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12 : PART II
GUIDELINES TO MAHAVIR-DARSHAN
The condition of soul which make asrava possible is called bhava-asrava (subjective asrava). It is of thirty-two kinds. The actual matter of various colours, etc. etc attracted by the soul is dravya-asrava (objective asrava ).
The past karmas of the soul affect its present activity; its present karmas help or modify these and the joint effect determines the character and tendency of the actual surroundings, etc. of the soul. The soul must pay for what it has acquired. If it has acquired more than it can maintain, it must break under the load of matter, i.e. it must become spiritually bankrupt.
The karmas are themselves indifferent; they do not desire to come or to stay away. But if the soul is in a mood to receive them, they are attracted to it as readily as fine iron filings by a magnet. It is the vicious, relentless vigilance of matter to run to and embrace the soul, in its ignorance and infatuation as much as in its enlightenment and discrimination, that is in Jainism called asrava.
The psychical condition which makes the inflow of Karmic matter into the soul possible (bhava-asrava ) may take the form of false or perverse belief, an indisciplined, vowless, characterless life, careless
mind, body and speech, or yielding to the passions. The physical matter which is actually drawn to the soul (dravya-asrava ) is invisible. It cannot be perceived by the senses as it is sukshma or fine, or even sukshma-sukshma, or very fine. 4. Bandha
The actual investing of the soul by the karmic matter which has flowed into it, is called bondage (bandha ). The psychical condition which allows this, is called bhava-bandha. It corresponds exactly to bhava-asrava, and arises from false belief, want of character, etc., etc.
The actual mingling of karmic matter with the particles ( pradesas ) of the soul is dravya-bandha.
This bondage is of four kinds, according to (1) the nature of the karmic matter which has invested the soul; (2) the period during which it is capable of remaining attached to the soul; (3) the character, mild or strong of the actual fruition of this karmic matter and (4) the number of the karmic atoms.
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