Theory of Karman in Indian Thought

SR No.: 011109
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Koshelya Walli
Publisher: Bharat Manisha
Publication Year: 1977
Total Pages: 377
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 17 MB

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ancient India among certain heretic followers. The former view or šāśvatavāda upholds every thing to be permanent. There is no room for destruction anywhere. On the other hand Ucchedavāda implies that nothing does really exist in the world. Our experience stands against the two extreme views, for it points out that neither being nor non-being is true-what is true is being followed by non-being and non-benig followed by being. This implies contingency or conditional existence i. e. occasionalness (kadăcitakarttā). This shows that there is some extraordinary cause which accounts for this occasional character of being or non-being.1 A quotation from Nyāyakusumāñjali is supposed to be a denial of karma or adssta which is an extraordinary cause for explaining postmortem personal experiences of pleasure and pain. The denial of adşşța is held to be untenable by Udayana for several reasons which are enumerated in the following couplet 2 The five reasons for maintaining the existence of an unseen force called karma or adšşta are as follows :
1. Sāpekṣatva 2. Anáditva 3. Vaicitrya 4. Visvavṛtti 5. Pratyātmapiyama of Bhoga or experience of pleasure and
pain. Sāpekṣatva-Udayana says that this mundane existence full of infinite sorrows cannot originate of itself without any relation with causal forces, for, in that case it would either exist as such always or not exist at all. Its occasional character or contingency will remain inexplicable. If it is said that this
1. Nyāya Kusumāñjali 1,4.
अलौकिकस्य परलोकसाधनस्य अभावात् । 2. Udayana, Stabaka-1.
सापेक्षत्वादनादित्वा चित्र्याद्विश्ववृत्तितः । प्रत्यात्मनियमाद् मुक्त रस्ति हेतुरलौकिकः ॥ ४॥