Darshanavarniya karma (दर्शनावरणीय कर्म) is nicely explained with the “foggy glasses” example. Here is a simple, picture-like way to visualize it:

1. Clean glasses = pure soul’s perception

- Imagine your soul is like a person wearing perfectly clean glasses. - With clean glasses you can see everything clearly and correctly. - This is like the soul’s natural quality of clear perception (samyak darshan).

1. Fog / mist on the glasses = darshanavarniya karma

- Now you go from an air‑conditioned room into humid air; your glasses get fogged. - The objects around you are still there, your eyes are still working, but you cannot see clearly because the glass is covered. - In the same way, darshanavarniya karma does not destroy perception, it just covers or obscures it. - Spiritual truths, Tirthankar Bhagwan, true Guru, true Dharma are there, but the soul cannot “see” them properly, so it doubts, feels indifferent, or has no faith.

1. Different thickness of fog = different intensity of karma

- Light fog: you see outlines but not clearly → weak darshanavarniya karma. - Heavy fog: you see almost nothing → strong darshanavarniya karma. - Similarly, sometimes a person has little faith, sometimes strong doubt or total blindness towards spiritual things. That difference comes from the intensity and quantity (anubhag, pradesh) of this karma.

1. Wiping the glasses = samvar and nirjara

- When you stop new fog from forming and wipe off the old fog, the glasses slowly become clear again. - In Jain terms: - Samvar = stopping new karmic particles from binding - Nirjara = shedding already‑bound karmas through penance, right conduct, etc. - As darshanavarniya karma is reduced, right faith (samyak darshan) appears, like finally seeing clearly after cleaning your glasses.

1. No fog at all = Keval Darshan / Keval Jnan stage

- When the “glass” is totally clean and stays clean forever, there is no darshanavarniya karma left. - At Kevali Bhagwan’s state, there is perfect, unobstructed perception.

This “fog on glasses” analogy is fully in line with traditional Jain explanation: darshanavarniya is perception‑obscuring karma, one of the four ghati karmas that hide the soul’s natural clarity.

You can read a simple explanation of this karma here and a basic overview of the eight karmas here .