In Jain shastra, which type of samyaktva (right faith) you have is decided only by the state of your Mohaniya karma, not just by feelings or outer behaviour.

The three are:

1. Aupshamik Samyaktva – only by subsidence (upsham) of Mohaniya karma
2. Kshayopshamik Samyaktva – by partial destruction + partial subsidence
3. Kshayik Samyaktva – by complete destruction (kshay) of the relevant Mohaniya karma

Below is a simple, clear way to understand them and to realistically judge “where I stand”.

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1. Basic idea: what is samyaktva?

• Samyaktva = Samyak Darshan = right faith / right vision of reality.
• It means:

- Firm belief in: soul, karma, nav-tattva, the path of Tirthankars. - Deep respect for Arihant, Siddha, Acharya, Upadhyaya, Sadhu. - Freedom from doubt, wrong belief, and contempt for true dharma.

Our scriptures say: samyaktva comes when Darshan-Mohaniya karma (the faith-deluding karma) becomes weak – either suppressed (upsham), partly destroyed, or fully destroyed.

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2. Aupshamik Samyaktva (Upśam samyaktva)

How it arises

• Only by subsidence (upsham) of mithyatva / Darshan-mohaniya karma.
• The karma is not destroyed; it is only “sleeping” for a short time.

Nature

• It is temporary and very fragile.
• Scriptures say: it can fall back to wrong belief even within an antarmuhūrta (less than 48 minutes).
• A small shock – strong attachment, anger, pride, influence of wrong guru, wrong logic – can make it disappear.

Practical signs

• Suddenly very high śraddhā (faith), tears in prarthanā, deep attraction to dharma.
• But:

- Faith is not yet stable. - Can be shaken by: - Criticism of Jain dharma. - Strong worldly temptations. - Emotional situations (family, money, relations).

• One day very strong dharmic mood; another day confused or attracted by non-Jain / wrong views.

Summary feeling

> “I feel dharma is true and beautiful, but sometimes doubt or confusion still comes. I can ‘swing’ back if I get wrong company.”

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3. Kshayopshamik Samyaktva (Kṣayopaśam samyaktva)

How it arises

• A part of Darshan-Mohaniya karma is destroyed (kshay).
• The remaining part is subdued (upsham).
• So it is stronger than pure upsham, but not yet fully permanent like kshayik.

Nature

• This is the most common form of true samyaktva talked about for serious sādhaks.
• More stable than aupshamik, but in theory still reversible if strong mithyātva karmas rise again.

Practical signs

1. Clarity of faith

- No basic doubt about: - Existence of soul and karma - Nav-tattva, three jewels (ratnatraya) - Jain Tirthankars as perfect guides - Other religions / philosophies may be respected, but you do not get inner confusion by their arguments.

1. Relative stability

- Even in problems (loss, disease, insults), inner faith does not break. - You may feel sadness, but you don’t feel, “Maybe dharma is false / useless”.

1. Turning point in life

- Life direction clearly shifts: - More tapas, svādhyāy, samayik, pratikraman. - You naturally feel guilt and want to repair when you do himsā, krodh, mān, māyā, lobh. - You seek sadhu-sang, true updesh, and shastra, not just outer rituals.

1. Yet, still weaknesses

- Passions (kashāy) are weaker but present. - You can still: - Get carried away in attachment, anger. - Get over-involved in family / business and temporarily forget dharma. - But afterwards you regret and return strongly to dharma.

Summary feeling

> “My faith in Jain tattva is firm and long-lasting. I cannot imagine going back to ‘all this is nonsense’. I may fall in conduct, but not in basic vision.”

For almost all sincere lay Jains striving today, if real samyaktva is present, it is usually this Kshayopshamik type.

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4. Kshayik Samyaktva (Kṣāyik samyaktva)

How it arises

• Here the relevant Darshan-Mohaniya karma is totally destroyed.
• There is no possibility of wrong faith returning ever again.

Nature

• It is permanent and unshakeable.
• Such a soul is on a very advanced spiritual stage (higher guṇasthān).
• It is a very rare and high state in this era.

Practical signs (from shastra view)

1. Absolutely unshakeable samyak darshan

- No circumstance, no logic, no suffering, no temptation can disturb the faith. - Wrong beliefs can never reappear in that soul’s future births.

1. Very high level of detachment and conduct

- Life is almost completely governed by vairāgya, shuddhopayog, and strict self-restraint. - For such souls, moksha is guaranteed in limited future births (depending on other karmas).

1. Near to vitarāg-bhāva

- Passions are extremely mild or almost finished. - Constant inner remembrance of soul’s nature.

For practical purposes: If someone truly has Kshayik Samyaktva, they are not an ordinary worldly person anymore. They will look and live like a very high-level saint or great shravak/shravika with exceptional renunciation and steadiness.

Summary feeling

> “No matter what happens, the vision can never, ever turn away from tattva. Life moves almost straight toward moksha.”

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5. “How do I know which one I have?”

Some very important points:

(A) Only Kevali knows exactly

• The exact karmic state (kshay, upsham, kshayopsham, pradesh, sthiti, etc.) is truly known only to Kevali Bhagwān.
• We cannot “see” our karmas directly.
• So any personal judgement is only an approximate guess based on shastra and acharya-gyan.

(B) Check yourself honestly through these questions

1. Stability of faith

- Do I ever feel: - “Is there really soul?” - “Does karma really exist?” - “Maybe all this is just tradition, not truth?” - If such doubts still come strongly and repeatedly → most likely no stable samyaktva yet, or at best very weak / aupshamik. - If for many years there is no real inner doubt about Jain tattva, even during problems → more like kshayopshamik level.

1. Strength against outside influence

- If someone with clever logic criticizes Jain dharma, do you: - Get fully shaken and start doubting everything? (closer to aupśamik or even no samyaktva) - Or you may not answer logically, but inside you remain clear: “I am sure Tirthankar-vachan is true.” (closer to kshayopśamik)

1. Direction of life

- Is your overall life moving more and more toward: - Ahimsa, aparigraha, brahmacharya (according to your stage), - Regular svādhyāy, samayik, pratikraman, - Increase in daya, kshamā, samatā? - If yes, and this has been consistent for years, it indicates strong samyaktva (likely kshayopshamik).

1. Reaction when you fall

- When you commit clear sin (himsā, lying, cheating, strong anger): - Do you feel, “It’s okay, everyone does it,” and move on? – This shows weak or absent samyaktva. - Or do you feel deep regret, pratikraman, and resolve not to repeat? – This shows living samyaktva.

1. Signs of Kshayik?

- Very honestly: unless you are living like a highly elevated sadhu / shravak with exceptional renunciation and almost continuous shuddhopayog, it is very unlikely that Kshayik Samyaktva has arisen. - True Kshayik Samyaktva is extremely rare and leads almost straight toward the final stages of the path.

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6. Digambar–Shvetambar note

• Both traditions accept these three main types of samyaktva:

Aupshamika, Kshayopshamika, Kshayika.

• There may be technical differences in:

- Exact guṇasthan placement, - Sub-classifications, - Detailed karmic descriptions.

• But in essence, the understanding given above is common:

- Upśam = temporary, fragile, - Kshayopaśam = mixed, relatively stable, - Kshayik = permanent, irreversible.

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7. What is the safe, practical attitude?

1. Live as if you do not yet have the highest samyaktva.

– This keeps vinay (humility) and purushārtha (effort) alive.

1. Focus less on “Which exact type do I have?” and more on:

- Reducing kashāy (anger, pride, deceit, greed). - Doing: - Samayik, pratikraman, - Svādhyāy, dhyān, - Vows appropriate to your capacity.

1. If your faith is:

- Clearly one-pointed in Jain tattva, - Not easily shaken by anything, - Continuously growing over the years, then it is safe to assume you are at least moving in the direction of strong kshayopshamik samyaktva, which itself is very great and rare.

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For a simple explanation of types of samkit (samyaktva), you can read more here