Part 3.4 - Nine Elements (9): Moksa (Liberation)

[Full title: Doctrines of Jainism (4): The Nine Elements (nava-tattvas) (9): Moksa (Liberation)]

Liberation is the last one of the nine fundamentals. It is total liberation of the soul after complete exhaustion of all karmas. It is also known as salvation, Moksa, Nirvana, Mukti or emancipation. Jain Agama^[1] uses the word “dhruvasthana” (permanent destination):

atthi egam dhruvaṃ thānam | (Uttaradhyayan, 23/81)

Moksa is a blissful state of existence of a soul, completely free from the karmic bondage, free from samsara, the cycle of birth and death. Jainism believes and states very emphatically that wordly soul has been wandering since infinity due to ignorance of its true nature and would still continue to wander till it attains liberation. Now, it is well explained that the soul interacts with pudgal particles (tangible lifeless matter) and acquires karma. The principles of Jainism show how the soul can be free from all these karma and get liberated and attain a state of omniscience.

A liberated soul is said to have attained its true and pristine nature of infinite bliss, infinite knowledge and infinite perception. Such a soul is called siddha and considered as supreme soul or God. In Jainism, it is the highest and the noblest objective that a soul should strive to achieve. It fact, it is the only objective that a person should have; other objectives are contrary to the true nature of soul. With right faith, knowledge and efforts all souls can attain this state. That is why, Jainism is also known as ‘moksamarga’ or the ‘path to liberation’.

Tenth chapter of Tattvarthsutra explains the concept of Kaivalya, a state of pure nature of the soul, which is inherently imbibed in every soul. This state is similar to and comparable to the Kaivalya state which is the end result of Astangayoga as mentioned by sage Patanjali. Though, it is not manifest in wordly state under the influence of karma. The defiling karmas like deluding, knowledge obscuring, obstructing and perception obscuring karmas are the main cause of obstruction on the way to liberation^[2]. The prime root cause is deluding karma. It is necessary to stop the acquisition of new karma and eradicate the bondage of old ones (Samvara and Nirjara). Owing to the absence of the cause of bondage and with the functioning of the dissociation of karma, the annihilation of all karmas leads to liberation.^[3] Emancipation is attained on the destruction of sutrachic factors also like quietism and potentiality.^[4] Total destruction of all karmas is liberation. But, four states continue to exist even in the state of kaivalya. These are states of infinite enlightenment, infinite knowledge, infinite perception and perfection^[5].

A liberated soul regains totally its original attributes of perfect knowledge, perfect vision, perfect power and total bliss. It travels to the top of universe (Siddhaksetra or Lokakas) and remains there permanently in its blissful and unconditional existence. It never returns to the cycles of birth, life and death. This upward rise occurs by virtue of Poorva prayog, Asangatva, Bandhchhed and Tathagatiparinam^[6].

Because of the first precedent cause, poorva prayog, soul separated from the body continue to move upward through the medium of Dharmastikay till it reaches the top of Lokakas or the Universe^[7], where it stops as there is no Dharmastikay beyond it.It is explained in the scripture by an example of Potter. A potter initially, applies some force to move the wheel and then gives it up. Like the potter’s wheel once rotated, keeps rotating, like gourd with the mud sinks, but comes up once mud is removed, like castor seed goes upwards on the flower, like flame goes upwards, the

same way upon liberation from the karmas, thesoul goes upwards.^[8] The force of Dharmastikay stops and soul moving upwards gets stopped at the top of Lokakas^[9]. Asangatva means loss of contact. It can be explained by an example of a muddy gourd, when placed in water, it would initially go down by virtue of weight of the mud. But as the mud recedes by the impact of the water, the gourd starts coming up. Similarly the worldly soul stays downward on account of the impact of the karma and then, starts coming up as the bondage of karma recede by virtue of Nirjara.

Bandhchhed is removal of shell, analogous to the fleeing of castor seed out of the shell. The seed initially shoots upwardswith the opening of the bud. The soul rises upwards as it comes out of the embodiment.

Tathagatiparinam is by virtue of the nature. Out of all substances, jiva and ajiva (soul and pudgal) are mobile ones and continue to move on their own in the presence of Dharmastikay. Upward movement of the soul is by its inherent nature.

The liberated states of all souls are equal without any difference, but can be classified in respect of their previous lives in terms of Place (from where it was liberated: 15 types of karmabhoomis), Time (Rushabhdev got liberated in the beginning and Lord Mahavira attained it at the end of fourth era), Gati (out of four states of worldy existence, liberation is possible only in the human life), Gender or Ling (It can be termed as specific number of males or females getting liberated, though it is irrespective of gender or symbol), Tirtha (some souls get liberated as Tirthankars and some are not as Tirthankars, only as Siddhas), Coduct (five types of charitra are mentioned in Tattvarthasutra, chapter-9), Pratyekbodhita or Buddhabodhit (liberation with help of others or independently), Jnana (liberation attained by howmany types of knowledge out of five), Antar or interval (The order of liberation can be intermittent or incessant), Number (Minimum one or maximum 108 souls can be liberated in one samay) and Alpabahutva^[10] (means more or less, different numbers in different states of liberation in defferent era).

By destroying all eight types of karmas, the liberated souls or siddhas acquire eight unique attributes. They are as follows:

1. ananta jnana (Infinite knowledge),
2. ananta darsana (Infinite perception),
3. avyabaddha sukha (Eternal happiness),
4. ananta caritra (Perfect conduct),
5. aksaya sthiti (Immortality),
6. nirakara svarupa (Formlessness),
7. aguru laghutva (No Social Status) and
8. ananta virya (Infinite Power and Energy).

All liberated souls are Godly being as per Jainism. Since Tirthankars among them show us and lead us to the path of liberation, they are considered Gods to whom we pray and revere.

The short summarization of above details is to understand that Yog of Jainism is the cause of Asrav, prevention of Yog or mental and bodily acitivity is the cause of Samvar and Nirjara and finally, removal of Yog leads to Moksa or liberation.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Amarmuni, Acharamgasutra, p.102

[2]:

mohakṣayājjñāna darśanāvaraṇāntarāyakṣayācca kevalam | Tattvartha-sutra 10.1

[3]:

bandhahetva bhāvanirjarābhyāṃ kṛtsna karmavipramokṣo mokṣaḥ | Tattvartha-sutra 10.2

[4]:

aupaśamikādibhavyatvānāṃ ca | Tattvartha-sutra 10.3

[5]:

anyatra kevala samyaktvajñāna darśana siddhatvebhyaḥ | Tattvartha-sutra 10.4

[6]:

pūrva prayogādasaṃgatvādbandhacchedāttathāgatipariṇāmācca | Tattvartha-sutra 10.6

[7]:

tadanantaramūrdhvaṃ gacchatyalogantāt | Tattvartha-sutra 10.5

[8]:

āviddhakulāla cakrabadvyapagatalepālāṃbuvaderaṇḍabījādagniśikhābacca | T.S. 10.7

[9]:

dharmāstikāyā bhāvāt | Tattvartha-sutra 10.8

[10]:

kṣetra kālagatiṃliga tīrtha cāritra pratyekabuddhabodhita jñānāvagāhanāntarasaṃkhyālpabahutvataḥ sādhyāḥ | T.S. 10.9