Anupurvi is a Jain term referring to a specific kind of karmic influence on the soul’s passage after death.

• Core idea: Anupurvi karma is the power that makes the soul retain a form from its last life as it moves to the next birth. In other words, it governs which form or “gait” (movement) the soul takes in its next life and in which direction it travels after death.
• Four types: There are four anupurvi karmas corresponding to the four possible realms of rebirth:

- deva-anupurvi karma (angelic realm) - manusya-anupurvi karma (human realm) - tiryag-anupurvi karma (สัตว์- or animal-kingdom realms) - naraka-anupurvi karma (hellish realm)

• How it works: These karmas influence the destination and the basic nature of the next life, helping the soul move through transmigration in a way that aligns with its past actions and mental states.

Simple takeaway: Anupurvi describes the “shape” or form the soul takes as it migrates from one birth to the next, tied to the type of rebirth it will enter.

If you’d like, I can also explain how this fits with the broader Jain theory of karma and rebirth.