Answer

In Jain Dharma, tapasiya or tapas helps shed mainly ghāti karmas and also weakens aghāti karmas, depending on the purity of intention, discipline, and inner detachment.

The main karmas shed through true tapas are:

• Jñānāvaraṇīya karma – knowledge-obscuring karma
• Darśanāvaraṇīya karma – perception-obscuring karma
• Mohanīya karma – deluding karma
• Antarāya karma – obstructing karma

These four are called ghāti karmas because they directly obstruct the soul’s natural qualities.

Explanation

Tapasiya is not only fasting or physical hardship. In Jainism, real tapas means:

• control over desires,
• purity of thoughts,
• reduction of attachment and anger,
• discipline of body, speech, and mind,
• meditation and repentance.

When tapas is done with humility, right faith, and detachment, it helps in nirjarā, meaning the shedding of previously bound karmas.

Jain scriptures describe two broad types of tapas:

• Bāhya tapas – external austerities, such as fasting, eating less, limiting food choices, and physical discipline.
• Abhyantara tapas – internal austerities, such as repentance, humility, service, study, meditation, and renunciation of passions.

Internal tapas is especially important because karmas are strongly connected with passions like anger, pride, deceit, and greed.

Spiritual Understanding

The purpose of tapasiya is not to punish the body. Its purpose is to purify the soul by reducing attachment, passions, and dependence on material comforts.

When tapas is performed with ego, pride, or desire for praise, its spiritual benefit becomes limited. But when it is performed with samyak bhāv — right inner feeling — it becomes a powerful cause of karma shedding.

Takeaway

Tapasiya helps shed karmas, especially the four ghāti karmas: knowledge-obscuring, perception-obscuring, deluding, and obstructing karmas. But the true power of tapas lies not merely in fasting, but in inner purity, detachment, and control of passions.