In Jain dharma, this is explained mainly through karma, especially nāma-karma (body-determining karma) and vedanīya, āyu, antray, gotra etc. I’ll keep it simple and focused on your exact comparison.

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1. Why is someone born without fingers?

When a child is born with a missing limb, fingers, or any physical defect, Jain philosophy explains it as:

• Result of previously bound nāma‑karma (sharīr‑nām‑karma), especially

- Anga‑vikala nāma‑karma – the karma that causes body parts to be incomplete, deformed, or missing.

• This nāma‑karma was bound in previous lives through:

- Violence or cruelty to living beings, especially causing injury to limbs (cutting, burning, tying, breaking, etc.). - Misuse of one’s own body parts for sinful acts (stealing, beating, torturing, etc.). - Intense passions (krodh, mān, māyā, lobh) while doing such acts.

So, being born already without fingers means:

• The karmic result was fixed at the time of conception itself.
• This karma determined that, in this birth, the body will be formed with that defect from the beginning.

In simple words: “Some very old karmas, connected to hurting others’ bodies or misusing one’s own body in earlier lives, have now given the result as birth with missing fingers.”

We cannot say exactly what he did (like “he cut someone’s hand”), because only a Kevalī Bhagwān can see that in detail. But the type of karma is clearly explained in the texts: defective‑limb nāma‑karma (anga‑vikala).

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2. Why does another person lose fingers later in an accident?

For the second person:

• He was born with normal fingers. So his nāma‑karma for this birth allowed a complete body.
• Later, he meets with an accident and loses his fingers.
• Here, several karmas work together:

- Vedanīya karma – brings the experience of pain. - Nāma‑karma (body and health conditions) – decides how severely the body will be damaged. - Antray karma – can create obstacles in protection, timely help, treatment, etc. - Collective karma – if more people are involved in the event (driver, company, environment, etc.), each one’s karmas join in a complex way.

So, why later and not from birth?

• Because the defect is not in the original formation of the body, but in an event during life.
• His previous karmas were such that:

- “You will get a complete body, but during the life‑span there will be an incident where this limb will be lost.”

The difference is:

• First case: Karma gave its result at the time of formation of the body.
• Second case: Karma gave its result during the life, as an event (accident).

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3. So what is the karmic difference between the two?

Person 1 – No fingers from birth

• Bound anga‑vikala nāma‑karma in some previous lives.
• Karma maturity point = time of birth / foetal development.
• Entire life he lives with that condition.
• Often connected with:

- Continuous or intense physical violence towards others’ limbs in previous bhav. - Or strong carelessness and misuse of one’s body.

Person 2 – Fingers lost in accident

• Nāma‑karma allowed a normal body at birth.
• Other karmas (pain‑producing, obstructing, lifespan‑related) ripen later and take the form of an accident.
• He experiences sudden loss, shock, and pain – that itself is also karmic result.

Both are karmic fruits, but:

• One is “birth‑defect karma”.
• The other is “life‑event karma”.

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4. Does this mean “he must have done something bad, so he deserves it”?

Jain dharma explains very carefully:

1. It is not punishment from a God.

- Karma is automatic law, like cause and effect. - No Bhagwān is “angry” or “taking revenge”.

1. We must not blame or insult such people.

- They are souls just like us, going through their karmic phase. - In fact, they may be spiritually far ahead, we do not know. - Their current suffering is also an opportunity for karmic cleansing.

1. Our duty is compassion (dayā) and help.

- To support them, not to judge them. - To see: “Today it is his karma, tomorrow it can be mine; I should learn and purify my own self.”

So the correct Jain attitude:

> “Yes, this is karmic result; > Still, my role is only to show compassion, help, and avoid creating new bad karma by criticism or harshness.”

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5. What might they have done in previous bhav?

We can talk only in general categories, not exact stories.

For birth without fingers / limb defects, scriptures often connect it with:

• Cutting, burning, crushing, or tying limbs of humans or animals.
• Approving or enjoying such acts done by others.
• Using one’s hands for:

- Beating, torturing. - Cruel experiments. - Stealing, cheating with strong passions.

• Doing all this with anger, pride, deceit, or greed.

For losing fingers in an accident:

• Past causes can be:

- Carelessly causing injury, fear, or harm to others. - Creating conditions where others suffer accidents (faulty work, negligence). - Or even intense fear and violence‑related karmas coming to fruition as sudden shocks, injuries, and losses.

But again: these are types of causes, not a personal accusation. Only omniscient Bhagwān can say the exact deed.

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6. What should we learn and do now?

Instead of only thinking “what did they do in past?”, Jain dharma gently turns the question to:

• What am I doing now that may create such karmic results in my future?

Practical steps:

1. Ahimsā in body, speech, and mind

- Avoid hurting any being physically. - Avoid harsh words that injure mentally. - Avoid violent thoughts and hatred.

1. Use hands for punya:

- Helping, serving, donating, protecting life. - Doing pūjā, svādhyāy, and other shubha kriyā calmly and sincerely.

1. Accept own and others’ suffering with samyak drishti

- “This is past karma giving result. If I remain calm, forgiving, and detached, the karma will get exhausted faster.”

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7. Why is one person’s karma visible at birth and another’s later?

In Jain karma theory, each karma has:

• Prakṛti – type (e.g., limb‑defect‑giving, pain‑giving, etc.).
• Pradeśa – quantity.
• Sthiti – duration (how long it will stay attached).
• Anubhāg / Rasa – intensity of its result.

Depending on these, the same “kind” of cause (say, violence) can give different looking results:

• In one birth as a body defect.
• In another birth as a temporary disease.
• In another as an accident.
• In someone else as short life or continuous illness.

So:

• Same root – different fruits, according to the very fine structure of karma.

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8. Summary in simple words

• Both cases (born without fingers and losing fingers in accident) are results of past karmas linked mainly to how the soul used body and intentions in earlier lives.
• First person: Karma affected the formation of the body itself → birth without fingers.
• Second person: Karma allowed a normal body, but later ripened as an event → accident and loss of fingers.
• Jain dharma teaches:

- Do not blame God. - Do not blame or look down on the person. - Understand it as karmic law and respond with compassion, care, and self‑awareness. - Use your own body and mind today in non‑violence, kindness, and spiritual practice, so future births are happier and ultimately karma‑free.

You can read more about the soul and karma on JainKnowledge here: What is ātmā What is jiv / soul