Nine Principles of Jainism

By Ms. Shweta Shah

Jain Study Center of North Carolina

In Jainism nine principles sometimes known as nine Tattvas, explain the philosophy of Karma. It explains the birth, death, and reincarnation cycle of every being. It also explains the pleasure and pain one goes through during each life cycle, and how one can get rid of all their Karmas and attain liberation.

Jainism is the only religion that treats Karma as a substace or matter. Jainism believes that from the beginning of time the Soul (living being) is attached with Karma (non-living being) and our effort in life is to get rid of all Karma so that the Soul can attain it's original charecteristics of perfect knowledge, vision, power, and bliss, and will live in Moksha permanently.

The nine principles are :

The first principle is Jiva or Soul. There are two types of Souls, Mukta or free and Samsari or worldly. Mukta or free Soul is free from all Karmas. The Soul is liberated and it is known as Siddha or God. This Soul does not possess a body. It has perfect, knowledge, power, vision, and bliss. It never again returns to the cycle of life, death, pleasure, and pain. There are an infinite number of free Souls, that live in Moksha.

The second type of Soul is Samsari or worldly. It is covered with Karma. It has a body, and it goes through the cycle of life and death. It has limited knowledge, vision, power, and bliss. There are in infinte number of worldly souls and all of them are capable of becoming free. Worldly Souls are divided according to the number of senses (touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing) they have. Souls with one to four senses do not have a mind. Five sense organisms do.

The second principle is Ajiva or non-living substance. It does not have conciousness.
There are five types of Ajiva, they are :

All of them together are known as Ajiva, of which matter has body and occupies space. It also has senses touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing and color. Karma is one kind of matter.

The third principle is Asrava. It is the cause which leads to the in coming of good and bad Karma, which binds to the Soul.

The causes of Asrava are :

The fourth principle is Bandha and it is the process of attachment of Karma to the Soul. Action of mind, body, and speech attaches Karma to the Soul and surrounds it. Karmic matter attaching to the Soul are catogorized into eight catogories.

The first catogory is Jananvaraniva, which covers the Soul's power of perfect knowledge. The second is Darsanavaniya, which covers the Soul's power of perfect vision. The third is Vediya, which covers the blissful nature of the Soul. The fourth is Mohniya, it prevents the Soul to realize it's own true nature. The fifth is Aayu, it determines the life span and covers it's nature of eternal existance. The sixth in Nama, it produces the body with limitations and qualities. The seventh is Gotra, it determines family and social standing. The eighth and last is Antaraya, it destroys the natural energy of the Soul and prevents it from attaining liberation.

Jnanavaraniya, Darsanavaraniya, Mohinya, and Antaraya are called Ghati Karmas because they cover the real nature of the Soul. Ayu, Nama, Gotra, and Vedniya karmas are called Aghati because they are not so dangerous.

When a person attains Keval Jnana, he is known as Arihant. He has destroyed all of his Ghati Karmas but none of his Aghati. After attaining Keval Jnana the Arihant lives a normal life. At the time of Nirvan or death all Aghati Karmas get destroyed and the Arihant becomes a Siddha. All Siddhas live in Moksha which is located at the top of Lok-akash.

The fifth principle Punya or Virtue, is the in coming of good Karma due to good activities of mind, body, and speech. Things such as offering food, drink, and shelter to needy people and monks.

The sixth principle Papa or Sin, is the in coming of Karma due to evil activities of mind, body, and speech. Activities such as himsa, lying, stealing, unchastity, attachmaent to objects, anger, cociet, deciet, and lust.

Punya and Papa are the results of Bandha. Some Jains do not treat these as seperate principles and according to them there are only seven instead of nine.

The seventh principle Samvara. It is the reverse of Asrava. Samvara is the method which stops new Karma from coming into the Soul. This can be accomplished by restraint of activities of mind, body, speech; religious meditation, the conquest of desire, forgiveness, tenderness, purity, truth, austerity, unattachment, and chastity.

The eighth principle Nirjara, is getting rid of the Karma already aquired. All Karma exhaust themselves by producing their results when time to do so. We should get rid of them before they produce results, otherwise it is difficult to be free from them. Scince by that time new Karma begins to come in.

Nirjara is to be done in two ways, external and internal.

External Nirjara :

Internal Nirjara :

The last and ninth principle is Moksha, which is a place, where all the liberated Souls live after complete elimination of all Karmas. Liberated Souls are known as Siddhs. All Siddhas live in a pemanant bliss forever in Moksha and never again return to the cycle of life and death. Moksha is located on the top of Lok-akas.

In Jainism, these nine principles has significant importance for a religious person. One has to understand the relationship between Soul and Karma so that he can put all his effort in the right direction to get rid of all Karma. It is like a doctor who diaognize a disease first, before he can treat a patience. In the world of religion the person is his own doctor and has to diaognize his own disease which is Karma before he can treat it properly. This way he can get rid of his Karma easily.

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