Nature of Karma (कम्मपयडी)

अट्ठु कम्माइं वोच्छामि, आणुपुव्वि जहक्कमं । जेहिं बद्धो अचं जीवो, संसारे परिवट्टइ ॥३३.१॥

I shall describe the eight karmas in sequence, by which this soul, being bound, wanders in the cycle of worldly existence.

Mahavira opens this chapter with a direct promise: I will explain the eight karmas in order. The phrase "anupurvī yathākramam" — in sequence, following the proper order — signals that this is not casual description but a systematic, technical teaching. Think of it like a doctor laying out the eight types of disease a patient must understand before any effective treatment can begin. You cannot treat what you have not diagnosed. The soul (jīva) is described as bound (baddha) — not in its natural, free state, but constrained and shaped by eight forms of invisible karmic matter that cling to it like layers of grime over a mirror. Because of this bondage, the soul "wanders in the cycle" of birth and death — it cannot freely choose where to be born, how long to live, what level of knowledge it has access to, or even how to feel on any given day. Everything about its worldly existence — body, family, emotions, lifespan, limitations — is shaped by these eight invisible constraints accumulated over countless past lives. This opening sutra is simultaneously a diagnosis and an invitation. Before any real liberation work can begin, the mechanism of bondage must be understood clearly and precisely. A person who does not know what is binding them cannot work intelligently toward freedom. This chapter is the map of the chains — and understanding the chains is the first step toward removing them.

The simple version: The chapter begins by announcing it will explain the eight types of karma that keep the soul trapped in the cycle of birth and death.

पाणस्सावरणिज्जं, दंसणावरणं तहा । वेयणिज्जं तहा मोहं, आउकम्मं तहेव य ॥३३.२॥

Knowledge-obscuring, perception-obscuring, feeling-producing, deluding, and life-determining — these are the karmas described thus.

This sutra begins the systematic enumeration of the eight karmas by naming the first five. Knowledge-obscuring karma (jñānāvaraṇīya) obstructs the soul's inherent omniscience — not from outside, but by wrapping layers of karmic matter around the soul's own natural knowing. Every time you forget something important, every limitation in understanding, traces back to this. Perception-obscuring karma (darśanāvaraṇīya) blocks the soul's basic capacity for awareness and perception — even deeper than knowledge, this karma affects the soul's fundamental ability to sense and register reality. Feeling-producing karma (vedanīya) causes experiences of pleasure and pain — it is the mechanism behind every moment of happiness and every moment of suffering you experience. It does not cause events; it causes the felt quality of your response to events. Deluding karma (mohanīya) is the most spiritually dangerous of all, creating deep confusion and distortion regarding right faith (seeing reality correctly) and right conduct (acting correctly based on what you see). Life-determining karma (āyuṣya) fixes the lifespan of a being in a particular birth — how long you will live in this body is already set at the beginning of a new life based on karma bound in the previous one. Together, these five cover knowledge, awareness, feeling, belief, and life-duration.

The simple version: The first five karmas are named — they obscure knowledge, obscure perception, produce feelings of pleasure and pain, create delusion, and determine how long you live.

पाणकम्मं च गोयं च, अंतरायं तहेव य । एवमेयाइं कम्माइं, अट्ठेव समासओ ॥३३.३॥

Name-determining karma, lineage-determining karma, and obstructive karma — thus these karmas are eight in all, in brief.

This sutra completes the enumeration of the eight karmas by naming the remaining three, and closes with the significant phrase "in brief" (samāsataḥ) — signaling that what follows in the chapter will expand all eight in detail. Name-determining karma (nāma karma) determines the body, form, and every physical attribute of a being — from the type of body (human, animal, celestial) to specific features like beauty, voice, complexion, and physical capability. Every aspect of what your body looks like and how it functions is shaped by this karma. Lineage-determining karma (gotra karma) determines the social standing and family into which one is born — whether one is born in a family that commands respect, or in a situation of social disadvantage. Importantly, Jainism teaches that this karma is set by one's own past behavior of humility or arrogance, not by divine will. Obstructive karma (antarāya karma) obstructs the soul's five inherent capacities: the capacity for giving, the capacity for receiving or gaining, the capacity for enjoyment of consumable things, the capacity for repeated enjoyment of non-consumable things, and the capacity for effort and willpower. When you feel inexplicably unable to give, to achieve, or to apply yourself despite wanting to — this karma is at work. All eight karmas together constitute the complete anatomy of the soul's bondage in the world.

The simple version: The remaining three karmas are named — they determine your body and form, your social standing, and they block your innate abilities. Together, all eight karmas cover every way the soul is bound.

पाणावरणं पंचविहं, सुयं आभिणिबोहियं । ओहिणाणं च तइयं, मणणाणं च केवलं ॥३३.४॥

Knowledge-obscuring karma is of five kinds: it obscures scriptural knowledge, sensory knowledge, clairvoyant knowledge, telepathic knowledge, and omniscient knowledge.

This sutra details the five sub-types of knowledge-obscuring karma — one for each of the five forms of knowledge that every soul possesses in its natural, unobstructed state. (1) Mati jñāna — sensory and inferential knowledge, what we gather through the five senses and reasoning — is blocked by the first sub-type. (2) Śruta jñāna — scriptural and transmitted knowledge, what we learn from teachings and texts — is blocked by the second sub-type. (3) Avadhi jñāna — clairvoyant knowledge, the direct perception of things beyond the range of the physical senses — is blocked by the third. (4) Manaḥ-paryāya jñāna — telepathic knowledge, the direct reading of another being's mind and thoughts — is blocked by the fourth. (5) Kevala jñāna — absolute, complete omniscience, the total and simultaneous knowledge of all things in all time and space — is blocked by the fifth and most fundamental sub-type. The Jain view is that the soul's capacity for all five forms of knowledge is entirely innate and natural. We are not acquiring knowledge from outside — we are progressively uncovering knowledge that was always there, as these karmic veils are progressively thinned and removed through practice.

The simple version: The karma that blocks knowledge has five sub-types, each blocking a different kind of knowing — from basic learning to complete omniscience.

णिद्दा तहेव पयला, णिद्दाणिद्दा पयलापयला । तत्तो य थीणगिद्धी उ, पंचमा होइ णायव्वा ॥३३.५॥

Sleep, drowsiness, sleep-within-sleep, drowsiness-within-drowsiness, and sleepwalking — these are the five types of perception-obscuring karma to be known.

This sutra describes the five sub-types within perception-obscuring karma (darśanāvaraṇīya) that are specifically related to states of sleep and unconsciousness. These are not just inconvenient biological states — they are karmic states that cloud the soul's fundamental capacity for awareness. (1) Nidra — ordinary sleep, the nightly loss of conscious awareness; (2) pracalā — drowsiness, the semi-conscious state of heavy-eyed fog that prevents clear perception; (3) nidra-nidra — deep sleep, a state of such complete unconsciousness that even physical disturbances do not wake the person; (4) pracalā-pracalā — heavy stupor or unconsciousness, a pathological state beyond normal sleep; and (5) styānagṛddhi — sleepwalking, acting and moving while the conscious mind is entirely absent. What connects all five is that the soul's natural quality of darśana — its fundamental capacity to register and perceive reality — is suspended or severely dulled. In Jain thought, these are not just physical states; they reflect karmic layers that make true wakefulness and clear perception unavailable to the soul, even during the hours when it should be awake and practicing.

The simple version: Perception-obscuring karma includes five types of sleep-states — from light drowsiness to sleepwalking — that cloud the soul's natural awareness.

चक्खुमचक्खुं ओहिस्स, दंसणे केवले दंसणे । एवं तु णवविगप्पं, णायव्वं दंसणावरणं ॥३३.६॥

Eye-perception, non-eye-perception, clairvoyant perception, and omniscient perception — along with the five sleep-types, perception-obscuring karma is thus to be known as ninefold.

This sutra completes the full picture of perception-obscuring karma by adding the four types that block specific channels of perception directly. Eye-perception (cakṣu-darśana) — the ability to visually register the world — is blocked by one sub-type. Non-eye-perception (acakṣu-darśana) — awareness gathered through all senses other than sight — is blocked by another. Clairvoyant perception (avadhi-darśana) — direct awareness of things beyond the physical senses — is blocked by a third. Omniscient perception (kevala-darśana) — the complete, unobstructed awareness that accompanies omniscience itself — is blocked by the fourth. Adding these four to the five sleep-states gives nine sub-types of darśanāvaraṇīya karma in total. Each sub-type is precisely calibrated to block exactly one of the soul's nine natural capacities for darśana (pure awareness). In Jainism, jñāna (knowledge) and darśana (perception) are both intrinsic to the soul — the difference is that darśana is the more basic, undifferentiated awareness that precedes the specific knowing that jñāna represents. A soul fully clear of this karma sees everything without limitation.

The simple version: Adding four types of blocked perception (sight, non-sight senses, clairvoyance, and omniscient perception) to the five sleep-types gives nine total sub-types of perception-obscuring karma.

वेयणीयं पि च दुविहं, सायमसायं च आहियं । सायस्स उ बहू भेया, एमेव असायस्स वि ॥३३.७॥

Feeling-producing karma is also of two kinds — pleasant and unpleasant; and the pleasant has many sub-divisions, as does the unpleasant.

Feeling-producing karma (vedanīya) is divided into two types: śāta vedanīya (pleasant feelings and enjoyable experiences) and aśāta vedanīya (unpleasant feelings, pain, and suffering). Every single experience of pleasure or pain — every moment of warmth, every sting of heartbreak, every wave of joy, every bout of illness — is the fruition of one of these two types of karma ripening at its predetermined time. This karma does not determine what events happen to you; it determines the felt quality of your inner experience when those events occur. Someone with strong pleasant-feeling karma experiences even ordinary circumstances as enjoyable; someone with strong unpleasant-feeling karma suffers even in comfortable circumstances. Both types have many further sub-divisions based on the specific nature, intensity, and context of the experiences they produce. It is important to understand that vedanīya karma is among the least harmful spiritually — even the pleasant version does not block liberation, because the soul experiencing pleasure can still hold right faith and right conduct. This contrasts with mohanīya karma, which actively distorts both.

The simple version: The karma that produces feelings has two types — one causes pleasant experiences and the other causes painful ones.

मोहणिज्जं पि दुविहं, दंसणे चरणे तहा । दंसणे तिविहं वुत्तं, चरणे दुविहं भवे ॥३३.८॥

Deluding karma is also of two kinds — perception-deluding and conduct-deluding; the perception-deluding is said to be of three types, and the conduct-deluding is of two types.

Deluding karma (mohanīya) is universally regarded in Jain philosophy as the most dangerous of all eight karmas — so dangerous that it is called the "king of karmas." The reason is precise: while the other karmas obstruct or limit the soul, mohanīya actually attacks the two foundations of the path itself — right faith (seeing reality as it is) and right conduct (acting rightly based on what you see). Without right faith, you cannot even begin the path correctly. Without right conduct, you cannot stay on it. Mohanīya attacks both simultaneously. It has two main divisions: darśana-mohanīya (which deludes faith — it corrupts the soul's fundamental perception of what is real and what is true) and cāritra-mohanīya (which deludes conduct — it drives the soul toward harmful and binding actions through the passions). The former has three sub-types reflecting three different degrees of distortion of right faith, and the latter has two broad categories — passions (kaṣāyas) and quasi-passions (nokaṣāyas) — covering the full range of ways the soul is driven to act against its own best interest. Removing mohanīya is the most critical milestone on the path to liberation.

The simple version: Deluding karma has two forms — one distorts your beliefs and the other corrupts your behavior. Together they are the most powerful obstacles to spiritual progress.

सम्मत्तं चेव मिच्छत्तं, सम्मामिच्छत्तमेव य । एयाओ तिण्णि पयडीओ, मोहणिज्जस्स दंसणे ॥३३.९॥

Right faith, wrong faith, and mixed faith — these are the three sub-types of the perception-deluding aspect of deluding karma.

This sutra specifies the three sub-types of darśana-mohanīya by naming them precisely: samyaktva (the state where right faith has been reached but is still slightly veiled), mithyatva (the state of completely wrong faith — the soul holding fundamentally false views about reality, the soul, karma, or the path), and samyag-mithyatva (a mixed state where the soul fluctuates between right and wrong views without settling firmly in either). Mithyatva is the most binding and the most spiritually urgent problem because it prevents the soul from even beginning the path correctly. In Jainism, a person holding mithyatva may be virtuous by social standards, may perform rituals, may even observe some restraints — but if the foundational view of reality is wrong, all that effort cannot lead to liberation. It is like rowing hard in the wrong direction. The breakthrough from mithyatva to samyak-darśana (right faith) is called the first great threshold of the spiritual path — the moment the soul begins to see reality as it actually is. Until that threshold is crossed, the path has not really begun.

The simple version: The karma that distorts faith has three types — one that allows right belief, one that causes completely wrong belief, and one that creates a confusing mix of both.

चरित्तमोहणं कम्मं, दुविहं तु विचारियं । कसाय मोहणिज्जस्स तहेव य ॥३३.१०॥

Conduct-deluding karma, when examined, is of two kinds — the passions (kashaya) and the quasi-passions (nokashaya).

Conduct-deluding karma (cāritra-mohanīya) works through two distinct channels. The kaṣāyas are the four primary passions — anger (krodha), pride (māna), deceit (māyā), and greed (lobha) — the four roots of almost every harmful act a soul commits. These four are "sticky" — they generate karma at full intensity and make it difficult for the soul to maintain right conduct. The nokaṣāyas are the quasi-passions — secondary emotional-behavioral states that are weaker than the four kaṣāyas but still disrupt the soul's inner clarity and pull it away from pure equanimity. They include laughter, attachment to pleasant things, dislike of unpleasant things, sorrow, fear, disgust, and various forms of sexual inclination. The nokaṣāyas are called "quasi-passions" because they share the nature of the primary passions without being as deeply entrenched. Both the kaṣāyas and nokaṣāyas directly undermine the soul's capacity for stable, consistent right conduct — this is why cāritra-mohanīya is so powerful. Removing it progressively is what the entire 14-stage spiritual ladder (guṇasthāna) is largely about.

The simple version: Conduct-deluding karma works through two channels — the four major passions (anger, pride, deceit, greed) and the quasi-passions like laughter, fear, and disgust.

सोलसविहं भेण्णं, कम्मं तु कसायज्जं । सत्तविहं णवविहं वा, कम्मं च णोकसायज्जं ॥३३.११॥

The passion-produced karma is of sixteen kinds; and the quasi-passion-produced karma is of seven or nine kinds.

The sixteen kaṣāya sub-types arise from the four primary passions (anger, pride, deceit, greed) operating at four different levels of intensity — giving 4 × 4 = 16 total sub-types. The four intensity levels are: ananta-ānubandhi (infinitely binding — these passions prevent right faith entirely and are the deepest form of karmic bondage), apratyākhyāna (these prevent the partial vows of a lay follower), pratyākhyāna (these prevent the complete vows of a monk but are not infinite), and sañjvalana (smoldering embers — these remain even in advanced practitioners and are the last to go before full liberation). The nokaṣāya are described as seven or nine: the nine include laughter, liking of pleasant things, disliking of unpleasant things, sorrow, fear, disgust, and the three types of sexual inclination (feminine, masculine, and neuter). These quasi-passions are what make even advanced practitioners experience moments of instability. Together, these 25 sub-types of cāritra-mohanīya determine precisely the strength, nature, and depth of conduct-distortion operating in any given soul at any given moment — making this the most detailed and clinically precise part of the chapter.

The simple version: Each of the four passions has four intensity levels, giving sixteen types. The quasi-passions like laughter, sorrow, and fear add seven to nine more types.

णेरइय तिरिक्खाडं, मणुस्साडं तहेव य । देवाउयं चउत्थं तुं, आउकम्मं चउव्विहं ॥३३.१२॥

Hellish, sub-human, human, and celestial — life-determining karma is thus of four kinds.

Life-determining karma (āyuṣya karma) is unique among the eight in a critical way: it is bound only once per lifetime, at a specific point in the current life, and it fixes the entire duration and realm of the next birth before that birth even begins. Its four sub-types correspond to the four possible realms of existence: nāraka-āyuṣya (hellish existence), tiryañca-āyuṣya (sub-human existence — animals, plants, and other non-human life forms), manuṣya-āyuṣya (human existence), and deva-āyuṣya (celestial existence). The soul typically binds the āyuṣya karma for its next birth somewhere during the first two-thirds of its current life. After that binding moment, the next destination is fixed — which is why Jainism emphasizes urgency: the window for shaping your next birth is open, but it closes. What determines which type you bind is the quality and direction of your activity, conduct, and inner state at the time of binding. A soul living with strong purity and commitment to non-violence during that period binds auspicious āyuṣya; a soul immersed in cruelty and passion binds hellish āyuṣya.

The simple version: Life-determining karma has four types, each fixing your lifespan in one of four realms — hell, animal/plant life, human life, or celestial life.

णामकम्मं तु दुविहं, सुहमसुहं च आहियं । सुहस्स उ बहूभेया, एमेव असुहस्स वि ॥३३.१३॥

Name-determining karma is of two kinds — auspicious and inauspicious; and the auspicious has many sub-divisions, as does the inauspicious.

Name-determining karma (nāma karma) is the karma that sculpts your entire physical existence — every detail of the body you will inhabit, the type of being you will be, and the sensory experience others will have of you. It is divided into śubha (auspicious — forms that are beautiful, functional, and pleasant to others) and aśubha (inauspicious — forms involving deformity, ugliness, or features that invite disrespect). This karma has the highest number of sub-types of all eight karmas — traditionally counted in the dozens — because it covers every conceivable detail of physical embodiment: body-type, height, complexion, voice quality, gait, body odor, physical strength, the number of senses, whether the body is symmetric, the quality of the soul's influence on those around it, and much more. Auspicious nāma karma is built through acts of compassion, genuine humility, and care for others. Inauspicious nāma karma is built through arrogance, cruelty, and contempt. The physical body you will inhabit next is not random — it is a very precise reflection of who you have been.

The simple version: Name-determining karma decides your physical body and appearance — whether attractive or unattractive — and has many detailed sub-types covering everything about your form.

गोयं कम्मं पि दुविहं, उच्चं णीयं च आहियं । उच्चं अट्ठुविहं होइ, एवं णीयं पि आहियं ॥३३.१४॥

Lineage-determining karma is also of two kinds — high and low; and the high is of eight kinds, as is the low.

Lineage-determining karma (gotra karma) determines the social standing, family position, and the degree of respect or disrespect a being receives in its next birth. High lineage (ucca gotra) results in being born into a family or situation that commands natural respect, trust, and influence — a starting position of social dignity. Low lineage (nīca gotra) results in birth into circumstances of social disadvantage, disrespect, or marginalization. The Jain teaching on what generates each type is both simple and radical: ucca gotra is built by genuine, sincere humility — not performed modesty, but actual inner respect for others and honest acknowledgment of their virtues. Nīca gotra is built by pride, arrogance, and the habit of belittling others while inflating oneself. This teaching directly inverts common assumptions about who is "great" — the Jain answer is that the humble one is building high lineage, and the proud one is building low. Both types have eight sub-types reflecting the nuanced spectrum of social position and reputation. Importantly, Jainism teaches that a person born in low lineage can still attain liberation — lineage determines starting conditions, not destiny.

The simple version: Lineage karma has two types — high and low birth — each with eight sub-varieties, and it is your own past actions of humility or pride that determine which you receive.

दाणे लाभे य भोगे य, उपभोगे वीरिए तहा । पंचविहमंतरायं, समासेण विवाहियं ॥३३.१५॥

Obstructing charity, obstructing gain, obstructing enjoyment, obstructing repeated enjoyment, and obstructing effort — thus obstructive karma is fivefold, described in brief.

Obstructive karma (antarāya karma) is remarkable because it blocks capacities the soul intrinsically and naturally possesses — it is not adding burdens but actively preventing what should naturally flow. The five capacities it blocks are: (1) dāna (the capacity for giving and generosity — when someone genuinely wants to give but finds themselves blocked, unable to give, or watching their intended gifts fall through); (2) lābha (the capacity for receiving, gaining, and achieving — when effort and opportunity don't translate into results); (3) bhoga (the capacity for enjoying consumable pleasures — food, drink, and other once-used pleasures that the person cannot enjoy despite having them); (4) upabhoga (the capacity for enjoying non-consumable pleasures — clothing, vehicles, homes, and other repeatedly-used pleasures that remain unsatisfying); and (5) vīrya (the soul's energy, vitality, and capacity for effort — when someone simply cannot apply themselves despite wanting to, or when spiritual willpower is mysteriously absent). The last capacity is especially spiritually critical: antarāya karma blocking vīrya is what keeps a sincere practitioner stuck, unable to maintain discipline, unable to push through the inertia. Removing antarāya karma is what releases this locked energy.

The simple version: Obstructive karma blocks five things — your ability to give, to gain, to enjoy, to repeatedly enjoy, and to exert effort or willpower.

एयाओ मूलपयडीओ, उत्तराओ य आहिया । पएसग्गं खेत्तकाले य, भावं च उत्तरं सुणं ॥३३.१६॥

These are the root sub-types and the further sub-types; now hear about the spatial extent, the field of duration, and the intensity of karma.

This transitional sutra functions as a pivot in the chapter — it completes the type-by-type enumeration (prakṛti bandha) and announces the shift to the remaining three aspects of karmic bondage. Prakṛti (type) tells you what kind of karma has been bound — which of the eight types, and which sub-type. But knowing the type alone is not enough to understand the full nature of the bondage. The other three dimensions are: pradeśa (spatial extent, or quantity — how many karmic particles are bound), sthiti (duration — how long this karma will remain before it ripens), and anubhāga (intensity — how powerfully it will affect the soul when it does ripen). Together, these four dimensions constitute the complete description of any individual act of karma-binding. They are sometimes compared to a prescription: the type tells you what disease; the quantity tells you the dosage of karmic matter; the duration tells you how long before the medicine/poison takes effect; and the intensity tells you how strong the effect will be. Without all four, the picture is incomplete.

The simple version: After listing all the types of karma, the teaching now moves on to explain three more aspects — how much karma binds, how long it lasts, and how intensely it affects you.

सव्वेसिं कम्माणं, पएसग्गं आहियं । गंठियसत्ताईयं, अनंत छिद्धाण आहियं ॥३३.१७॥

The spatial extent of all karmas is declared to be the same — at one time, all karmas bind an equal number of spatial units, from the standpoint of their infinite divisibility.

Pradeśa bandha concerns the quantity of karmic particles — the sheer amount of karmic matter that adheres to the soul in any given moment. What this sutra establishes is that all eight types of karma bind simultaneously in equal total numbers of karmic space-units per time-unit. In other words, every moment you are bound, you are bound across all eight types at the same time — not one at a time. The specific distribution and ratio of those particles among the eight types is determined by the soul's current activities, its dominant passions, and the type of conduct being engaged in at that moment. A moment of intense anger, for example, directs a disproportionate share of the bound particles toward mohanīya and toward the karma-type most relevant to the specific harmful action being taken. This simultaneous binding across all eight types means the soul's entire spiritual condition is being shaped at every moment, not just in isolated episodes. Understanding this makes the importance of moment-to-moment mindfulness clear.

The simple version: When karma binds to the soul, all eight types bind at the same time in equal quantity — the difference lies in how they are distributed, not in how much total matter attaches.

सव्वं जीवाण कम्मं तु, संगहे छहिसागयं । पएसग्गं खेत्तकाले य, भावं च उत्तरं सुणं ॥३३.१८॥

All the karma of living beings, when collected together, pervades countless spatial units; now hear further about duration and intensity.

Having described the spatial extent of karma at the individual level (how many particles bind per moment to each soul), this sutra zooms out to the cosmic scale: the total aggregate of karmic matter bound to all living beings across the entire universe is staggering — pervading countless spatial units of the universe. This cosmic perspective has a specific teaching purpose. It illustrates that the universe is thoroughly saturated with karma — this is not a marginal or exceptional situation that will resolve itself; it is the normal, persistent, pervasive condition of all worldly existence. The ocean of saṃsāra is not thin. This immensity makes the announcement of the next topics — duration and intensity — all the more urgent. Understanding that karma not only is vast in quantity, but also persists for long durations and strikes with varying intensity, is what creates the complete picture of why the path of liberation requires sustained, serious practice rather than occasional good behavior.

The simple version: The total amount of karma bound to all souls in the universe is unimaginably vast; now the teaching turns to how long karma lasts and how strongly it affects you.

उदहिसरिसणामाणं, उक्कोसिया ठिई होइ । उक्कोसिया ठिई होइ, अंतोमुहुत्तं जहण्णया ॥३३.१९॥

The maximum duration of the name and similar karmas is the highest; the minimum duration is an antarmuhurta (less than 48 minutes).

Sthiti bandha is the temporal dimension of karmic bondage — how long a bound karma will remain stored in the soul before ripening and producing its effects. This sutra gives the parameters for nāma and similar karmas: the maximum duration reaches the highest cosmic time periods (measured in sagaropama, the "ocean-measure"), while the minimum is an antarmuhurta — less than 48 minutes. The enormous range between minimum and maximum duration reflects a fundamental Jain insight: the intensity of the passion or activity at the time of binding is what sets the clock. A mild, barely-conscious harmful thought might bind a karma that ripens in less than an hour. A deeply passionate, intensely desired, fully carried-out harmful act can bind a karma that persists for cosmic time periods. This is why Jainism is so concerned with the inner state at the time of action — not just what you do, but how much passion and intensity you bring to it. The same outward act with low passion binds briefly; the same act with high passion binds for incomparably longer.

The simple version: Karma can last from less than 48 minutes at minimum to enormously long cosmic time periods at maximum, depending on the type and the intensity of the actions that caused it.

आवरणिज्जाण दुण्हंपि, वेयणिज्जे तहेव य । अंतराए य कम्मम्मि, ठिई एसा विवाहिया ॥३३.२०॥

For both the obscuring karmas (knowledge-obscuring and perception-obscuring), as well as for feeling-producing and obstructive karma, the duration is thus described.

The knowledge-obscuring, perception-obscuring, feeling-producing, and obstructive karmas — four of the eight types — share nearly identical duration parameters, revealing a structural grouping in how these karmas function. Their minimum is an antarmuhurta (under 48 minutes) and their maximum is 30 kodakodi sagaropama — an astronomically large number representing the deepest possible entanglement short of the deluding karma. The shared duration range for these four types is not accidental; it reflects their similar relationship to activity and passion — all four are generated through similar types of conduct and are susceptible to similar practices for their removal. The fact that even the worst-case duration for these four is less than mohanīya karma's 70 kodakodi sagaropama underlines the central Jain teaching: deluding karma is the most deeply entrenched, the hardest to remove, and the most urgent to address. The other four karmas, even at their maximum, are relatively more accessible to the work of samvara and nirjara.

The simple version: The knowledge-obscuring, perception-obscuring, feeling-producing, and obstructive karmas all share the same range of duration — from less than 48 minutes to an astronomically long cosmic time period.

उदहिसरिसणामाणं, सत्तरि कोडिकोडीओ । मोहणिज्जस्स उक्कोसा, अंतोमुहुत्तं जहण्णया ॥३३.२१॥

The maximum duration of deluding karma is seventy kodakodi sagaropama, and the minimum is an antarmuhurta.

Here Lord Mahavira gives the most alarming number in the entire chapter: deluding karma can persist for up to 70 kodakodi sagaropama — a duration so vast it dwarfs every other karma type. To put this in perspective, a single sagaropama is already an incomprehensibly long time period, and a kodakodi is ten million times ten million. Multiply that by seventy, and you get the maximum possible grip that delusion can hold over a soul. This reflects mohaniya's nature as the "king of karmas" — it is the most deeply entrenched, the hardest to shake loose, and the last to be fully destroyed on the path to liberation. Why does delusion bind for so long? Because when a soul is gripped by fundamental confusion about what is real, what is right, and what the path actually requires, every subsequent action it takes reinforces rather than weakens the bondage. Delusion feeds itself in a loop. Yet the sutra also gives hope: the minimum duration is just an antarmuhurta — less than 48 minutes. This means that even the most powerful type of karma can, in principle, be bound so lightly that it dissolves almost immediately. The difference between the minimum and maximum is entirely determined by the intensity of passion at the time of binding. A person who briefly wavers in faith binds mohaniya lightly; a person who passionately and persistently holds wrong views while acting on them binds it for cosmic ages.

The simple version: Deluding karma can last the longest of all karmas — up to an almost incomprehensible seventy kodakodi sagaropama — reflecting how deeply rooted delusion can be.

तेतीसं सागरोवमा, उक्कोसेण विवाहिया । ठिई उ आउकम्मस्स, अंतोमुहुत्तं जहण्णया ॥३३.२२॥

The maximum duration of life-determining karma is thirty-three sagaropama, and the minimum is an antarmuhurta.

Life-determining karma (ayushya) has a unique structure among the eight types. Its maximum duration is 33 sagaropama — which corresponds to the longest possible single lifespan in the Jain universe, enjoyed by celestial beings in the highest heavens. This number is dramatically shorter than the maximums for other karmas (mohaniya can last 70 kodakodi sagaropama, for example), and the reason is precise: ayushya karma governs one birth at a time. It does not accumulate across births the way other karmas do; it is bound once per life, and it expires when that life ends. The minimum of an antarmuhurta (under 48 minutes) corresponds to the briefest possible life — certain micro-organisms and beings in the lowest states of existence live for barely a fraction of a moment before dying and being reborn. What makes ayushya karma spiritually urgent is the binding window: Jainism teaches that the ayushya for your next life is typically bound during the first two-thirds of your current life. After that point, your next destination is already locked in. This means there is a real deadline for shaping your future — and once it passes, the realm and duration of your next birth are fixed regardless of how you behave afterward. This teaching creates both urgency and clarity: practice now, while the window is still open.

The simple version: Life-determining karma lasts at most thirty-three sagaropama — the longest any single life can be — and at minimum less than 48 minutes.

उदहिसरिसणामाणं, वीसई कोडिकोडीओ । पामगोत्ताण उक्कोसा, अट्ठु मुहुत्तं जहण्णया ॥३३.२३॥

The maximum duration of name and lineage karmas is twenty kodakodi sagaropama, and the minimum is an antarmuhurta.

Name karma (nama) and lineage karma (gotra) share the same maximum duration: 20 kodakodi sagaropama. This is a vast number, but it is notably shorter than mohaniya's 70 kodakodi sagaropama, revealing the Jain hierarchy of karmic entrenchment. Delusion is the deepest; the physical body and social standing it produces are secondary effects. The minimum for both is an antarmuhurta — under 48 minutes — meaning that even these powerful karmas can be bound so lightly they dissolve almost instantly. What this tells the practitioner is important: your body, your appearance, your social position — all the things the world judges you by — are shaped by karmas that are less deeply rooted than the delusion that distorts your beliefs and conduct. A person born with an unattractive body or low social standing due to nama and gotra karma has not necessarily bound the deepest karmas; their spiritual condition may actually be more favorable than someone born beautiful and wealthy but drowning in mohaniya. This teaching directly challenges worldly assumptions about who is spiritually advanced. The duration hierarchy — mohaniya longest, then the obscuring and obstructive karmas, then nama and gotra, then ayushya shortest — is itself a map of spiritual priorities.

The simple version: Name karma and lineage karma can last up to twenty kodakodi sagaropama at most — less than deluding karma but still an immensely long time.

सिद्धाणणंतभागो य, अणुभागा हवंति उ । सव्वेसु वि पएसग्गं, सव्व जीवेसु अइच्छियं ॥३३.२४॥

The intensity of all karmas ranges from the infinite part of the highest to infinite gradations, and in all beings the spatial extent is thus established.

Anubhāga bandha is the fruition-strength of karma. It determines how powerfully effects manifest upon maturity. The interplay of quantity, duration, and intensity explains the infinite diversity of individual experiences in the universe.

The simple version: The intensity of karma — how strongly it hits you when it ripens — varies greatly, and this intensity is set at the moment of binding based on the strength of your passions.

तम्हा एप्पसिं कम्माणं, अणुभागा विवाणिया । एप्पसिं संवरे चेव, खवणे य जय बुहो ॥ ति बेमि ॥३३.२५॥

Therefore, knowing the intensity of these karmas, one should strive for both stoppage (samvara) and shedding (nirjara) of karma — this is what I declare, says the wise one.

The chapter concludes with a practical call to action. Understanding the mechanics of bondage (prakṛti, pradeśa, sthiti, anubhāga) must lead to samvara (stopping new influx) and nirjara (shedding existing bonds). This moves from theoretical knowledge to the path of liberation.

The simple version: After understanding all about karma — its types, quantity, duration, and intensity — the wise person works to stop new karma from coming in and burn off the karma already there.