Verse 8.23 - The shedding of karmas (nirjarā)

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Tattvartha sūtra 8.23:

ततश्च निर्जरा ॥ ८.२३ ॥

tataśca nirjarā || 8.23 ||

After fruition (anubhava), the shedding–nirjarā–of karmas takes place. (23)

Hindi Anvayarth:

अन्वयार्थ: [ततः च] तीव्र, मध्यम या मन्द फल देने के बाद [निर्जरा] उन कर्मों की निर्जरा हो जाती है अर्थात् उदय में आने के बाद कर्म आत्मा से पृथक् हो जाते हैं।

Anvayartha: [tatah ca] tivra, madhyama ya manda phala dene ke bada [nirjara] una karmom ki nirjara ho jati hai arthat udaya mem ane ke bada karma atma se prithak ho jate haim |

Explanation in English from Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Sarvārthasiddhi:

It is understood that ripening is fruition–anubhava. Now do the experienced karmas continue to remain as ornaments, or do they fall off losing their strength and vigour?

Just as food and similar things decay in course of time, the karmas fall off after giving pain or pleasure. These cannot stay on after fruition at the end of their duration. The falling off–nirjarā–or dissociation of karmas is of two kinds, namely, ripening in the usual course–vipākajā and being made to ripen prematurely–avipākajā. In the great ocean of transmigration, the individual soul wanders, whirling round and round among the four states of existence, in various births. And the auspicious and inauspicious karmas bound with the soul reach the stage of fruition according to their duration, and their shedding takes place. This is the first kind of dissociation–vipākajā nirjarā–arising from maturity in the ordinary course of things. As the mango, jack fruit, etc., are made to ripen by special contrivances, the karmas which have not attained their maturity can be made to rise and experienced. This dissociation is without their ripening in the natural course of things. The word ‘ca’ is intended to include other methods referred to in a later sūtra, namely, sūtra 9-3, ‘tapasā nirjarā ca’. Dissociation is effected by penance and also by other ways. Why is dissociation (nirjarā) mentioned here before stoppage (saṃvara) of karmas, as it should have come after stoppage in the natural course of things? It is mentioned here for the sake of brevity. If it were to be mentioned there, it would have been a repetition.

The fruition–anubhava–is of two types,

1. for the destructive (ghāti) karmas and
2. for the non-destructive (aghāti) karmas.

The four–deluding (mohanīya), knowledge-covering (jñānāvaraṇa), perception-covering (darśanāvaraṇa), and obstructive (antarāya)–karmas are called destructive (ghāti) as these interfere with the essential characteristics of the soul. For these destructive (ghāti) karmas, the fruition–anubhava–varies in degrees and is likened to the creeper (latā), the wood (dāru), the bone (asthi), and the rock (śaila). The other four main types of karmas–feeling-producing (vedanīya), life-determining (āyuḥ), physique-making (nāma), and status-determining (gotra)–are called non-destructive (aghāti) as these do not interfere with the essential characteristics of the soul. These non-destructive (aghāti) karmas have two classes, merit (puṇya) and demerit (pāpa). The fruition–anubhava–of the merit (puṇya) varies in degrees and is likened to the molasses (guḍa), the sweetmeat (khāṇḍa), the sugar (śarkarā), and the nectar (amṛta). The fruition–anubhava–of the demerit (pāpa) also varies in degrees and is likened to the margosa (nimba or nīma), the sour gruel (kañjīra), the venom (viṣa), and the deadly poison (halāhala). (see ‘Sarvārthasiddhi’, p. 314).