Answer

In the Bhagavati Sutra context, only 4 kriyās are counted because that particular example is about a specific worldly transaction: buying, selling, taking, not taking, paying, not paying, and ownership-related involvement.

So the kriyās counted there are only those that are directly connected with that situation. The remaining kriyās are not counted because they are not active or applicable in that specific event.

The 5th — Mithyādarśana kriyā — is different. It applies only when the person has mithyā-dṛṣṭi. A person with right faith is not affected by that kriyā in the same way.

Explanation

In Jain karma theory, a kriyā does not arise merely because it exists as one of the 25 types. It arises when its specific cause, intention, activity, and involvement are present.

In the example you mentioned:

• The seller’s goods being stolen or recovered relates to ownership and transaction-related activity.
• The buyer taking or not taking the goods relates to acceptance or non-acceptance.
• The buyer paying or not paying relates to exchange and obligation.

Therefore, only the kriyās connected with these actions become relevant.

The other kriyās are not involved because their causes are absent. For example, if there is no activity related to a particular form of violence, false belief, negligence, attachment, or other specific conduct, that kriyā is not counted in that example.

Why Not All 25?

Because the Bhagavati Sutra is not saying that every transaction automatically produces all 25 kriyās.

Rather, it is showing that:

• Different actions create different karmic activities.
• Only the kriyās that are actually connected with the situation become operative.
• Karmic bondage depends on the nature of the act, the intention, the spiritual state of the person, and the presence of passions.

So the remaining 20 kriyās are not denied; they are simply not applicable to that particular example.

About Mithyādarśana Kriyā

Mithyādarśana kriyā is connected with wrong belief.

That is why only a person with mithyā-dṛṣṭi is affected by it. A person who has right faith does not bind that kriyā in the same manner, because the inner cause of wrong belief is absent.

This shows an important Jain principle:

• External action alone is not enough.
• The inner state of the soul is also very important.
• The same outer situation may have different karmic consequences for different people depending on their darśana, jñāna, cāritra, and kaṣāya.

Spiritual Understanding

The teaching is that karma is not mechanical in a simple outer sense. Jain Dharma looks deeply at:

• What action was done,
• Why it was done,
• With what intention it was done,
• What passions were present,
• And what spiritual state the person had.

Therefore, only the kriyās whose causes are present become active.

Takeaway

Only 4 kriyās are involved because the example concerns only those specific transaction-related activities. The other 20 kriyās are not involved because their causes are not present. Mithyādarśana kriyā applies separately only to one who has wrong faith.