आस्रवनिरोधः संवरः
āsravanirodhaḥ saṃvaraḥ
Stopping the inflow of karma is samvara.
Jainism · Acharya Umaswati
Chapter 9: Stopping and shedding karma
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
This chapter explains samvara, the stopping of new karma, and nirjara, the shedding of karma already bound. Samvara comes through restraint, carefulness, the ten virtues, the twelve reflections, enduring hardships and right conduct; nirjara comes above all through austerity, outer and inner, of which meditation is the highest form. It refers to the gunasthanas, the fourteen stages of spiritual progress, to say where each hardship and kind of meditation occurs. On sutra 9.11, about hardships in the omniscient Jina, Digambara and Svetambara commentators explain the meaning differently.
स गुप्तिसमितिधर्मानुप्रेक्षापरीषहजयचारित्रैः
sa guptisamitidharmānuprekṣāparīṣahajayacāritraiḥ
It comes through restraint (gupti), carefulness (samiti), the virtues (dharma), reflections (anupreksha), conquest of hardships (parishaha jaya) and conduct (charitra).
तपसा निर्जरा च
tapasā nirjarā ca
Through austerity (tapas) comes the shedding of karma (nirjara), as well as stoppage.
सम्यग्योगनिग्रहो गुप्तिः
samyagyoganigraho guptiḥ
Proper control of the activity of body, speech and mind is gupti.
ईर्याभाषैषणादाननिक्षेपोत्सर्गाः समितयः
īryābhāṣaiṣaṇādānanikṣepotsargāḥ samitayaḥ
The five samitis are care in walking, in speaking, in seeking alms, in picking up and putting down things, and in disposing of waste.
उत्तमक्षमामार्दवार्जवसत्यशौचसंयमतपस्त्यागाकिञ्चन्यब्रह्मचर्याणि धर्मः
uttamakṣamāmārdavārjavasatyaśaucasaṃyamatapastyāgākiñcanyabrahmacaryāṇi dharmaḥ
The ten supreme virtues (dharma) are forgiveness, humility, straightforwardness, truthfulness, purity, self-restraint, austerity, renunciation, non-attachment and celibacy.
अनित्याशरणसंसारैकत्वान्यत्वाशुच्यास्रवसंवरनिर्जरालोकबोधिदुर्लभधर्मस्वाख्यातत्वानुचिन्तनमनुप्रेक्षाः
anityāśaraṇasaṃsāraikatvānyatvāśucyāsravasaṃvaranirjarālokabodhidurlabhadharmasvākhyātatvānucintanamanuprekṣāḥ
The twelve reflections (anupreksha) are repeated contemplation of impermanence, having no refuge, the cycle of births, being alone, being distinct from the body, the impurity of the body, inflow, stoppage, shedding, the universe, the rarity of enlightenment, and the well-taught dharma.
मार्गाच्यवननिर्जरार्थं परिषोढव्याः परीषहाः
mārgācyavananirjarārthaṃ pariṣoḍhavyāḥ parīṣahāḥ
Hardships (parishaha) are to be endured so as not to stray from the path and to shed karma.
क्षुत्पिपासाशीतोष्णदंशमशकनाग्न्यारतिस्त्रीचर्यानिषद्याशय्याक्रोशवधयाचनालाभरोगतृणस्पर्शमलसत्कारपुरस्कारप्रज्ञाज्ञानादर्शनानि
kṣutpipāsāśītoṣṇadaṃśamaśakanāgnyāratistrīcaryāniṣadyāśayyākrośavadhayācanālābharogatṛṇasparśamalasatkārapuraskāraprajñājñānādarśanāni
The twenty-two hardships are hunger, thirst, cold, heat, insect bites, nakedness, discontent, women, walking, sitting, lying down, insult, injury, begging, not receiving alms, illness, the prick of grass, dirt, honour and its absence, intellect, ignorance and wavering faith.
सूक्ष्मसांपरायछद्मस्थवीतरागयोश्चतुर्दश
sūkṣmasāṃparāyachadmasthavītarāgayoścaturdaśa
At the stage of subtle passion and in the passion-free soul not yet omniscient, fourteen hardships can occur.
एकादश जिने
ekādaśa jine
Eleven hardships are named for the Jina (the omniscient). Svetambara commentators take this literally; Digambara commentators explain that, since deluding karma is gone, these are spoken of only formally and cause no actual suffering.
बादरसांपराये सर्वे
bādarasāṃparāye sarve
At the stages of gross passion, all twenty-two can occur.
ज्ञानावरणे प्रज्ञाज्ञाने
jñānāvaraṇe prajñājñāne
Knowledge-obscuring karma gives rise to the hardships of intellect and ignorance.
दर्शनमोहान्तराययोरदर्शनालाभौ
darśanamohāntarāyayoradarśanālābhau
Faith-deluding and obstructive karma give rise to wavering faith and not receiving alms.
चारित्रमोहे नाग्न्यारतिस्त्रीनिषद्याक्रोशयाचनासत्कारपुरस्काराः
cāritramohe nāgnyāratistrīniṣadyākrośayācanāsatkārapuraskārāḥ
Conduct-deluding karma gives rise to nakedness, discontent, women, sitting, insult, begging, and honour and its absence.
वेदनीये शेषाः
vedanīye śeṣāḥ
The rest arise from feeling-producing karma.
एकादयो भाज्या युगपदेकस्मिन्नैकोनविंशतेः
ekādayo bhājyā yugapadekasminnaikonaviṃśateḥ
From one up to nineteen hardships can occur in one soul at the same time.
सामायिकच्छेदोपस्थापनापरिहारविशुद्धिसूक्ष्मसांपराययथाख्यातमिति चारित्रम्
sāmāyikacchedopasthāpanāparihāraviśuddhisūkṣmasāṃparāyayathākhyātamiti cāritram
Conduct is of five kinds: equanimity (samayika), re-initiation (chhedopasthapana), purification through special austerity (parihara vishuddhi), subtle passion (sukshma samparaya) and perfect conduct (yathakhyata).
अनशनावमोदर्यवृत्तिपरिसंख्यानरसपरित्यागविविक्तशय्यासनकायक्लेशा बाह्यं तपः
anaśanāvamodaryavṛttiparisaṃkhyānarasaparityāgaviviktaśayyāsanakāyakleśā bāhyaṃ tapaḥ
Outer austerity is fasting, eating less, limiting how one seeks food, giving up rich foods, living and sitting in solitary places, and bodily endurance.
प्रायश्चित्तविनयवैयावृत्त्यस्वाध्यायव्युत्सर्गध्यानान्युत्तरम्
prāyaścittavinayavaiyāvṛttyasvādhyāyavyutsargadhyānānyuttaram
Inner austerity is expiation, reverence, service, study, giving up attachment to the body, and meditation.
नवचतुर्दशपञ्चद्विभेदा यथाक्रमं प्राग्ध्यानात्
navacaturdaśapañcadvibhedā yathākramaṃ prāgdhyānāt
Those before meditation have nine, four, ten, five and two kinds respectively.
आलोचनप्रतिक्रमणतदुभयविवेकव्युत्सर्गतपश्छेदपरिहारोपस्थापनाः
ālocanapratikramaṇatadubhayavivekavyutsargatapaśchedaparihāropasthāpanāḥ
Expiation is confession, repentance, both together, setting aside the faulty item, giving up bodily attachment, extra austerity, loss of seniority, temporary separation, and re-initiation.
ज्ञानदर्शनचारित्रोपचाराः
jñānadarśanacāritropacārāḥ
Reverence (vinaya) is toward knowledge, faith and conduct, and in courteous behaviour.
आचार्योपाध्यायतपस्विशैक्षग्लानगणकुलसंघसाधुमनोज्ञानाम्
ācāryopādhyāyatapasviśaikṣaglānagaṇakulasaṃghasādhumanojñānām
Service (vaiyavrittya) is to the acharya, the teacher, the ascetic, the novice, the sick, the group, the lineage, the order, the monk and the respected.
वाचनापृच्छनानुप्रेक्षाऽऽम्नायधर्मोपदेशाः
vācanāpṛcchanānuprekṣā''mnāyadharmopadeśāḥ
Study (svadhyaya) is reading, asking questions, reflecting, reciting and giving religious teaching.
बाह्याभ्यन्तरोपध्योः
bāhyābhyantaropadhyoḥ
Giving up (vyutsarga) is of outer and inner attachments.
उत्तमसंहननस्यैकाग्रचिन्तानिरोधो ध्यानमान्तर्मुहूर्तात्
uttamasaṃhananasyaikāgracintānirodho dhyānamāntarmuhūrtāt
Meditation (dhyana) is holding the mind on one object, by one with the strongest bodily frame, for up to an antarmuhurta (less than forty-eight minutes).
आर्तरौद्रधर्म्यशुक्लानि
ārtaraudradharmyaśuklāni
Meditation is of four kinds: sorrowful (arta), cruel (raudra), virtuous (dharmya) and pure (shukla).
परे मोक्षहेतू
pare mokṣahetū
The last two are causes of liberation.
आर्तममनोज्ञस्य सम्प्रयोगे तद्विप्रयोगाय स्मृतिसमन्वाहारः
ārtamamanojñasya samprayoge tadviprayogāya smṛtisamanvāhāraḥ
Sorrowful meditation is brooding again and again on how to be rid of something unpleasant one has met with.
विपरीतं मनोज्ञस्य
viparītaṃ manojñasya
And the reverse: brooding over the loss of something pleasant.
वेदनायाश्च
vedanāyāśca
And brooding over pain.
निदानं च
nidānaṃ ca
And longing for pleasures in a future life (nidana).
तदविरतदेशविरतप्रमत्तसंयतानाम्
tadaviratadeśaviratapramattasaṃyatānām
Sorrowful meditation occurs in those without vows, in those with partial vows, and in monks at the stage of slight carelessness.
हिंसानृतस्तेयविषयसंरक्षणेभ्यो रौद्रमविरतदेशविरतयोः
hiṃsānṛtasteyaviṣayasaṃrakṣaṇebhyo raudramaviratadeśaviratayoḥ
Cruel meditation is taking delight in violence, falsehood, theft and guarding one's possessions; it occurs in those without vows or with partial vows.
आज्ञापायविपाकसंस्थानविचयाय धर्म्यम्
ājñāpāyavipākasaṃsthānavicayāya dharmyam
Virtuous meditation is contemplating the teaching, the removal of suffering, the fruition of karma, and the structure of the universe.
शुक्ले चाद्ये पूर्वविदः
śukle cādye pūrvavidaḥ
The first two kinds of pure meditation belong to those who know the Purvas, the most ancient scriptures.
परे केवलिनः
pare kevalinaḥ
The last two belong to the omniscient (kevali).
पृथक्त्वैकत्ववितर्कसूक्ष्मक्रियाप्रतिपातिव्युपरतक्रियानिवर्तीनि
pṛthaktvaikatvavitarkasūkṣmakriyāpratipātivyuparatakriyānivartīni
The four kinds of pure meditation are: reflection on many aspects, reflection on one aspect, subtle activity that does not fall back, and complete cessation of activity.
त्र्येकयोगकाययोगायोगानाम्
tryekayogakāyayogāyogānām
In order, these occur with all three kinds of activity, with one, with bodily activity alone, and with no activity.
एकाश्रये सवितर्कवीचारे पूर्वे
ekāśraye savitarkavīcāre pūrve
The first two rest on a single substratum and involve scriptural reflection (vitarka) and shifting (vichara).
अवीचारं द्वितीयम्
avīcāraṃ dvitīyam
The second is without shifting.
वितर्कः श्रुतम्
vitarkaḥ śrutam
Vitarka means scriptural knowledge.
वीचारोऽर्थव्यञ्जनयोगसंक्रान्तिः
vīcāro'rthavyañjanayogasaṃkrāntiḥ
Vichara is shifting between objects, words and modes of activity.
सम्यग्दृष्टिश्रावकविरतानन्तवियोजकदर्शनमोहक्षपकोपशमकोपशान्तमोहक्षपकक्षीणमोहजिनाः क्रमशोऽसंख्येयगुणनिर्जराः
samyagdṛṣṭiśrāvakaviratānantaviyojakadarśanamohakṣapakopaśamakopaśāntamohakṣapakakṣīṇamohajināḥ kramaśo'saṃkhyeyaguṇanirjarāḥ
Karma is shed in amounts that grow innumerable-fold at each step: in one with right faith, a lay follower, a monk, one who removes the strongest passions, one who destroys faith-deluding karma, one who is suppressing conduct-deluding karma, one in whom it is suppressed, one who is destroying it, one in whom delusion is destroyed, and the Jina.
पुलाकबकुशकुशीलनिर्ग्रन्थस्नातका निर्ग्रन्थाः
pulākabakuśakuśīlanirgranthasnātakā nirgranthāḥ
Pulaka, Bakusha, Kushila, Nirgrantha and Snataka are the five kinds of nirgrantha (unattached) monks.
संयमश्रुतप्रतिसेवनातीर्थलिंगलेश्योपपादस्थानविकल्पतः साध्याः
saṃyamaśrutapratisevanātīrthaliṃgaleśyopapādasthānavikalpataḥ sādhyāḥ
They are distinguished by restraint, learning, lapses, the Tirthankara's era, outward sign, leshya, place of rebirth and spiritual level.
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: .