Answer

In Jainism, the idea closest to “Avīci” is the lowest hellish realm, called Mahātamah-prabhā or the seventh hell.

Jain Dharma teaches that souls who bind extremely destructive karma through intense violence, cruelty, hatred, and deep passions may be born in hellish realms. The lowest hell is considered the most painful and dark state of existence.

Explanation

Jain cosmology describes seven hells in the lower world called Adholoka. These are realms of suffering where souls experience the results of very heavy sinful karma.

The seven hells are traditionally understood as increasingly painful, darker, and more intense as one goes lower. The seventh hell, Mahātamah-prabhā, is the deepest and most severe.

Unlike some traditions where hell may be eternal, Jainism teaches that hellish birth is not permanent. A soul remains there only for the duration determined by its karma. After that karmic lifespan ends, the soul is reborn elsewhere in saṃsāra.

Spiritual Understanding

In Jainism, hell is not a place of punishment by God. Jain Dharma does not teach that a creator God sends souls to hell.

Rather:

• The soul creates its own future through karma.
• Violence, deceit, greed, anger, and cruelty bind painful karma.
• Hellish birth is the natural result of extremely harmful actions and passions.

The teaching is meant to awaken fearlessness through responsibility: avoid harm, reduce passions, practice compassion, and move toward liberation.

Takeaway

The Jain equivalent of “Avīci” is best understood as the seventh and lowest hell, Mahātamah-prabhā—a temporary but extremely painful rebirth caused by very heavy destructive karma.