Samaṇ Suttaṁ: 06. Karmasutra

06. Karma Sutra

PRECEPTS ON KARMAS

Jo jena pagarenam, bhavo niyao tamannaha fo tu.
Mannati kereti vadati va, vippariyaso bhave eso. (56)

If a thing is possessed of a certain definite form, then to consider it otherwise, to act as if it were otherwise, or to describe as otherwise is pervertion. (56)

Jam jam samayam jivo avisai jena jena bhavena.
So tammi-tammi samae, suhasuham bandhae kammam. (57)

Whenever a soul experiences this or that mental state at that very time it gets bound by a corresponding good or evil karmas. (57)

Kayasa vayasa matte, vitte giddhe ya itthisu.
Duhao malam samcinai, sisunagu vva mattiyam. (58)

Whoever is careless about his physical activities and speech and covetous of wealth and woman. accumulates Karmic dirt of attachment and aversion just as an earth-worm accumulates mud by both way (i. e., internally and externally). (58)

Na tassa dukkham vibhayamti naio, na mittavagga na suya na bandhava.
Ekko sayam paccanuhoi dukkham, kattarameva anujai kammam. (59)

As Karmas pursue the doer, the doer must suffer misery all alone and neither his castemen, nor friends, nor sons, nor brothers can share his misery. (59)

Kammam cinanti savasa, tassudayammi u paravvasa homti.
Rukkham duruhai savaso, vigalai sa paravvaso tatto. (60)

Just as a person is free while climbing a tree but once he starts falling then he has no power to check it. Smimilarly a living being is free in accumulating the Karmas but once accumulated it is beyond his power to control their fruition. (60)

Kammavasa khalu jiva, jivavasam kahimci kammaim.
Katthai dhanio balavam, dharanio katthai balavam. (61)

At sometimes (i.e., at the time of fruition) the living beings are controlled by Karmans while at other times (i. e., at the time of doing) the Karmans are controlled by them, just as at the time of lending the money the creditor is in a stronger position, while at the time of returning it, a debtor is in a stronger position. (61)

Kammattanena ekkam, davvam bhavo tti hodi duviham tu.
Poggalapindo dhavvam, tassatti bhavakammam tu. (62)

Karma as such is of one type. But it is of two kinds also, dravyakarma and bhavakarma. The dravyakarma is a mass of physical particles and the inherent capacity of it is bhavakarma (and this capacity is originated from the attachment and aversion of the self). (62)

Jo indiyadivijai, bhaviya uvaogamappagam jhadi.
Kammehim so na ranjadi, kiha tam pana anucaranti. (63)

He who has gained victory over his senses and meditates on the very nature of soul, is not bound by Karmas; how can the prana which is made of Karmic matter follow such a being? (That is his soul gets freedom from transmigration). (63)

Nanassavaranijjam, damsanavaranam taha.
Veyanijjam taha moham, aukammam taheva ya.
Namakammam ca goyam ca, antarayam taheva ya.
Evameyaim kammaim, attheva u samasao. (64-65)

In brief, the Karmas are of eight kinds: (1) jnanavaraniya (knowledge obscuring), (2) Darsanavaraniaya (Apprehension obscuring), (3) Vedaniya (feeling producing), (4) Mohaniya (causing delusion), (5) Ayu (determining the life-span), (6) Nama (physique-determining), (7) Gotra 9status determining) and (8) Antaraya (obscuring the power of self). (64-65)

Pada-padihara si majja, hada-citta-kulalabhandagarinam.
Jaha eesim bhava, kammana vi jana taha bhava. (66)

The nature of these eight karmas resembles respectivelty a curtain, a door-keeper, a sword,wine, wooden fetters, a painter, a potter and a treasurer. (66)

This verse explains the nature of the eight karmas thus:

1. The knowledge-obscuring karma, is like a curtain which prevents a person from knowing what is inside a room;
   
2. The darsanavaraniya karma prevents a person from apprehension like a door-keeper who presents one from seeing a dignitary;
   
3. Vedaniya karma is the couse of pleasure and pain like a sword smeared with honey which while licking becomes the cause of pleasure due to honey and pain as there is chance of an injury to the tongue;
   
4. Mohaniya karma causes delusion as does wine;
   
5. The Ayu karma keeps the soul tied down to a body, just as the wooden-fetters on legs keep the person tied down to a place until they are removed;
   
6. Nama-karma cause the soul to enter different kinds of bodies, just as a painter paints different pictures;
   
7. Gotra-karma is responsible for birth in high or low families just as a potter prepares small or big pots;
   
8. The Antaraya karma prevents a person from doing good deeds just as treasurer prevents hismaster from making gift and donations.