Answer

In Jain Dharma, Arihant and Siddha are both liberated or spiritually perfected souls, but they are not the same stage.

• Arihant: A soul who has destroyed the four destructive karmas and attained Keval Jnan, but is still living in a body.
• Siddha: A soul who has destroyed all karmas, left the body, and attained final liberation at Siddha Shila.

Explanation

Arihant means a conqueror of inner enemies such as attachment, hatred, anger, pride, deceit, and greed. An Arihant has attained infinite knowledge, infinite perception, infinite bliss, and infinite energy, but still has remaining non-destructive karmas until the end of bodily life.

Siddha is a completely liberated soul. A Siddha has no body, no karma, no rebirth, no suffering, and remains forever in pure, perfect existence at the top of the universe.

Key Difference

• Arihant has a body; Siddha has no body.
• Arihant teaches and guides others; Siddha exists in perfect liberation.
• Arihant still has some non-destructive karmas; Siddha has no karmas at all.
• Arihant is liberated while living; Siddha is fully liberated after leaving the body.

Spiritual Understanding

In the Navkar Mantra, we first bow to Arihants and then to Siddhas. Arihants are placed first because they actively show the path of liberation to living beings. Siddhas represent the final goal of the soul.

Takeaway

Arihant is the perfected soul still living in the body; Siddha is the perfected soul completely free from body and karma forever.