Answer

Historically, some Digambara Jain texts take a strict, caste-based position and say that a Shudra cannot attain direct liberation in that birth. A clear example is the Digambara work Moksha Marg Prakashak, which explicitly rejects the claim that Shudras can directly attain moksha. ( jainworld.jainworld.com)

Explanation

That said, this is best understood as a historical sectarian stance rather than the whole spirit of Jain philosophy. Broader Jain teachings emphasize that liberation depends on right faith, right knowledge, right conduct, and complete detachment—not on birth, dress, creed, or social status. One Jain philosophical text even states that a person’s highness or lowness depends on character, not on birth or occupation. ( jainqq.org)

Spiritual Understanding

In Jain Dharma, the soul is judged by karma and inner purification, not by outer labels. The Jain tradition also recognizes varna as a social order, but spiritual progress is meant to come through self-discipline and purification of the soul, not through social rank. ( academic.oup.com)

Takeaway

So, the strict historical Digambara textual stance could be exclusionary toward Shudras, but the broader Jain spiritual ideal points toward inner merit, not birth, as the path to liberation. ( jainworld.jainworld.com)