter - śwasocchvāsa vargaṇā.

Udaya:

Fruition or rise of karman; the state of maturity and fructifica­tion of karman.

Udīraṇā:

Premature fruition of karman forced by a strong effort of soul; precursor of the state of upśamana in the case of deluding (mohanīya) karman.

Udvartanā:

Enhancement of the duration (sthiti) and augmentation of the intensity of fruition (anubhāga) of karman after the bondage; also see apavartanā, saṁkramaṇa.

Upaśamana:

Subsidence of karman for a period less than 48 minutes (muhūrta). One of the three states of non-fruition of karman, applicable only to deluding (mohanīya) karman. It holds an important place in the soul's struggle for self-realization, see also kṣaya, kṣayopaśama.

Vargaṇā:

Group or category, generally of different types of pudgala (physical substance). There are innumerable groups but a few ones are empirically useful to living organisms e.g. bodies are made from audārika group. Other groups are, bhāṣā, śwasocchvāsa, manaḥ, etc., useful for vital functions of the organism.

Vedniya karman:

Fearing producing karman; one of the eight main species of karman that is feeling-producing, it obstructs the natural bliss of the pure soul and produces earthly pleasures and pain/suffering. Virya: Psychical energy; it is necessary for the demolition of karman.

Ananta Virya:

The infinite energy which is inherent in the soul; it is obstructed by antarāya karman.