In Jainism, there is no single creator or Beginning of the universe. The cosmos is considered eternal and cyclical, with time moving through repeating phases (utsarpiṇi and avsarpiṇi). Here is the basic idea in simple terms:

• The universe is made of two realities: jiva (the living souls) and ajiva (the non-living stuff like matter, space, time, principles, and motion).
• There is no supreme creator god who began the world. The world and souls have always existed in a grand cosmic order.
• Karma is a real, physical substance that attaches to the soul (jiva) due to our thoughts, words, and actions (a combination of intention, gesture, and consequent conduct). This karma shapes future births, experiences, and severities of suffering or pleasure.
• The “works” or deeds of beings begin and continue within this framework of karma. Every thought and action creates karmic particles, which bind to the soul and determine the next rebirth and experiences.
• The goal is to burn off (peeṇi) accumulated karma through right conduct, right knowledge, and right faith (the three jewels in Jainism), and ultimately achieve liberation (moksha) from the cycle of birth and death.
• There are no eternal gods who grant liberation to beings; liberation comes from purifying the soul through ethical living, spiritual discipline, and detachment.

A few key nuances:

• Digambaras and Shvetambaras may explain certain cosmological details or scriptural interpretations a bit differently, but both agree on the eternal universe, the reality of karma, and the path to liberation.
• The spiritual essence is that freedom comes from eliminating karmic bonds, not from external intervention by a creator.

If you had a specific Jain text or chapter in mind (for example, a passage about the origin of the cosmos or the nature of karma), tell me the reference and I can explain its meaning in authentic Jain terms.