Verse 9.1 - Definition of saṃvara (stoppage of karmas)

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Tattvartha sūtra 9.1:

आस्त्रवनिरोधः संवरः ॥ ९.१ ॥

āstravanirodhaḥ saṃvaraḥ || 9.1 ||

The obstruction (nirodha) of influx (āsrava) is stoppage (saṃvara). (1)

Hindi Anvayarth:

अन्वयार्थ: [आस्रवनिरोधः] आस्रव का रोकना सो [संवरः] संवर है अर्थात् आत्मा में जिन कारणों से कर्मों का आस्रव होता है उन कारणों को दूर करने से कर्मों का आना रुक जाता है उसे संवर कहते हैं।

Anvayartha: [asravanirodhah] asrava ka rokana so [samvarah] samvara hai arthat atma mem jina karanom se karmom ka asrava hota hai una karanom ko dura karane se karmom ka ana ruka jata hai use samvara kahate haim |

Explanation in English from Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Sarvārthasiddhi:

Bondage (bandha) has been described. The next thing to be explained is stoppage (saṃvara) of karmas.

Influx (āsrava) which is the cause of taking in of new karmic matter has been explained. The obstruction of the inflow of karmic matter is called stoppage (saṃvara). It is of two kinds, psychic-stoppage (bhāva saṃvara) and material-stoppage (dravya saṃvara). The cessation of activities that lead to transmigration is psychic-stoppage (bhāva saṃvara). When these activities are checked, the taking in of karmic matter is cut off or interrupted; this is material-stoppage (dravya saṃvara).

Now this is investigated. What karmas are stopped in what stages of spiritual development–guṇasthāna (see explanation to sūtra 1-8)? The self that is subjugated by the karma which causes false belief is the misbeliever or ‘deluded’–mithyādṛṣṭi. That karma which flows into the soul chiefly on account of wrong-belief (mithyādarśana) is cut off in case of those in higher guṇasthāna. Hence stoppage of that karma prevails in the beings from the second stage of spiritual development, namely, ‘downfall’–sāsādanasamyagdṛṣṭi–onwards. What is that karma? That karma is of sixteen kinds: wrong-belief–mithyātva, neuter-sex–napuṃsakaveda, infernal-lifetime–narakāyuḥ, infernal state of existence–narakagati, birth as a one-sensed being–ekendriya jāti, birth as a two-sensed being–dvīndriya jāti, birth as a three-sensed being–trīndriya jāti, birth as a four-sensed being–caturindriya jāti, unsymmetrical body–hunḍa saṃsthāna, extremely weak joint–asamprāptāsṛpāṭikā saṃhanana, transmigrating force tending to infernal state of existence–narakagatiprāyogyānupūrvī, emitting warm light–ātapa, the body possessing one sense only–sthāvara, the subtle body–sūkṣma, the undeveloped body–aprayāptaka, and the collective body–sādhāraṇa śarīra.

Non-restraint (asaṃyama) is of three kinds–the rise of passions (kaṣāya) leading to endless mundane existence–anantānubandhī, the rise of passions hindering partial restraint–apratyākhyāna, and the rise of passions hindering complete self-discipline–pratyākhyāna. The influx of karmas caused by these passions is stopped in their absence. There is, thus, stoppage of these twenty-five karmas which are caused due to the rise of anantānubandhī passions (kaṣāya): deep-sleep–nidrā-nidrā, heavy-drowsiness–pracalā-pracalā, somnam-bulism–styānagṛddhi, anantānubandhī anger–krodha, anantānu-bandhī pride–māna, anantānubandhī deceitfulness–māyā, anantānubandhī greed–lobha, female-sex-passion–strīveda, animal age–tiryañcāyuḥ, animal state of existence–tiryañcagati, the middle four types of structure of the body–saṃsthāna, the middle four types of joints–saṃhanana, the transmigrating force tending to the animal state of existence–tiryaggatiprāyogyānupūrvī, cold light–udyota, awkward motion–apraśastha vihāyogati, bad-tempered–durbhaga, harsh voice–duḥsvara, lustreless body–anādeya, and low family–nīcagotra. These karmas, the influx of which is caused by non-restraint (asaṃyama) arising from the anantānubandhī passions (kaṣāya), bind one-sensed beings, etc., only up to the end of the second stage of spiritual development–sāsādanasamyagdṛṣṭi. Owing to the absence of this kind of non-restraint in the higher stages of spiritual development, there is stoppage of these karmas in those stages, that is, from the third stage of mixed right and wrong belief–samyagmith-yādṛṣṭi.

Ten karmas flow into the soul primarily on account of non-restraint (asaṃyama) caused by the rise of passions hindering partial restraint–apratyākhyānāvaraṇa. These are apratyākhyānāvaraṇa anger–krodha, apratyākhyānāvaraṇa pride–māna, apratyākhyānāvaraṇa deceitfulness–māyā, apratyākhyānāvaraṇa greed–lobha, human age manuṣyāyuḥ, human state of existence–manuṣyagati, gross body–audārika śarīra, the chief and secondary parts of the physical body–audārika śarīra aṅgopāṅga, excellent joining–vajraṛṣabhanārāca saṃhanana, and the transmigrating force tending to human birth–nanuṣyagatiprāyogyānupūrvī. These karmas bind from one-sensed beings up to the end of the fourth stage of spiritual development, namely, ‘vowless right belief’–asaṃyatasamyagdṛṣṭi. Owing to the absence of passions hindering partial restraint–apratyākhyānā-varaṇa–there is stoppage of these karmas in the higher stages. In the third stage of mixed belief–samyagmithyātva–there is no binding of age-determining (āyuḥ) karma. That is a peculiarity.

On account of non-restraint (asaṃyama) caused by the rise of passions that prevent complete self-control–pratyākhyānāvaraṇa–these four karmas, pratyākhyānāvaraṇa anger–krodha, pratyākhyānāvaraṇa pride–māna, pratyākhyānāvaraṇa deceitfulness–māyā, and pratyākhyānāvaraṇa greed–lobha, bind from one-sensed beings up to the end of the fifth stage of ‘partial vows’–saṃyatāsaṃyata. There is stoppage of these karmas in the higher stages.

The influx of karmas caused by negligence (pramāda) is stopped in the absence of negligence. From the stage higher up the sixth stage of ‘imperfect vows’–pramattasaṃyata–there is stoppage of karmas whose influx is caused by negligence, as there is no negligence in those stages.

What are these? These are the six karmas causing the,

1. unpleasant-feeling–asātāvedanīya,
2. disliking–arati,
3. sorrow–śoka,
4. infirm frame–asthira,
5. unattractiveness of form–aśubha, and
6. obscurity–ayaśaḥkīrti.

The commencement of the binding of celestial age–devāyuḥ–is caused generally by negligence (pramāda) and also by the absence of negligence in the next (seventh) stage of ‘perfect vows’–apramattasaṃyata. Owing to the absence of negligence (pramāda), there is stoppage of this binding of celestial age in the higher stages, i.e., after the seventh stage of ‘perfect vows’–apramattasaṃyata.

The passions bereft of negligence (pramāda), etc., are stopped as the passions (kaṣāya) are controlled.

Such passions are of three degrees, namely,

1. intense (tīvra),
2. moderate (madhyama) and
3. minute (jaghanya).

These three degrees of passions (kaṣāya) remain in the next three stages (8th, 9th and 10th). In one/numerable part of the eighth stage of ‘unprecedented purity’–apūrvakaraṇa–only the two karmas of sleep (nidrā) and slumber (pracalā) bind.

In the next one/numerable part, thirty divisions of karmas bind. These are,

1. the celestial state of existence–devagati
2. birth as a being with five senses pañcedriya jāti
3. transformable body–vaikriyika śarīra
4. projectable body–āhāraka śarīra
5. luminous body–taijasa śarīra
6. karmic body–kārmaṇa śarīra
7. symmetrical build–samacaturasra saṃsthāna
8. the chief and secondary parts of the transformable body–vaikriyika śarīra aṅgopāṅga
9. the chief and secondary parts of the projectable body–āhāraka śarīra aṅgopāṅga
10. colour–varṇa
11. odour–gandha
12. taste–rasa
13. touch–sparśa
14. transmigrating force tending to celestial state–devagatiprāyogyānupūrvī
15. neither heavy nor light–aguru-laghu
16. self-annihilation–upaghāta
17. destruction caused by others–paraghāta
18. respiration–ucchvāsa
19. graceful movement–praśastha vihāyogati
20. movable body–trasa
21. gross body–bādara
22. complete development–paryāpta
23. individual body–pratyeka śarīra
24. firmness of the body–sthira
25. attractiveness of form–śubha
26. good-tempered–subhaga
27. melodious voice–susvara
28. lustrous body–ādeya
29. sturdy formation–nirmāṇa
30. and the status of the Tīrthaṅkara

In the last instant of this stage, the four karmas causing laughter–hāsya, liking–rati, fear–bhaya, and disgust–jugupsā, bind. The influx (āsrava) of these karmas is owing to intense passions; as the passions get progressively less in the higher stages, stoppage (saṃvara) takes place. In the next stage of ‘checking of gross-passions’–anivṛttibādara-sāmparāya, from the first instant up to one/numerable parts of the duration of this stage, male-sex-passion–puṃveda, and gleaming (saṃjvalana) anger–krodha–bind. In the remaining numerable parts of this stage, saṃjvalana pride–māna, and saṃjvalana deceitfulness–māyā bind. And in the last instant, saṃjvalana greed–lobha binds. The influx of these karmas is caused by moderate passions (kaṣāya). And owing to the progressive absence of moderate passions, there is stoppage of these karmas in the higher stages. In the next stage of ‘checking of even minute passions’–sūkṣmasāmparāya, the following sixteen karmas bind: five kinds of knowledge-covering–jñānāvaraṇa, four kinds of perception-covering–darśanāvaraṇa, glory and renown yaśaḥkīrti, high family–uccagotra, and five kinds of obstructive-karmas–antarāya, the influx of which is caused by minute passions. There is stoppage of these karmas in the higher stages owing to the absence of minute passions. In the next three stages of ‘subsided delusion’–upaśānta-kaṣāya, ‘destroyed delusion’–kṣīṇakaṣāya, and ‘Omniscient-with-vibration’–sayogakevalī, there is the bondage of karmas causing pleasant-feeling–sātāvedanīya, owing to the presence of mere vibrations or activity (yoga). And in the absence of activity (yoga) in case of the ‘Omniscient-without-activity’–ayogakevalī, there is stoppage (saṃvara) of the karmas causing pleasant-feeling–sātāvedanīya. (see also ‘Ṇayacakko’, verse 155, p. 89-90).