In Jainism, a soul goes to Narak (hell) because of specific types of paap (sinful karmas) it has strongly bound, mainly through intense passions and violence.

Main reasons for going to Narak

1. Himsa (Violence / Cruelty)

- Hurting, killing, or giving extreme pain to living beings. - Enjoying or approving violence (directly or indirectly). - Professions or acts involving slaughter, war, torture, cruelty, etc. - Even strong violent thoughts and speech (abuse, hatred, revenge) bind hellish karma.

1. Intense Kashay (Passions)

- Krodh – strong anger, rage, revengeful nature. - Maan – deep ego, pride, insulting others. - Maya – cheating, deceit, manipulation. - Lobh – extreme greed, never satisfied, harming others for gain. When these are intense and continuous, they are main causes for Narak.

1. Deliberate Adharma (Knowingly doing wrong)

- Doing sinful actions knowingly, without shame or regret. - Making sin a habit and even feeling pride in it. - Stopping others from doing good, or encouraging them to do bad.

1. Very Strong Raag–Dvesh (Attachment & Hatred)

- Extreme attachment that makes you do wrong for your own people. - Deep hatred, jealousy, enmity, wishing harm to others. - Keeping grudges for years, enjoying someone’s suffering.

1. Misuse of Human Life

- Human birth is best for dharma and self-control. - Using it only for violence, addictions, enjoyment, cheating, ego, and never thinking of soul, repentance, or dharma, leads to very heavy karmas that can result in Narak.

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Important Jain points

• Narak is not eternal – it is very long, but temporary. After finishing that karma, the soul takes another birth.
• God (Tirthankars) do not send anyone to Narak.

We ourselves go there due to our own karmic choices.

• Both Digambar and Shwetambar agree on the basic causes:

- severe violence, - intense passions, - strong raag–dvesh, - deliberate, repeated sinful life.

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How to avoid Narak

In simple terms, do the opposite:

• Practice ahimsa in thought, word, and deed.
• Control anger, ego, greed, deceit as much as possible.
• Speak gently, avoid cheating and cruelty.
• Do pratikraman (repentance) for mistakes.
• Do samayik, jap, dhyan, listen to discourses, follow small vows.
• Try to live with daya (compassion) and shanti (peace).

You can read more in simple language here