सम्यग्दर्शनज्ञानचारित्राणि मोक्षमार्गः
samyagdarśanajñānacāritrāṇi mokṣamārgaḥ
Right faith, right knowledge and right conduct, together, are the path to liberation (moksha).
Jainism · Acharya Umaswati
Chapter 1: Right faith and knowledge
The one text accepted by Digambara and Svetambara Jains alike: the whole Jain path in short Sanskrit sutras.
सम्यग्दर्शनज्ञानचारित्राणि मोक्षमार्गः
Awaiting review by a scholar of this tradition. Original texts are public domain; the plain meanings and notes are written by IndiaDigital and are being checked. We describe what each tradition teaches, in its own terms, and never rank faiths. Report a correction
This chapter in brief
The text opens with the path to moksha, liberation from the cycle of birth and death: right faith, right knowledge and right conduct, together. It then names the seven tattvas or realities: jiva (soul), ajiva (non-soul), asrava (the inflow of karma, which in Jain teaching is a subtle matter that clings to the soul), bandha (bondage), samvara (stopping the inflow), nirjara (shedding karma) and moksha. It goes on to the five kinds of knowledge, from sensory knowledge up to kevala jnana (omniscience), and the nayas, partial standpoints from which a thing can be viewed. The Digambara text lists seven nayas in one sutra; the Svetambara text gives five, with subdivisions, across two sutras.
तत्त्वार्थश्रद्धानं सम्यग्दर्शनम्
tattvārthaśraddhānaṃ samyagdarśanam
Right faith is firm conviction in the realities (tattvas) as they truly are.
तन्निसर्गादधिगमाद्वा
tannisargādadhigamādvā
This right faith arises either naturally, from within, or through learning and instruction.
जीवाजीवास्रवबन्धसंवरनिर्जरामोक्षास्तत्त्वम्
jīvājīvāsravabandhasaṃvaranirjarāmokṣāstattvam
The realities are seven: soul (jiva), non-soul (ajiva), inflow of karma (asrava), bondage (bandha), stoppage (samvara), shedding (nirjara) and liberation (moksha).
नामस्थापनाद्रव्यभावतस्तन्न्यासः
nāmasthāpanādravyabhāvatastannyāsaḥ
These are referred to in four ways (nikshepa): by name, by representation, by potential (dravya) and by actual present state (bhava).
प्रमाणनयैरधिगमः
pramāṇanayairadhigamaḥ
They are known through valid knowledge (pramana) and through partial standpoints (naya).
निर्देशस्वामित्वसाधनाधिकरणस्थितिविधानतः
nirdeśasvāmitvasādhanādhikaraṇasthitividhānataḥ
They are also studied by description, ownership, cause, location, duration and kinds.
सत्संख्याक्षेत्रस्पर्शनकालान्तरभावाल्पबहुत्वैश्च
satsaṃkhyākṣetrasparśanakālāntarabhāvālpabahutvaiśca
And by existence, number, place, extent of contact, time, interval, state and relative quantity.
मतिश्रुतावधिमनःपर्ययकेवलानि ज्ञानम्
matiśrutāvadhimanaḥparyayakevalāni jñānam
Knowledge is of five kinds: sensory (mati), scriptural (shruta), clairvoyant (avadhi), mind-reading (manahparyaya) and omniscient (kevala).
तत्प्रमाणे
tatpramāṇe
These five kinds of knowledge are valid knowledge (pramana), which is of two types.
आद्ये परोक्षम्
ādye parokṣam
The first two, sensory and scriptural knowledge, are indirect (paroksha).
प्रत्यक्षमन्यत्
pratyakṣamanyat
The other three are direct (pratyaksha): the soul knows through them without the help of the senses.
मतिः स्मृतिः संज्ञा चिन्ताभिनिबोध इत्यनर्थान्तरम्
matiḥ smṛtiḥ saṃjñā cintābhinibodha ityanarthāntaram
Perception (mati), memory (smriti), recognition (sanjna), reasoning (chinta) and inference (abhinibodha) are names for the same kind of knowledge.
तदिन्द्रियानिन्द्रियनिमित्तम्
tadindriyānindriyanimittam
Sensory knowledge arises through the senses and the mind.
अवग्रहेहावायधारणाः
avagrahehāvāyadhāraṇāḥ
It has four stages: first grasp (avagraha), inquiry (iha), determination (avaya) and retention (dharana).
बहुबहुविधक्षिप्रानिःसृतानुक्तध्रुवाणां सेतराणाम्
bahubahuvidhakṣiprāniḥsṛtānuktadhruvāṇāṃ setarāṇām
These stages apply to objects that are many, of many kinds, quick, partly hidden, unspoken and steady, and to their opposites.
अर्थस्य
arthasya
All four stages apply to clearly manifest objects.
व्यञ्जनस्यावग्रहः
vyañjanasyāvagrahaḥ
For an indistinct object, only the first grasp (avagraha) occurs.
न चक्षुरनिन्द्रियाभ्याम्
na cakṣuranindriyābhyām
This indistinct grasp does not occur through the eye or the mind.
श्रुतं मतिपूर्वं द्व्यनेकद्वादशभेदम्
śrutaṃ matipūrvaṃ dvyanekadvādaśabhedam
Scriptural knowledge is preceded by sensory knowledge; it is of two kinds, which have many and twelve divisions.
भवप्रत्ययोऽवधिर्देवनारकाणाम्
bhavapratyayo'vadhirdevanārakāṇām
For celestial and hellish beings, clairvoyance comes with birth itself.
क्षयोपशमनिमित्तः षड्विकल्पः शेषाणाम्
kṣayopaśamanimittaḥ ṣaḍvikalpaḥ śeṣāṇām
For others (humans and animals) it comes from the partial destruction and subsidence of karma, and is of six kinds.
ऋजुविपुलमती मनःपर्ययः
ṛjuvipulamatī manaḥparyayaḥ
Mind-reading knowledge is of two kinds: simple (rijumati) and extensive (vipulamati).
विशुद्ध्यप्रतिपाताभ्यां तद्विशेषः
viśuddhyapratipātābhyāṃ tadviśeṣaḥ
The two differ in purity and in whether the knowledge can be lost.
विशुद्धिक्षेत्रस्वामिविषयेभ्योऽवधिमनःपर्यययोः
viśuddhikṣetrasvāmiviṣayebhyo'vadhimanaḥparyayayoḥ
Clairvoyance and mind-reading differ in purity, range, possessor and objects.
मतिश्रुतयोर्निबन्धो द्रव्येष्वसर्वपर्यायेषु
matiśrutayornibandho dravyeṣvasarvaparyāyeṣu
Sensory and scriptural knowledge reach all substances, but not all of their modes.
रूपिष्ववधेः
rūpiṣvavadheḥ
Clairvoyance reaches only things that have form, that is, matter.
तदनन्तभागे मनःपर्ययस्य
tadanantabhāge manaḥparyayasya
Mind-reading knowledge reaches an infinitesimal part of what clairvoyance knows.
सर्वद्रव्यपर्यायेषु केवलस्य
sarvadravyaparyāyeṣu kevalasya
Omniscience (kevala jnana) reaches all substances and all their modes.
एकादीनि भाज्यानि युगपदेकस्मिन्नाचतुर्भ्यः
ekādīni bhājyāni yugapadekasminnācaturbhyaḥ
One soul can have from one up to four kinds of knowledge at the same time.
मतिश्रुतावधयो विपर्ययश्च
matiśrutāvadhayo viparyayaśca
Sensory, scriptural and clairvoyant knowledge can also be erroneous.
सदसतोरविशेषाद्यदृच्छोपलब्धेरुन्मत्तवत्
sadasatoraviśeṣādyadṛcchopalabdherunmattavat
This is because, without right faith, one cannot tell the real from the unreal and grasps things at whim, like a person who is not in their right mind.
नैगमसंग्रहव्यवहारर्जुसूत्रशब्दसमभिरूढैवंभूता नयाः
naigamasaṃgrahavyavahārarjusūtraśabdasamabhirūḍhaivaṃbhūtā nayāḥ
The standpoints (nayas) are seven: naigama, sangraha, vyavahara, rijusutra, shabda, samabhirudha and evambhuta.
Sanskrit sutras: Sanskrit Wikisource (public domain), with clear digitisation errors corrected and listed in our build notes. Meanings, summaries and Navkar text: IndiaDigital, awaiting review by Digambara and Svetambara scholars. Sutra counts follow the Digambara recension; Svetambara texts number some sutras differently.
Corrections from members of every tradition are welcome at support@indiadigital.org. Last checked: .