What is asrava?

Asrava is the Jain term for the inflow or influx of karmic particles into the soul (jiva). It happens when the mind, speech, or body acts under the influence of passions and ignorance. When asrava occurs, karmic particles cling to the soul and bind new karma, which affects the soul’s present and future experiences.

Key points:

• It is caused by the six passions and the ordinary functioning of the ego and desires: anger, pride, deceit, greed, attachment (or passion), and ignorance.
• The inflow of karma through asrava binds new karma to the soul. This is one half of the karmic process; the other half is the shedding of karma (bandha and samvara/nivrutti).

In Jain practice, the remedy is to reduce and stop asrava by:

• cultivating right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct (the three jewels of Jain path),
• practicing restraint, equanimity, and non-violence,
• and engaging in practices that reduce craving and destructive passions.

Note: There are different nuances in Digambar and Shwetambar interpretations, but the core idea remains that asrava is the karmic influx arising from passionate and ignorant mental states, which binds karma to the soul.