These three – Yathāpravṛtti-karaṇa, Apūrva-karaṇa and Anivṛtti‑karaṇa – are very high internal stages of thought‑activity (bhāva / pariṇām) on the path to moksha. They are described especially in connection with guṇasthān (spiritual stages) and karmic purification.

I’ll explain each in simple language and then show how they relate to guṇasthān.

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1. Yathāpravṛtti‑karaṇa (यथाप्रवृत्ति कारण)

Simple meaning

• “Yathā” = as it is, according to
• “Pravṛtti” = natural movement / tendency / flow
• “Karaṇa” = inner thought‑activity / operation

Yathāpravṛtti‑karaṇa means: > The soul’s natural, inbuilt tendency to move upwards towards spiritual purity, which starts reducing the heavy karmas, especially wrong‑belief and passions.

What actually happens here (in Jain terms)

• The jīva begins to dissociate (nirjarā) some karmas without special effort – called akām nirjarā (involuntary shedding).
• Because of this, the duration (sthiti) and intensity (anubhāga) of important bad karmas – especially mohanīya karma (deluding karma) – start reducing a lot.
• As these karmas become lighter:

- Wrong belief (mithyātva) weakens. - Right direction and spiritual urge awaken.

• This stage prepares the soul for stronger, conscious effort, which later appears as Apūrva‑karaṇa and Anivṛtti‑karaṇa.

You can think of it like this: > The soul wakes up from deep sleep and starts naturally moving towards the right path. It is not yet doing the most intense spiritual practices, but the inner current has turned in the right direction and karmas are quietly loosening.

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2. Apūrva‑karaṇa (अपूर्व कारण)

This is a much higher, extra‑ordinary inner state and is directly linked with the 8th guṇasthān (Apūrva‑karaṇa guṇasthān).

Literal sense

• “Apūrva” = unprecedented, never‑before, entirely new
• “Karaṇa” = inner thought‑activity / operation

So, Apūrva‑karaṇa means: > A never‑before‑experienced, very high, very pure thought‑activity, in which the soul’s purity increases in a totally new way, moment after moment.

Main characteristics

1. Unprecedented purity

- The type of inner purity that appears here has never appeared before in that jīva. - Each next moment is of higher purity than the previous one – the progress is rapid and unique.

1. Special karmic work going on

Traditional Jain texts describe, in brief: - Sthiti‑ghaṭa – cutting down the duration of already‑bound karmas. - Anubhāga / rasa‑ghaṭa – reducing the intensity of those karmas. - Guṇa‑śreṇī nirjarā – dissociation of karmic atoms in a fast, increasing series (like a rapidly growing sequence).

Meaning: old karmas are finished faster and more gently, and new karmas, if bound, are very mild and short‑lived.

1. Relation with conduct and meditation

- By now, the soul has reached perfect external conduct (7th guṇasthān – apramatta‑saṃyata). - In 8th guṇasthān (Apūrva‑karaṇa), the soul turns very strongly inward: - Deep, pure meditation (śukla‑dhyān) begins. - Coarse secondary passions (nokashāy) start getting removed.

1. Digambar–Śvetāmbara

- Both traditions accept Apūrva‑karaṇa as a very high guṇasthān. - Names and small descriptions may differ slightly, but sense is the same: > A new, never‑before, powerful inner purification stage.

In very simple words: > After basic right conduct is firmly established, the soul enters a special, new inner zone where every moment it becomes purer at a speed and depth that never existed for it before. This is Apūrva‑karaṇa.

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3. Anivṛtti‑karaṇa (अनिवृत्ति कारण)

This is still higher and corresponds to the 9th guṇasthān (Anivṛtti‑bādara‑sāmparāya).

Literal sense

• “An‑ivṛtti” = no return, not turning back
• “Karaṇa” = inner thought‑activity

So, Anivṛtti‑karaṇa means: > An advanced thought‑activity where the soul moves forward in purity in such a way that it does not fall back to the previous, grosser inner states.

Main characteristics

1. No backward slide within that range

- From here, the inner progress is steady; one does not return to the old, lower type of thought‑activity described in Apūrva‑karaṇa. - The name itself shows: “not returning” to those earlier, coarser mental states.

1. Uniform and higher purity

- Souls which are in the same “moment” of Anivṛtti‑karaṇa have equal level of purity. - Each next moment brings infinitely more purity than the previous, yet: - Within each same‑time group, purity is uniform. - Compared to Apūrva‑karaṇa (where different jīvas could be at different unique purities even in similar times), here the progress is more uniform and even more assured.

1. Relation with passions and meditation

- Coarse passions are already very much weakened. - The soul is more deeply absorbed in śukla‑dhyān. - This stage prepares for Sūkṣma‑sāmparāya (10th guṇasthān) where only extremely subtle greed remains.

1. Digambar–Śvetāmbara

- Again, slight differences in naming, but: - 9th guṇasthān is accepted as an advanced purifying stage following Apūrva‑karaṇa. - The essence is: > Once the soul reaches here, the direction is firmly upward; the risk of falling to gross impurity in that inner range is gone.

In simple language: > After the “new, powerful” stage (Apūrva‑karaṇa), the soul comes into an even steadier state where falling back is practically closed. The inner movement is one‑way – only towards more and more purity.

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How these three fit together

You can see them as three progressive steps in inner evolution:

1. Yathāpravṛtti‑karaṇa

- The natural inner current turns towards liberation. - Karmas start dropping even without intense conscious effort. - The soul becomes ready for higher, special practices.

1. Apūrva‑karaṇa (8th guṇasthān)

- New, never‑before purity arises. - Very fast karmic weakening and shedding. - Deep meditation and inner transformation begin in a strong way.

1. Anivṛtti‑karaṇa (9th guṇasthān)

- No-return, advanced inner stage. - Purity increases uniformly and surely. - The soul is now close to stages where only very subtle passions remain.

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Connection to Guṇasthān (for context)

In the usual list of 14 guṇasthān:

• 7th – Apramatta‑saṃyata (careful self‑control)
• 8th – Apūrva‑karaṇa
• 9th – Anivṛtti‑karaṇa (Anivṛtti‑bādara‑sāmparāya)
• 10th – Sūkṣma‑sāmparāya
• 11th–12th – Upaśānta‑kaṣāya / Kṣīṇa‑kaṣāya
• 13th–14th – Sayogī‑kevalī / Ayogī‑kevalī (omniscience and then moksha)

For a very simple outline of Apūrva‑karaṇa and Anivṛtti‑karaṇa within the 14 guṇasthān, you can see this short Jain explanation here