Answer

The Tassa Uttari Karaṇeṇaṁ Sutra is a Jain repentance and purification sutra. It is recited after Iriyāvahiyā Sutra and before Annattha Sutra in the process of Pratikramaṇ.

It expresses the devotee’s wish to further purify the soul by doing prāyaścitta — repentance, correction, and spiritual purification — for faults committed through movement, carelessness, or negligence.

Sutra

Tassa uttari-karaṇeṇaṁ,
pāyacchitta-karaṇeṇaṁ,
visohi-karaṇeṇaṁ,
visallī-karaṇeṇaṁ,
pāvāṇaṁ kammāṇaṁ nigghāyaṇaṭṭhāe,
thāmi kāussaggaṁ.

Word-by-word Meaning

• Tassa — of that; for that; regarding that fault or sin
• Uttari-karaṇeṇaṁ — by doing further purification; by making it spiritually higher or better
• Pāyacchitta-karaṇeṇaṁ — by doing repentance or atonement
• Visohi-karaṇeṇaṁ — by doing purification; by cleansing the soul from impurity
• Visallī-karaṇeṇaṁ — by removing the “thorn” of sin, guilt, or spiritual impurity
• Pāvāṇaṁ — sinful; inauspicious; harmful
• Kammāṇaṁ — karmas
• Nigghāyaṇaṭṭhāe — for the destruction, removal, or shedding
• Thāmi — I stand; I remain steady; I undertake
• Kāussaggaṁ — kāyotsarga; abandonment of bodily activity; meditative stillness of the body

Line-by-line Meaning

Tassa uttari-karaṇeṇaṁ
For the further purification of those faults.

Pāyacchitta-karaṇeṇaṁ
By performing repentance and atonement.

Visohi-karaṇeṇaṁ
By purifying myself spiritually.

Visallī-karaṇeṇaṁ
By removing the thorn-like pain and impurity caused by sin.

Pāvāṇaṁ kammāṇaṁ nigghāyaṇaṭṭhāe
For the destruction and shedding of sinful karmas.

Thāmi kāussaggaṁ
I undertake kāyotsarga — meditative stillness and detachment from the body.

Overall Meaning

“For the further purification of those faults, for repentance, for spiritual cleansing, for removing the thorn of sinful impurity, and for the destruction of sinful karmas, I undertake kāyotsarga.”

Spiritual Understanding

This sutra teaches that repentance is not only saying “sorry.” In Jain Dharma, true repentance includes:

• Recognizing the fault
• Feeling sincere regret
• Purifying the inner self
• Removing attachment and carelessness
• Undertaking kāyotsarga with awareness
• Weakening and shedding harmful karmas

The word visallī is especially meaningful. A sinful act is compared to a thorn stuck in the soul. Through repentance, humility, and meditation, that thorn is removed.

Meaning of Kāyotsarga

Kāyotsarga means “abandonment of the body.” It does not mean harming or rejecting the body. It means becoming still and detached from bodily movements, comforts, and distractions.

During kāyotsarga, one remains steady and reflects:

• I am a soul, separate from the body.
• The body is temporary.
• The soul’s true nature is knowledge, perception, peace, and purity.
• I want to remove karmic impurities through awareness and restraint.

Takeaway

The Tassa Uttari Karaṇeṇaṁ Sutra is a prayer of sincere repentance and purification. It reminds us that spiritual progress requires humility, correction, inner cleansing, and steady awareness of the soul.