History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.681

v5.c71.s1.681

Although the word *Karman* is ordinarily employed to denote good as well as evil actions still in the section on penances the word 'Karman' prominently presents to the mind the idea of evil deeds. Hence *Karmavipāka* means the ripening (or fruition) of evil actions or sins This fruition takes three forms, as stated in the Yogasūtra⁴¹⁵ II 13, viz *jāti* (birth as a worm or animal &c ), *āyuh* (life i. e living for a short period such as five or ten years) and *bhoga* (experiencing the torments of Hell &c ) The word Karmavipāka appears to have been known to Yāj. III 131 (vipākaḥ karmanām pretya kesām cid-iha jāyate) and it occurs frequently in the Purānas (e g in Brahma-purāna 224 41, 225 43 and 59, Matsya 115 14 &c). The Pr. Sāra pp. 219-231 contains probably the longest treatment of Karmavipāka The doctrine of Karmavipāka was well known to the Buddhist philosopher Nāgārjuna, who in his Ratnāvali refers to it⁴¹⁶. The Buddhist Avadānaśatakas also refer to the doctrine of Karmavipāka. Vide also Suttanipāta (S B. E vol 10 part 2) p. 38 and S B. E vol 21 p. 130 (Saddharma-pundarika). In some medical works also such as the Hārītasamhitā it is said that the murderer of a brāhmana suffers from white leprosy and the killer of a cow from black leprosy; a regicide suffers from phthisis, and the destroyer of a park from dysentery &c.⁴¹⁷. In the Vivāgasuyam (Vipākaśrutam), which is the 11th *anga* of the Jaina-āgama and an edition of which was brought out by Dr. P L Vaidya (in 1933) we have stories of persons who suffered from evil diseases owing to their committing evil deeds in former lives and other stories of the fruits of good deeds.