In Jain Darshan these three words are important, but they are usually studied as three separate topics – saṃsāra, saṃsthān and kāl. I’ll explain each in simple language.

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1. Saṃsāra (संसार) – Cycle of Birth and Death

Meaning

• Saṃsāra = continuous wandering of the soul from one life to another.
• The soul takes birth again and again in four gatis (destinies):

1. Deva – heavenly beings 2. Manushya – humans 3. Tiryanch – animals, birds, insects, plants, micro‑organisms 4. Nāraki – hell beings

Why does saṃsāra happen?

• Because of karmic bondage (bandh of karma to the soul).
• Karmas bind due to:

- Mithyātva – wrong belief - Avirati – lack of self‑restraint - Pramād – carelessness, laziness in spiritual duties - Kaṣāya – anger, pride, deceit, greed - Yoga – activities of mind, speech, body used in a wrong way

End of saṃsāra

• When all ghāti karmas (knowledge‑obscuring, perception‑obscuring, deluding, obstructing) are destroyed through:

- Right Faith (samyak darshan) - Right Knowledge (samyak jñān) - Right Conduct (samyak chāritra)

• The soul attains Moksha and becomes Siddha – then no more saṃsāra.

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2. Saṃsthān (संस्थान) – Form / Shape / Structure

In Jain philosophy, saṃsthān means shape or arrangement.

Most commonly it is used for:

a) Saṃsthān of Pudgal (Matter / Body)

• Pudgal (matter) has many guṇas (qualities).
• One quality is saṃsthān – the form in which pudgal is arranged.
• Bodies of beings can have different saṃsthāns – simple examples:

- Round, long, flat, irregular, etc.

• Very detailed technical classifications are given in Jain texts for:

- the shapes of atoms (paramāṇu), - aggregates (skandhas), - and bodies of living beings.

For a beginner it is enough to know:

> Saṃsthān tells us “in what shape or structure pudgal is existing just now.”

b) Saṃsthān of the Worldly Existence

Sometimes Acharyas also use saṃsthān in a broader sense, like:

• the overall pattern or structure of saṃsāra,
• how different loks (upper, middle, lower) are arranged,
• how beings with different karmas are found in different regions.

But the more strict technical meaning is form / shape of pudgal.

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3. Kāla (काल) – Time

Meaning

• In Jain Darshan, kāl (time) is accepted as a separate dravya (substance).
• Without time, change is not possible.
• Because there is kāl, paryāya (changing modes) of all dravyas can occur.

Main points

1. Kāl is beginningless and endless

- No first moment, no last moment.

1. Kāl itself does not do anything

- It is a sahakārī kāraṇ (auxiliary cause) for change.

1. Innumerable instants (samayas)

- The smallest unit is samaya, an indivisible instant.

1. Helps explain uday (rise) and kṣaya (destruction) of karma

- When do karmas give fruit, when do they get destroyed – all is explained with reference to time.

Digambar and Shvetambar view

• Both Digambar and Shvetambar traditions:

- Accept kāl as one of the six dravyas: 1. Jīva 2. Pudgal 3. Dharmāstikāy 4. Adharmāstikāy 5. Ākāśāstikāy 6. Kāl

• Some fine technical details and logical discussions differ,

but for a practical student: - Idea is the same – kāl is the real factor that allows change and sequence.

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Putting it together

• Saṃsāra – where the soul wanders due to karma.
• Saṃsthān – in what form/shape pudgal (and arrangements in the world) exist.
• Kāl – time, which allows all these changes of saṃsāra and saṃsthān to happen in sequence.

These three, studied properly, help us understand:

• the worldly journey of the soul (saṃsāra),
• the structure of bodies and the universe (saṃsthān),
• and the process of change and liberation (kāl).