In Jain philosophy, padārtha means an object of knowledge or fundamental category of reality.

It refers to the things that can be known and discussed in a philosophical way. In Jainism, the main padārthas are often explained as:

• Jīva — living soul
• Ajīva — non-living substance
• Punya — merit
• Pāpa — demerit
• Āsrava — influx of karma
• Bandha — bondage of karma
• Saṃvara — stoppage of karma
• Nirjarā — shedding of karma
• Mokṣa — liberation

So, padārtha is a term for the basic truths or categories that describe reality according to Jain Darshan.