In Jain Dharma, there is no first birth because the soul and संसार (samsara) are both beginningless.

Simple meaning

• Jiva (soul) is eternal — it has always existed.
• Due to karma, the soul keeps taking birth in different forms.
• So birth is not the beginning of the soul; it is only a new state in the endless cycle of birth and death.

Why no first birth?

Because if there were a first birth, then we would need to ask:

• What was the soul before that?
• How did karma begin?
• What caused the first attachment or bondage?

Jain philosophy says that karma bondage is also beginningless. Just as time has no first point in the cycle of the world, the wandering of the soul in samsara also has no first birth.

Important Jain idea

• The soul is not created by anyone.
• Birth happens because of karma.
• Moksha is possible when all karma is destroyed, and then there is no more birth.

So, in Jain view, there is no first birth, because the soul has been in the cycle of existence since beginningless time.