Meaning of different karma
Here is a simple, authentic Jain explanation of the different karmas (ashta-karma), the eight main karmas that bind the soul. They are categorized into ghātiyā (destructive to the soul’s pure qualities) and aghātiyā (non-destructive to those qualities, but shaping worldly experience).
Ghātiyā karmas (destructive to the soul’s powers)
- Jñānāvaraṇīya karma: Knowledge-obscuring karma. It hides or distorts true knowledge.
- Darśhanāvaraṇīya karma: Perception-obscuring karma. It dulls or hides correct perception.
- Mohanīya karma: Deluding karma. It causes wrong beliefs and attachment/aversion.
- Antarāya karma: Obstructive karma. It blocks the soul’s energy from doing good (like giving, gaining, enjoying).
Aghātiyā karmas (non-destructive to the soul’s intrinsic nature, but shaping worldly life)
- Nāma karma: Body-determining karma. It determines the kind of body and physical attributes.
- Gotra karma: Status-determining karma. It determines social status or family circumstances.
- Āyu karma: Life-span-determining karma. It determines the duration of life in a birth.
- Vedanīya karma: Feeling-producing karma. It causes pleasures and pains in experiences.
Notes
- All eight are accepted across Jain traditions; sub-types may vary, but the core meanings remain the same in Śvetāmbara and Digambara traditions.
- Liberation is achieved when ghātiyā karmas are exhausted; aghātiyā karmas are shed at final mokṣa.