In Jainism, “Kashāy” (कषाय) means inner passions or negative emotions that disturb the soul and bind karma to it.

1. Basic definition

Kashāy are the impure emotions that “stain” the soul, such as anger or greed. They are called kashāy because they:

• disturb our inner peace
• cause us to hurt others and ourselves
• make karmic particles stick to the soul and keep us in birth–death (saṁsār)

So, where there is kashāy, there is bondage of karma.

2. Four main Kashāy (inner enemies)

Jain dharma explains four primary kashāy:

1. Krodh (क्रोध) – Anger

- irritation, hatred, revenge, harshness

1. Mān (मान) – Pride / Ego

- “I am great”, showing off, not accepting mistakes

1. Māyā (माया) – Deceit

- cheating, manipulation, double face, hiding truth for selfishness

1. Lobh (लोभ) – Greed

- never satisfied, always wanting more money, things, praise, comforts

These four are called our antarāyī shatru – inner enemies. They are the main cause of asrava and bandha (inflow and bondage of karma).

You can read more related to kashāy and their types here

3. Why are Kashāy so serious?

• Even if a person does “good” external actions,

but inside is full of krodh, mān, māyā, lobh, then strong karmas are still bound.

• Samyak darshan, samyak jñān, samyak chāritra blossom only when kashāy become mild and then end.

So, on the path of moksh, the main work is:

> Reduce and finally destroy kashāy.

4. Opposite virtues (to reduce kashāy)

To slowly remove kashāy, Jain shastra teaches us to develop opposite qualities:

• Against krodh – kṣamā (forgiveness, patience)
• Against mān – vinay (humility, respectfulness)
• Against māyā – ṛju-bhāva (straightforwardness, honesty)
• Against lobh – santoṣ (contentment, simplicity)

Through swādhyāy (study), pratikraman, dhyān, and self-awareness, kashāy becomes weaker, and the soul becomes purer.

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In short:

Kashāy = the four inner passions (krodh, mān, māyā, lobh) that disturb the soul and bind karma. Destroying kashāy is the heart of Jain spiritual practice.