In Jainism, “nidaan” (nidāna) means:

• A strong desire or longing for future worldly enjoyment

(like wealth, respect, good position, heavenly pleasures, taking revenge, etc.)

• Especially when a person does religious activities (dān, pūjā, tapas, vrata, even samādhi-maraṇ / sallekhanā) with the hidden intention:

- “By this I should get a better birth, more pleasure, more power, more fame.”

Because of this:

• It is called “nidaan-shalya” – a thorn of desire stuck in the soul.
• It becomes a form of ārta-dhyān (painful, wrong meditation).
• It stops true detachment and obstructs the path to moksha.

Both Digambar and Shvetambar traditions accept this basic meaning:

• Religious action + desire for future worldly result = nidaan
• Religious action without any expectation = not nidaan, and is spiritually pure.