I’ll go point‑by‑point and keep it conceptually sharp but still practical/psychological, as you seem to want “internal markers,” not just textbook definitions.

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1. Upśama vs Kṣayopśama Samyag‑darśan

First, context: Samyag‑darśan = right faith / right perception – a direct, non‑wavering conviction in the truth of tattvas (jīva, ajīva, āsrava, bandha, saṁvara, nirjarā, mokṣa; plus puṇya–pāpa).

When mithyātva‑mohanīya (wrong‑belief deluding karma) is weakened, different modes of samyag‑darśan arise. Two main practical ones for us are:

(a) Upśama Samyag‑darśan

• Meaning: “Upśama” = suppression.

Wrong‑belief karma is not destroyed; it is only suppressed / made inactive for some time.

• What is happening karmically

- Mithyātva‑mohanīya and related darśan‑mohanīya karmas are in a state of upśama (subsidence). - Their potential to mislead is temporarily “switched off,” like a fan whose power is cut – blades are still there but not moving.

• Inner experience / psychology (for an upśama‑samyag‑dṛṣṭi)

- A fresh, powerful, but somewhat tender right faith. - Strong clarity, deep joy, a sense of “Finally I’ve found the truth!” - However, in the background, there remain subtle tendencies: - Need for external support, satsang, inspiration to stay stable. - Vulnerability to heavy shocks: sudden intense attachment, pride, anger, or wrong company can re‑activate mithyātva karma. - It can be fluctuating in intensity – some days extremely high, other days comparatively dull.

• Gunasthāna context (broadly)

- Often associated with aupśamika samyag‑dṛṣṭi at the 4ᵗʰ guṇasthān, where faith is right but based on subsidence, not on permanent destruction.

• Key point

- Upśama samyag‑darśan = authentic samyag‑darśan, but not yet guaranteed lifelong. It can recede.

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(b) Kṣayopśama Samyag‑darśan

• Meaning: “Kṣaya” = destruction, “upśama” = subsidence.

Some portion of wrong‑belief karma is truly destroyed, the rest is suppressed.

• What is happening karmically

- A significant part of mithyātva‑mohanīya is permanently destroyed. - The remainder is kept in a subsided state. - So there is both: - irreversible purification (kṣaya), and - non‑active remnant forces (upśama).

• Inner experience / psychology

- A deeper, more quiet and steady samyag‑darśan than the “newly inspired” feel of pure upśama. - Some qualities: - Conviction in tattvas is unshakeable even under heavy trials. - Not merely emotional; it is rooted in inner experience and deep understanding. - Even if outer life becomes difficult, an underlying non‑negotiable faith remains. - Old habits may still appear (anger, pride, attachment), but: - They no longer bring doubt about the path. - The person quickly returns to awareness and repentance.

• Gunasthāna context

- Typical of higher forms of samyag‑darśan that lead to solid progress through the ladder of guṇasthānas.

• Key point

- Kṣayopśama samyag‑darśan = more deeply rooted and harder to lose, because a slice of mithyātva is gone forever.

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Essential distinction in one sentence

• Upśama samyag‑darśan: right faith born mainly from temporary quieting of deluding karma – powerful, but still reversible.
• Kṣayopśama samyag‑darśan: right faith based on partial destruction + partial suppression of delusion – therefore far more stable and unlikely to collapse the way upśama can.

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2. Why some samyag‑dṛṣṭis fall back and some don’t

From the Jain karmic standpoint, the “falling back” or “not falling back” depends on:

(i) Depth of destruction of mithyātva‑karma

• If mithyātva is only subsided (upśama):

- The cause of blindness still exists, though dormant. - A strong enough shock (heavy attachment, wrong guru, intense passions, jealousy, fame, etc.) can re‑activate it. - Then the person can revert to mithyā‑darśan (wrong belief).

• If a significant portion is destroyed (kṣaya):

- That part can never return. - The range of possible “fall back” is smaller and milder. - The jīva may slip into negligence or some spiritual laziness, but outright rejection of tattvas becomes very rare.

So:

• Upśama‑based samyag‑darśan is like ice that can melt again.
• Kṣayopśama‑based samyag‑darśan is like clay already baked into pottery – it can break, but it won’t turn back into soft mud.

(ii) Supportive causes vs. opposing causes

Even with upśama samyaktva, if supportive conditions are strong and continuous:

• Satsaṅg with samyag‑dṛṣṭi elders / saints
• Regular svādhyāy, contemplation of tattvas, samayik
• Humility and vigilance against pride, sectarian ego, and attachment

…then the jīva may not fall back, and instead move gradually toward kṣayopśama and beyond.

But if opposing conditions dominate:

• Strong attachment to wealth, status, relationships
• Ego around one’s “knowledge” or “devotion”
• Following gurus who mix Jain tattvas with materialism or blind rituals
• Deliberate justification of passions (“Without anger and greed, how will life run?”)

…then the dormant mithyātva gets fuel, and falling back becomes karmically likely.

(iii) Past saṁskāras (bhāva‑saṁskār)

The intensity and continuity of samyag‑darśan in this life also depend on:

• How often samyaktva arose in past lives,
• How deeply the soul has previously lived by tattvas and performed saṁvara–nirjarā.

A jīva with strong old samskāras of samyaktva may:

• Quickly regain right faith even if it temporarily gets clouded.
• Show a spontaneous, natural alignment with non‑violence, truth, detachment, etc., without much struggle.

Whereas a first‑time samyag‑dṛṣṭi may have:

• A more fragile early phase, until it ripens into kṣayopśama.

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3. Internal markers: true samyag‑darśan vs emotional devotion

This is what most seekers actually need. Externally both can look similar: tears, bhakti, singing stotras, visiting temples. The distinction is internal stance.

I’ll list markers of true samyag‑darśan first, then contrast with emotional devotion without samyaktva.

A. Internal markers of genuine samyag‑darśan

1. Stable conviction in tattvas, beyond mood swings

- Even when emotions are dry (no tears, no “feeling”), the person’s conviction in jīva, karma, and mokṣa is unchanged. - Difficulties (disease, loss, insult) do not shake trust in the Jina‑vachan. There may be pain, but not “Maybe this whole thing is false.”

1. Clear understanding of the goal: mokṣa, not worldly adjustment

- Religion is primarily seen as path of liberation, not only for - better business, - family peace, - health, miracles, etc. - Worldly benefits, if they come, are accepted as by‑products, not the main aim.

1. Growth in viveka (discrimination between soul and non‑soul)

- Increasing clarity that: - “I am a conscious substance (jīva), essentially separate from body, mind, wealth, relations.” - In daily life: - Less over‑identification with roles (“I, the boss / I, the insulted one”). - Faster recovery from praise‑blame.

1. Reduction in kashāyas over time

- True samyag‑darśan softens anger, pride, deceit, greed. - Pattern you can observe: - Anger episodes become less frequent, less intense, shorter. - Pride is more easily detected and sincerely regretted. - Greed begins to look ugly, not smart.

If, after years of “devotion,” the person’s ego and anger are the same or worse, it’s a strong sign that devotion is mostly emotional, not rooted in samyaktva.

1. Humility toward other samyag‑dṛṣṭis and other Jain traditions

- One may follow a specific sect or ācārya‑paramparā firmly, but: - Respects other Jain traditions as walking the same tattva‑path (with some differences of practice). - Harsh criticism, contempt, or hatred towards other Jain groups is a sign that rag–dveṣa is driving “faith”, not genuine right vision.

1. Respectful but discriminative attitude toward rituals

- Rituals (pūjā, stotra, pratikramaṇ, etc.) are valued as: - means for internal purification, remembrance of the qualities of Arihantas, - and help for saṁvara–nirjarā. - But there is clarity that: - Without inner change, external ritual alone does not give mokṣa. - So the person naturally connects ritual with inner bhāva: - “As I do ārti, may attachment and aversion in me reduce.”

1. Honest self‑observation and repentance (ālochana–pratikramaṇ)

- A samyag‑dṛṣṭi: - Regularly reviews the day, - accepts faults without self‑justification, - and does pratikramaṇ with genuine resolve not to repeat. - There is no pride in being “faultless”; instead, there is: - joy in discovering and cleaning faults.

1. Deepening attraction to svādhyāy and tattva‑chintan

- Over time: - The mind enjoys reading / listening to tattva‑texts more than just outer stories and miracles. - Interest in understanding karma, guṇasthānas, guṇa‑triay grows. - This is different from dry bookishness; it is a heartful love for truth itself.

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B. Signs of purely emotional devotion (without or before samyaktva)

These can occur even in a Jain environment, at temples, during pāṭh, etc.

1. Faith driven mainly by fear or expectation

- “If I don’t do pūjā / fast, something bad will happen.” - “If I do this vidhi, my business will definitely improve.” - Here dharma is treated as bargaining with celestial powers, not as path to free the soul from karma.

1. Devotion switching ON–OFF with worldly results

- When things go well: “Bhagwān is great!” – lots of enthusiasm. - When things go badly: “What’s the use of dharma?” – apathy or anger. - This shows that the center is worldly happiness, not tattvas.

1. No real change in character despite much “bhakti”

- Years of temple going, stotra recitation, pilgrimages, but: - anger is easily triggered, - greed is openly celebrated, - lying and cheating are “normal.” - Devotion here is mainly emotional & cultural, not transformative.

1. Sectarian or personal guru‑ego

- Strong claim: “Only our ācārya / our sect is right; others are wasted.” - Looking down upon or fighting other Jains. - This is rag–dveṣa wrapped in religious language.

1. Heavy focus on external marks; little interest in tattva

- Obsessed with: - which dress, which thāl, which flower, how many lamps, etc., - but bored when someone explains soul, karma, guṇasthānas. - Ritual becomes an end in itself; inner awareness is secondary or absent.

1. Emotional intensity without clarity

- Tears come in bhakti, but: - The person cannot clearly say what tattvas they actually believe, - or they mix Jain ideas with contradictory beliefs (e.g., permanent creator‑God controlling karma). - Emotion alone is not samyag‑darśan; tattvārtha‑śraddhā is required.

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C. Quick practical checklist (for self‑testing)

If you want exact internal markers you can observe in yourself:

1. When I face loss, insult, or illness:

- Do I doubt the path, or do I remember karma and stay anchored in tattvas?

1. With time (months/years):

- Are my kashāyas visibly softening? - Am I a little less reactive, less egoistic than before?

1. In my religious life:

- Is my main drive mokṣa‑mārga or worldly improvement?

1. Toward other sects / viewpoints within Jainism:

- Do I maintain respectful difference, or do I carry contempt / hatred?

1. In rituals:

- Do I consciously link them to inner bhāva and self‑change, or are they mechanical or bargaining tools?

1. In daily schedule:

- Is there increasing love for svādhyāy, tattva‑chintan, samayik, even in small doses?

If answers lean toward the first option in each pair, you are moving in the direction of genuine samyag‑darśan (upśama or kṣayopśama). If they lean toward the second, it indicates emotional or cultural devotion which is still valuable—but needs deepening into tattvārtha‑śraddhā to become true samyaktva.

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For a simple overview of Samyak Darshan and Samkit, you can also read here: “What is Samyak Darshan” and “Meaning of Samkit” .