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  • Meaning of different karma
  • author Posted by
    Jain Follower

    Meaning of different karma

    10 months ago 128

    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.

    You can read more here and here

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