Nikachit karma (कर्म) in Jainism refers to the karmic particles that have already bound to the soul and are affecting its current experiences. In simple terms, these are the karmas that have “attached” to you in the past and are now shaping how you think, feel, and act.

How nikachit karma binds (in brief)

• Cause: When the mind, speech, and body act with passions (for example, anger, greed, attachment, pride) and with wrong understanding, karmic particles attach to the soul.
• Mechanism: These particles cling to the jiva (soul) because of karmic influx created by your actions, thoughts, and intents. The more intense the passions and the longer they last, the more karmas bind.
• Result: The bound karmas influence present experiences—body, fortunes, emotions, and perceptions—until they are purified or shed.

How to reduce or shed nikachit karma (practices emphasized in Jain path)

• Right faith, right knowledge, right conduct (the three jewels): cultivate true understanding, take non-violence seriously, and live ethically.
• Samayik and Pratikraman: disciplined, periodic self-reflection and repentance help prevent new karmas from binding and gradually burn off existing ones.
• Non-violence (ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), and other austerities: steady practice reduces passion and binds fewer karmic particles.
• Seva, austerities, fasting, and meditation: disciplined practices slow the inflow of new karmas and help burn old ones.
• Detachment and right perception: develop equanimity and clear understanding to lessen attachment and the strength of karmic bonds.

Key idea to keep in mind

• In Jain thought, all karmas are fundamentally bound by the inflow of karma due to misdirected thoughts and actions. The path is to stop new bindings, weaken current bindings through disciplined practice, and eventually attain liberation (moksha) by shedding all karmas.

If you’d like, I can share brief, traditional definitions (arth) of related terms like ghati karmas, aghati karmas, and the process of bondage and shedding, and note how Digambar and Śvetāmbara traditions describe these ideas differently.