In Jain dharm, mithyātva (wrong belief) creates many misconceptions about dharma and adharma. Here are some very common, everyday examples, kept simple.

---

1. Mistakes about “Dharma” (what people wrongly think is religion)

(a) Thinking only rituals = dharma

• “Bas mandir jana, pūjā karna hi dharm hai; baaki jaisa marzi karo.”

- Going to temple is good, but if someone lies, hurts others, cheats in business, and still thinks “I am very religious,” this is mithyātva. - Right dharma must include ahimsā, satya, brahmacharya, aparigraha, non-anger, honesty in dealings, etc., not only outer ritual.

(b) Doing dharma only for worldly benefit

• “Navkar japū̃ to business chalegā, health theek hogi, bacche pass ho jāenge.”

- Taking vows, doing tapas or stotra only to get money, name, or comfort is a wrong understanding. - In Jain view, real purpose of dharma is: karm ka kṣay / kṣayopśam and finally moksha, not just “problems solve ho jāen”. ( jainknowledge.com)

(c) Violence in the name of religion

• “Mere dev ke liye jaanvar qurbān karna, ya kisi ko dukh dena bhi dharm hai.”

- Any form of himsā (killing, hurting, torturing) can never be Jain dharma, even if done with religious label.

(d) Blind following of guru / crowd

• “Mere guru jo bole vo hi satya; main khud sochū̃ga nahi.”

- Respecting Guru is dharma, but thinking “I don’t need to understand tattva, only follow blindly” is also a type of mithyātva (vinay-mithyātva). ( jainknowledge.com)

---

2. Mistakes about “Adharma” (what people wrongly think is sin or not-sin)

Here adharma you are asking about = wrong / sinful / paap in general (not the dravya “adharma” tattva).

(a) Thinking some sins are “normal” and not adharma

• “Thodā jhūṭh chal jātā hai, sab bolte hain.” (small lies)
• “Thodā profit ke liye cheating to chalta hai.”
• “Anger to nature hai, kya karẽ?”

- Jain dharm clearly says: even small lies, cheating, anger, greed, backbiting, wrong belief are types of paap (like 18 pāp, 10 duścaritra, etc.). ( jainknowledge.com)

(b) Thinking “if mind is clean, actions don’t matter”

• “Dil se achchha hū̃, kisi ko mar bhi dũ to chalegā, niyat to thīk hai.”

- In Jain view, bhāv (inner state) is primary, but dravy (outer act) also binds karma. Both matter.

(c) Thinking “only intention matters, not speech”

• Gossip, harsh words, insult, taunting, double-meaning jokes — “Maine mazak me kahā, bura mat māno.”

- These are vāg-duścaritra (verbal misconduct) and are adharma, because they hurt and create enmity, even if we call it a joke. ( jainknowledge.com)

---

3. Direct examples of Mithyātva in dharm–adharm

(1) Calling dharma what is actually adharma

• Thinking violence, cheating, ego-show, caste-pride, show-off donations in religious programs are “seva” or “bhakti”.
• Example: Donating a lot, but with pride, competition, and insult of others – this is rāga, mān, mithyātva, not pure dharma.

(2) Calling adharma “practical life”, not sin

• “Jeena hai to aise hi karna padtā hai, yeh paap nahi, zarūrat hai.”

- Justifying himsā, falsehood, bribery, corruption, etc., as “majbūri / fashion / system” is mithyātva.

(3) Equalizing all views without vivek

• “Sab dharm ek hai, sab raste sahi hai, koi bhi follow karo, sab same.”

- Respecting all is good, but Jain siddhānt clearly says: every path is not equally leading to moksha. - To think “right and wrong are same” is a form of saṁśay-mithyātva (doubting) or vikalp-mithyātva (random opinions). ( jainknowledge.com)

(4) Believing only body / only soul (ekānt-mithyātva)

• “Sirf body hai, ātmā kuch nahi” → no fear of karma, so any adharma seems allowed.
• Or opposite extreme: “Sirf ātmā hi hai, to body ki himsā, paap se kya farak?”

- Both are one-sided wrong views that confuse dharm–adharm completely. ( jainknowledge.com)

---

4. Very simple thumb-rules to avoid mithyātva about dharm–adharm

1. Check: does this reduce himsā, rāga, dveṣ, krodh, mān, māyā, lobh?

- If yes → going towards dharma. - If it increases these → it is adharma, even if it looks religious from outside.

1. Check against 9 tattvas (jīva, ajīva, āsrava, bandha, saṁvar, nirjarā, puṇya, pāp, moksha).

- If your belief denies or distorts these, it is mithyātva.

1. Keep focus on moksha, not only material gain.

- When goal is only money, status, or praise, dharma slips into bhavya-roop adharma.

---

If you want, I can next list each of the 5 mithyātvas with 2–2 specific daily-life examples of dharm–adharm confusion in very short form.