Samkhya (सम्खाय)

जीवा य अजीवा य, बंधो मोक्खो य ।
एयं जाणंतो सम्मं, णिव्वाणं अहिगच्छए ॥९.१॥

Souls and non-souls, bondage and liberation — one who knows these correctly attains liberation.

This opening sutra presents the entire philosophical framework of the chapter in one verse: four categories — souls, non-souls, bondage, and liberation — comprise the complete map of reality that one must understand to attain liberation. The simplicity is deceptive. Each category opens into extraordinary philosophical depth. Soul (jīva) in Jain philosophy is the conscious, knowing, inherently luminous subject — distinct from the body, distinct from matter, capable of liberation. Non-soul (ajīva) is everything else: matter, space, the motion-medium, the rest-medium, and time. Bondage is the state in which karma — a form of subtle matter — clings to the soul and obscures its natural capacities. Liberation is the complete separation of soul from all karmic matter. Knowing these four categories "correctly" means not merely as concepts but as living understanding that transforms perception and behavior.

Simply put: There are just four things you really need to understand: souls, non-souls, how they get tied together, and how that tie gets cut — know these correctly and you attain liberation.

चेयणा य अचेयणा, जीवस्स लक्खणं ।
संसारसत्ता सव्वे वि, जाणंतो मुच्चए मुणी ॥९.२॥

Consciousness and non-consciousness — the mark of the soul; knowing all the beings in the cycle of existence, the monk is freed.

The fundamental distinction between soul and non-soul comes down to consciousness (cetanā). The soul is characterized by consciousness — the capacity to know, to perceive, to experience. Non-soul matter is characterized by the absence of consciousness — it does not know, does not perceive, does not experience. The confusion between soul and body — mistaking the material vehicle for the conscious passenger — is the root cause of all bondage. A monk who knows all the beings in the cycle of existence — knows their nature as souls temporarily clothed in karma and bodies — has the understanding necessary for liberation. This knowledge is not encyclopedic information but direct perception of the soul-reality in all beings.

Simply put: The soul is what has consciousness — what knows and feels; everything else is matter without consciousness. Knowing this difference clearly is how the monk gets free.

खित्तं काल-भावेण, वण्णओ गंधओ रसओ ।
फासओ संठाणओ य, अजीवो पुग्गलो भणिए ॥९.३॥

Characterized by extension, time, and modification — by color, smell, taste, touch, and shape — the non-soul is called matter.

Matter (pudgala) — the non-soul substance — is defined here through its observable characteristics: it occupies space, exists in time, undergoes modification, and is detectable through the five senses as color, smell, taste, touch, and shape. In Jain philosophy, karma is a particular form of subtle matter — invisible to ordinary perception but having the same fundamental characteristics as gross matter. Understanding matter in this comprehensive way enables the practitioner to identify it as the "other" — the non-self — which helps in progressively dis-identifying with the body and its contents.

Simply put: Matter — the non-soul aspect of reality — is everything that has color, smell, taste, touch, and shape, that takes up space and changes over time.

धम्मो अधम्मो आयासं, एए अजीवा भणिया ।
कालो य दव्वपज्जाओ, जीवा उ सत्तभेयओ ॥९.४॥

The motion-medium, the rest-medium, and space — these are declared as non-souls; also time and the modifications of substances; souls, however, are of seven kinds.

Jain metaphysics identifies six fundamental substances (dravyas): souls, matter, the motion-medium, the rest-medium, space, and time. The motion-medium is a subtle substance that enables all movement — without it, nothing could move. The rest-medium enables rest — without it, nothing could be still. These are remarkable philosophical constructs. The "seven kinds of souls" refers to the classification of living beings by number of senses (one through five) plus humans and liberated souls — the complete taxonomy of consciousness. This systematic enumeration is the "samkhya" that gives the chapter its name.

Simply put: Reality is made up of six fundamental substances: souls and five non-soul realities — matter, a substance that enables motion, a substance that enables rest, space, and time.

णिरुवक्कमा पज्जया, जीवस्स पुग्गलस्स य ।
धम्माधम्मागासाणं, कालस्स य सुया इमा ॥९.५॥

The modifications are not without cause — of soul and matter, of the motion-medium, the rest-medium, space, and of time — thus it has been heard.

This sutra establishes that all changes and modifications in reality — of souls, matter, and all the other substances — are not random or without cause. Everything that happens in the universe arises from prior causes and conditions. This is the metaphysical basis of karma theory: the state a soul finds itself in right now is the result of prior causes, and the future state will result from present causes. There are no accidents in the Jain metaphysical framework. This principle has both sobering and liberating implications: you cannot blame your situation on random fate; your future is genuinely in your hands.

Simply put: Nothing in the universe changes randomly — every change in every substance, including in your soul, has causes; this is why karma works and why your choices truly matter.

एगे जीवा अणंता य, पुग्गला य अणंतया ।
धम्मधम्माकासाणि, कालो य अज्जिय भणिय ॥९.६॥

Souls are one (in kind) yet infinite in number; matter particles too are infinite; the motion-medium, the rest-medium, and space are each one; and time — thus it has been declared.

Jain cosmology specifies the quantity of each fundamental substance. Souls are infinite in number — there are literally unlimited numbers of individual souls in the universe, each distinct, each undergoing its own journey. Matter particles are also infinite. But the motion-medium, the rest-medium, and space are each singular. Because souls are infinite and eternal — never created, never destroyed — the liberation of any soul does not diminish the universe; there are always more souls still in bondage. This understanding motivates compassion: every being you encounter is a soul on a journey similar to your own.

Simply put: There are infinitely many souls in the universe, each one distinct and on its own journey — this is why every life matters and why the teaching of universal compassion makes sense.

ण कोइ जीवो उप्पणो, ण वि णासइ कहिं चि ।
पुव्वं पि भवे जीवो, होहिइ य एवमेव ॥९.७॥

No soul ever came into being (from nothing), nor does any soul perish anywhere; the soul existed before and will continue to exist — just so.

The soul is declared to be eternal — without beginning and without end, uncreated and indestructible. This is one of the most fundamental tenets of Jain metaphysics, distinguishing it sharply from materialism (which holds that consciousness is produced by matter and perishes with it). The Jain soul has always existed and will always exist in some form — what changes is the form of its embodiment, or in liberation, the absence of embodiment. The violence that destroys a body does not destroy the soul — it simply forces it into another existence — but it generates karma that will have consequences for the violent soul.

Simply put: The soul has never been created and can never be destroyed — it has always existed and will always exist; what changes is only what form of existence it is currently experiencing.

ससरीरा य जीवा ये, विसरीरा य जे जिया ।
सरीरमेव पोग्गलं, जीवो तेण ण लिप्पए ॥९.८॥

Souls who are embodied and those who are disembodied (liberated) — the body is simply matter; the soul is not stained by it.

This sutra draws the crucial distinction between the soul in embodied form and the soul in disembodied form. The liberating philosophical insight is in the last line: the body is simply matter — the soul is not intrinsically stained by having a body. This means liberation is possible because the soul's essential nature is already pure; it is covered but not corrupted. Just as gold found in ore is not intrinsically ore but only coated by it, the soul's purity is intrinsic and needs only to be uncovered, not manufactured. You are not your body, not your karma, not your current state — you are the pure awareness underneath all of that.

Simply put: You are the soul, not the body — the body is just matter surrounding you; the soul itself is not corrupted by having a body, just temporarily covered.

जीवो उ कम्म कुव्वंतो, पुग्गले परिणामए ।
तेण बद्धो जायइ, दुहदुहं वेयए पाणी ॥९.९॥

The soul, while doing karma, causes transformation in matter; bound by that, it is reborn and experiences suffering again and again.

This sutra explains the mechanism of karmic bondage. When the soul acts through passion (anger, pride, deceit, or greed), it causes actual transformations in subtle matter — karmic particles are attracted to the soul and adhere to it. Jain philosophy holds that karma is literally a form of subtle matter that becomes bound to the soul through the soul's own activity. This bound karma then produces the conditions of rebirth — the type of existence, the length of life, the experiences of pleasure and pain. The soul experiences suffering "again and again" because each rebirth is accompanied by further karma-accumulation, which produces further rebirth, in a self-reinforcing cycle that only deliberate practice can interrupt.

Simply put: When the soul acts with passion, it attracts and binds karmic material to itself — that bound karma then determines its next rebirth and causes it to keep suffering over and over.

णो अत्थि ओरालो, मज्झिमो य अणुत्तरो ।
सो सव्वगओ जीवो, ण वि दिट्ठो कयाइ वि ॥९.१०॥

There is no gross, middle, or finest (soul) — that soul which pervades everything has never been seen by anyone.

The soul does not have a physical size in the conventional sense — it is not gross, not of medium size, not infinitely small. This distinguishes the Jain concept of the individual soul from both materialist views (which would make the soul a physical object of some size) and certain pantheist views (which would make all souls merge into one all-pervading substance). The Jain soul pervades the body it inhabits completely but is not detectable by ordinary sensory perception. It has never been seen by physical eyes — not because it is too small to see but because it is non-material and consciousness cannot be seen through physical instruments.

Simply put: The soul doesn't have a physical size and can't be seen with physical eyes — it's not physical, but it's completely real, present throughout the body it inhabits.

णाणावरणीयं च, दंसणावरणं च णं ।
मोहणीयं च वेयणी, कम्म अट्ठविहं जिणा ॥९.११॥

Knowledge-obscuring, perception-obscuring, deluding, and feeling-producing — karma is of eight kinds, (as declared by) the Jinas.

This sutra introduces the systematic eight-fold classification of karma. The first four types: knowledge-obscuring karma clouds the soul's inherent capacity to know directly; perception-obscuring karma clouds the soul's capacity to perceive directly; deluding karma is the most dangerous — it generates wrong beliefs and the four passions (anger, pride, deceit, greed); feeling-producing karma determines the type and intensity of sensory and emotional experiences. Each type of karma has specific causes, specific effects on the soul's experience, and specific ways of being dissolved. Knowing which type you are working against allows more targeted practice.

Simply put: Karma comes in eight types — the first four are the ones that obscure knowledge, obscure perception, cause delusion, and produce feelings of pleasure and pain.

आउयं णामं गोत्तं च, आंतराइं च अट्ठमं ।
एयाइं अट्ठ कम्माइं, जीवबंधणकारणं ॥९.१२॥

Lifespan-determining, body-determining, status-determining, and obstructing — the eighth; these eight karmas are the causes of the soul's bondage.

The second group of four karma types: lifespan-determining karma fixes the duration of each rebirth; body-determining karma specifies the type of body, its qualities, its species; status-determining karma assigns high or low birth-circumstances; and obstructing karma creates specific obstacles to the soul's natural powers — blocking generosity, blocking enjoyment, blocking willpower. Together these eight karmas cover the complete range of what the soul experiences as fate, circumstance, personality, and limitation. Nothing in one's circumstance is arbitrary: every quality of birth, body, duration of life, and social standing reflects specific karma accumulated in prior lives.

Simply put: The remaining four types of karma determine how long you live, what kind of body you get, what social circumstances you're born into, and what specific obstacles block your natural capacities.

मिच्छत्तमविरमणं, पमाओ कसाया जोगे ।
एए पंच बंधहेऊ, जीवाणं भवणिस्सिया ॥९.१३॥

Wrong view, non-restraint, negligence, the passions, and activity — these five are the causes of bondage for souls in existence.

The five causes of bondage are enumerated in a specific hierarchy. Wrong view is first because it is most fundamental: a soul that misperceives reality — that identifies itself with matter, believes liberation is impossible — accumulates karma from this very misperception. Non-restraint means lacking control over body, speech, and mind. Negligence allows karma to accumulate even when the other causes are addressed. The four passions are the engines of karmic momentum — anger, pride, deceit, and greed stain each action with their specific qualities. And finally, mere activity of body, speech, and mind generates some karma even for a careful practitioner, because activity in a physical world inevitably involves disturbance.

Simply put: There are five things that keep the soul in bondage: wrong understanding, lack of self-control, carelessness, the four passions, and general bodily and mental activity.

मिच्छदिट्ठी बहू णिन्हे, लोगे परिभमइ पुणो पुणो ।
सम्मादिट्ठी ण भमई, धम्मं संपडिवज्जए ॥९.१४॥

One with wrong view wanders repeatedly in the world, again and again, in great darkness; the one with right view does not wander — takes up the teaching.

Wrong view (micchadarshana) is the root cause of continued wandering in the cycle of existence, and right view (samyak-darshana) is what ends that wandering. Wrong view means seeing reality incorrectly — mistaking the body for the self, believing that pleasure is the purpose of existence, thinking there are no consequences to harmful actions. These misperceptions generate the behavior and karma that keep the soul cycling. The image of "great darkness" for wrong view is powerful: a person with wrong view is stumbling around in the dark, unable to see where they are going, causing harm without understanding why.

Simply put: A person with wrong understanding keeps wandering in the dark through existence again and again; a person with right understanding stops wandering and takes up the true path.

णाणं दंसणमेगट्ठं, चरणं खलु पालणं ।
एए तिण्णि समा सव्वे, रयणत्तयमिइ सुयं ॥९.१५॥

Knowledge, right vision, and conduct — which is conduct, indeed, means keeping (the vows); these three together are the Three Jewels — thus it has been heard.

The Three Jewels (ratnatraya) of Jain practice are formally declared: right knowledge, right vision, and right conduct. These three are not separate paths but three interlocked dimensions of a single transformation. Right knowledge is understanding reality correctly — the soul, karma, bondage, and liberation. Right vision is having the correct attitude toward that reality — the genuine orientation of the soul toward liberation. Right conduct is maintaining the vows — the practical ethical behavior that flows from and reinforces the first two. You cannot have genuine right conduct without right knowledge; you cannot maintain right knowledge without right vision; right vision without right conduct would be mere aspiration.

Simply put: The Three Jewels — right knowledge, right vision, and right conduct — together form the complete path; they are not separate but three aspects of the same transformation.

देसविरओ गिहिणो, सव्वविरओ मुणिणो ।
उभयेहिं च सोहणं, धम्मं पालेंति संजया ॥९.१६॥

Partial restraint for the householder, complete restraint for the monk — both groups, through their respective (forms of restraint), practice the pure teaching with self-control.

The Jain community is explicitly structured into two categories: householders and monks. The householder practices the twelve minor vows — a partial, contextually appropriate application of the five great principles. The monk practices the five great vows in their complete form — absolute non-violence, absolute truth, absolute non-stealing, absolute celibacy, absolute non-possession. Both are declared to be genuinely practicing the pure teaching. The Jain tradition does not demand that everyone become a monk — it provides a complete path for people at all levels of renunciation, while maintaining that complete renunciation is the most direct route to liberation.

Simply put: Householders practice partial restraint appropriate to their lives; monks practice complete renunciation — and both are genuinely practicing the true teaching in their respective ways.

चउव्विहसंघो जिणस्स, साहु साहुणि सावए सावया ।
एयाइं चत्तारि, तित्थं जिणस्स कित्तिया ॥९.१७॥

The fourfold community of the Jina — monks, nuns, male lay-followers, female lay-followers; these four are declared as the ford of the Jina.

The Jain community (sangha) is formally described as fourfold — four groups that together constitute the institution through which the teaching is preserved and practiced. All four groups are declared to be the "ford" — the crossing place from bondage to liberation. Just as a ford is the place where a river can be crossed safely, the fourfold community is the institutional context in which souls can safely cross the ocean of existence. Each of the four groups depends on and supports the others: monks need lay support; lay-people need the inspiration and teaching of monks; the entire edifice is the Jina's legacy.

Simply put: The Jain community has four parts: monks, nuns, male lay-followers, and female lay-followers — together they form the institution through which the teaching stays alive and people can practice their way to freedom.

कम्ममलेण मइलिया, जीवा संसारकूवे ।
तम्हा सव्वपयत्तेण, कम्मं परिहर पंडिया ॥९.१८॥

Souls are dirtied by the filth of karma, (trapped) in the well of the cycle of existence; therefore, O wise ones, avoid karma with every effort.

The metaphor of karma as filth dirtying the soul's natural purity is vivid and accessible. The soul is naturally pure, luminous, and capable of perfect knowledge — karma covers this natural state the way mud covers gold or clouds cover the sun. The image of the "well of existence" (saṃsārakūpe) is equally powerful: the cycle of existence is a deep, enclosed space from which it is very difficult to escape. The teaching is therefore urgent: avoid karma with every effort — not some effort, not casual effort, but the full commitment of every capacity.

Simply put: Karma coats the soul like dirt and keeps it trapped in the deep well of existence — so avoid accumulating more karma with every ounce of effort you have.

कोहो माणो माया लोहो, पमाओ परिवज्जए ।
एयाइं पंच दोसाइं, ते बंधंति पुणो पुणो ॥९.१९॥

Anger, pride, deceit, greed — avoid them; and negligence — these five faults bind again and again.

The four passions (anger, pride, deceit, greed) plus negligence form the core internal enemies. Each of the four passions has specific effects on karma: anger creates discord karma; pride creates status-distorting karma; deceit creates karma that clouds right vision; greed creates karma that intensifies material entanglement. Negligence is added as the fifth because even a practitioner who has partially reduced the four passions will lose their progress if they allow themselves to become spiritually careless. The phrase "again and again" emphasizes that these are not one-time mistakes but habitual patterns that perpetually renew the bonds of karma unless systematically addressed.

Simply put: Anger, pride, deceit, and greed, plus carelessness — these five keep binding you over and over in the cycle of existence and must be actively worked against.

णाण-दंसण-चरित्ताणि, जे समग्गाइं सेवए ।
ते सिद्धिं पाविहिंति, दुक्खाणं अंतमाहिए ॥९.२०॥

Those who serve (practice) right knowledge, right vision, and right conduct together, completely — they will attain the accomplished state, having reached the end of suffering.

This sutra closes the karma section with the positive promise: the Three Jewels practiced completely lead necessarily to liberation and the end of all suffering. The word "completely" (samagga) is important — all three must be practiced together and fully, not partially or in isolation. This is the antidote to the karmic bondage described in the preceding sutras: the five causes of bondage are counteracted by the Three Jewels, and the eight types of karma are dissolved through their combined practice. The certainty of the promise — "they will attain" — reflects Jain confidence in the infallibility of karmic law.

Simply put: Those who practice right knowledge, right vision, and right conduct fully and together will definitely reach liberation and the complete end of all suffering.

भासाओ य सोयव्वा, जीवे णेयव्वए सया ।
ण समग्गो पडिवण्णो, मुच्चए णत्थि संसयो ॥९.२१॥

One should listen to the teachings, and always recognize the soul; one who has not fully accepted (the path) — that one is not freed, there is no doubt.

The sutra specifies two fundamental practices: listening to teachings and recognizing the soul. These are the receptive and the contemplative dimensions of practice. Listening to teachings provides the intellectual and philosophical framework. Recognizing the soul — through contemplation, through the direct inner turn toward the witness-consciousness — makes the philosophical framework real and operative. The warning is unambiguous: one who has not fully accepted and committed to the complete path is not freed. There is no partial liberation. The door is completely open; the path is clear; but it requires complete entry.

Simply put: Listen to the teaching carefully, and always keep recognizing yourself as a soul — if you haven't fully committed to the complete path, you won't be freed, and that's definite.

संसारस्स य मोक्खस्स, धम्मस्स य विरुद्धया ।
जो जाणइ तस्स णत्थि, बंधो भव-भवंतरे ॥९.२२॥

One who knows the opposition of the cycle of existence and liberation, and what is contrary to the teaching — for that one there is no bondage from existence to existence.

Understanding the contrast between bondage and liberation — and knowing what is contrary to the teaching — produces freedom from further bondage. When you genuinely see that the cycle of existence and liberation are opposites, and when you can clearly identify what leads toward liberation versus what leads away from it, you have the navigational clarity to move toward freedom. The phrase "from existence to existence" suggests that this freedom from further bondage begins taking effect immediately — every moment in which you clearly understand the distinction and act accordingly is a moment in which no new karma bonds are being created.

Simply put: A person who truly understands the difference between being trapped in the cycle and being free from it — and who knows what takes you away from freedom — stops creating new bonds with every life.

जस्स णत्थि पमाओ, जस्स ण य परिग्गहो ।
जस्स णत्थि अरई रई, तस्स बंधो ण विज्जए ॥९.२३॥

One who has no negligence, who has no possessiveness, who has neither aversion nor attachment — for that one, bondage is not found.

Liberation is described here through three absences: no negligence, no possessiveness, no aversion or attachment. Negligence is the failure of sustained watchfulness that allows karma to accumulate passively. Possessiveness is the active grasping at external things that creates karmic bonds through desire. Aversion and attachment are the two movements of the agitated mind — toward what it likes, away from what it dislikes — and every such movement is itself a karmic act. The person who has eliminated all three has effectively stopped all inflow of new karma. With no new karma coming in and existing karma being burned away through practice, the soul moves inexorably toward liberation.

Simply put: A person who is never spiritually careless, never grasping for things, and never pulled toward or away from anything by likes and dislikes — that person creates no new bonds at all.

जो य संखाइं बुज्झइ, जो य संखाइं लब्भए ।
जीव-अजीव विभागं, ते णच्चा मुच्चए मुणी ॥९.२४॥

One who understands the enumeration, who attains the enumeration — knowing the distinction between soul and non-soul — such a monk is freed.

This sutra gives the chapter its name — "samkhya" means enumeration, and this verse declares that understanding the enumeration of reality produces liberation. The crucial distinction at the heart of this enumeration is the boundary between soul and non-soul — knowing exactly what is you (the conscious, knowing soul) and what is not you (the body, the karma, the passions, the world of matter). Misidentifying yourself as the body is the primary wrong view that keeps the cycle going. Correct identification — knowing precisely where you end and matter begins — is the foundational understanding from which all practice flows.

Simply put: The monk who truly understands this systematic map of reality — especially the clear distinction between what is the soul and what is not — is freed because of that understanding.

ण वेयाइं ण सेयाइं, ण बुद्धाइं ण लिंगिया ।
धम्मो तेहिं ण जाणिज्जा, जे हिंसाकम्मरयणा ॥९.२५॥

Not the Vedas, not white-robed ones, not Buddhists, not those with external marks — those who are engaged in harmful karma do not know the teaching.

This sutra takes a bold stance: no tradition — not Vedic, not Buddhist, not any sect with outward marks — provides liberation if its practitioners are engaged in harmful karma. The criterion is not the label you wear, the scripture you quote, the teacher you follow, or the marks on your body. The only criterion that matters is whether your actual life involves harm to living beings. A person of any tradition who practices genuine non-harm is on the path; a person of any tradition who is engaged in harmful karma, regardless of their religious label, does not know the true teaching.

Simply put: Wearing the right label — Vedic priest, Buddhist, Jain, or any other — means nothing if your life involves harming others; no tradition has a monopoly on the true teaching, and no label substitutes for genuine non-harm.

समता सव्वभूयेसु, एगे वि कमओ महं ।
तं च सिद्धेहिं पण्णत्तं, एसो धम्मो सणातणो ॥९.२६॥

Equanimity toward all beings — even one step (in this direction) is great; and that which has been declared by the accomplished ones: this is the eternal law.

Equanimity toward all beings — treating every living being with the same impartial, non-harming regard — is declared the eternal law by all liberated beings. The beautiful addition is "even one step is great." The teaching acknowledges that full equanimity toward all beings is a long journey, and that even one genuine movement in that direction is spiritually significant. This prevents the perfect from being the enemy of the good: you do not need to arrive at complete equanimity today; you need to take the next step toward it.

Simply put: Treating every living being with equal compassion and care is the eternal law — and even one genuine step in that direction is considered great.

बहिया पज्जवसाणे, बंधुणो जिय संसय ।
अब्भंतरं च सोहेज्ज, एवं मुच्चइ बंधणा ॥९.२७॥

Having removed the external attachments, having conquered doubt, having purified the inner — thus one is freed from bondage.

The three stages of liberation practice are named in sequence: first, remove external attachments (the possessions, relationships, and social identities that bind the soul to the external world); second, conquer doubt (the inner uncertainty about whether the path is true, whether liberation is real, whether one is capable — doubt is itself a form of spiritual bondage); and third, purify the inner realm (address the passions, the wrong views, the residual karma). This three-stage movement — outer, then doubt, then inner — is a realistic description of how spiritual practice actually unfolds. True liberation requires all three.

Simply put: Liberation comes in stages: first let go of outer attachments, then conquer inner doubt, then purify the inner passions — do all three and you are free.

एगे अत्ता परिण्णाओ, सव्वभूयाणि पासए ।
एगस्स य अत्तणो, एगो हु परिभासए ॥९.२८॥

One who has fully known the self sees all beings (as connected); one who speaks of the individual self speaks of the individual alone.

One who has fully known their own soul sees all beings in that knowing. This does not mean all souls merge into one — individual souls remain distinct in liberation. It means that genuine self-knowledge reveals the universal nature of the soul — the knowing, experiencing, inherently pure quality — which is the same in every being. Seeing this in yourself enables you to recognize it in every creature. The second line suggests that a teaching focused only on the individual soul without this larger recognition is incomplete — it remains trapped in a narrow self-concern that misses the compassion that full self-knowledge naturally generates.

Simply put: When you truly know your own soul, you naturally see the same soul-nature in every other living being — knowledge of yourself becomes compassion for all.

जो य जाणइ जीवे, अजीवं च अणुत्तरं ।
तस्स णत्थि परभावो, सो परं णेइ आयडं ॥९.२९॥

One who knows the soul and the non-soul, supreme — for that one there is no state of "other" (no more taking on alien natures); that one leads the self to the highest.

Complete knowledge of the distinction between soul and non-soul produces a state in which no further taking on of alien nature occurs. When the soul is firmly established in knowledge of its own pure nature, it stops identifying with and absorbing the qualities of matter and karma. This is the practical liberation: not a dramatic exit from the world but the cessation of the confusion that has been causing the soul to keep taking on new forms of embodiment. The one who knows the soul supremely then leads themselves — through the force of that knowledge — to the highest state. Knowledge is not merely passive: it actively guides the soul upward toward liberation.

Simply put: When you truly know the difference between your soul and everything that isn't your soul, you stop taking on new karmic identities — and that knowledge itself guides you to the highest state.

ओरालं वेदणीयं च, तेयं कम्मण्णं तहा ।
भासापज्जाय ते पंच, छट्ठो य मणपज्जाओ ॥९.३०॥

The gross (body), the feeling-body, the luminous body, the karmic body — and speech modification, those are five; and the sixth is the mind modification.

The Jain analysis of the embodied soul identifies multiple bodies or modification-layers. The gross body is the physical body of flesh and bones. The feeling body is the subtle layer of experience — how pleasure and pain are actually transmitted to the soul. The luminous or tejas body is an energy layer associated with the force of spiritual practice (tapas). The karmic body is the most fundamental layer — the actual karmic material that accompanies the soul from existence to existence. Speech and mind are then identified as additional modes through which the soul interacts with the world. Understanding these layers helps the practitioner identify which aspects of their experience belong to the soul and which belong to successive layers of covering.

Simply put: The soul in embodiment has multiple layers beyond the physical body — including sensation, energy, and karma — and understanding these layers helps you know what is you and what is covering you.

ण सो कम्मं करिज्जाइ, जो य कम्मं ण करिज्जइ ।
जो कम्मं ण करइ, से लहइ परमं सुहं ॥९.३१॥

That one does not accumulate karma who does not perform karma; one who does not do karma, that one attains supreme happiness.

This is as direct as the teaching gets: not doing karma means not accumulating it; not accumulating it leads to supreme happiness. Simply existing in a physical body involves some level of karmic activity — breathing, moving, eating. The resolution in Jain philosophy is that karma accumulates not merely through action but through action combined with passion and negligence. A monk who moves carefully, eats mindfully, and maintains equanimity throughout is performing actions but minimizing karmic accumulation — because the passionate, careless quality that causes karma to strongly adhere is absent. Perfect non-accumulation is the final goal: attained completely only in the final stages before liberation.

Simply put: The less karma you create through harmful or passionate actions, the less trapped you are — eventually, creating no new karma at all leads to supreme happiness.

कम्मस्स दोण्हि पक्खा, बंधो य मोक्खो य ।
बंधंतरो भवे जीवो, मोक्खंतरो मोक्खमाहिए ॥९.३२॥

Karma has two aspects: bondage and liberation; the soul that is within bondage is in existence; the soul within liberation is declared to be liberated.

The entire framework of Jain metaphysics reduces to two states of the soul: bound and free. A soul with karma is bound and in the cycle of existence; a soul without karma is free and liberated. There is no middle ground, no third option, no partial liberation that is also partial bondage. This binary clarity is pedagogically important: it eliminates the comfortable but false middle position of being "mostly free" while retaining just enough attachment to keep the cycle going. Every moment is either toward bondage or toward liberation — there is no movement that is neutral.

Simply put: There are only two states for a soul: bound by karma and in the cycle, or free from karma and liberated — every choice you make right now is moving you toward one or the other.

जो य बंधं विजाणाइ, मोक्खं च अणुत्तरं ।
एगे ते सिद्धिगामिणो, संसारविरओ मुणी ॥९.३३॥

One who knows bondage and liberation, supreme — those ones alone are heading toward liberation; the monk who is dispassionate from the cycle of existence.

Liberation is not available to everyone equally in the sense that not everyone is equally oriented toward it. The monk who has genuine knowledge of bondage and liberation — not just intellectual knowledge but knowledge that has generated genuine dispassion toward the cycle of existence — is the one who is actually heading toward liberation. Dispassion (virāga) from the cycle is the decisive quality: the cycle has lost its appeal, the pleasures and satisfactions it offers no longer attract. This dispassion is not depression or nihilism — it is the natural result of seeing clearly what the cycle actually is: impermanent, unsatisfying, and without ultimate purpose.

Simply put: Only those who genuinely know both bondage and liberation — and who have genuinely lost their attachment to the cycle of existence — are actually heading toward freedom.

लोगे जे सुक्खिया जीवा, जे य लोए दुहट्ठिया ।
ते सव्वे अवग्गहिया, धम्मेण परिरक्खिया ॥९.३४॥

The living beings in the world who are happy, and those who are afflicted with suffering — all of them are grasped (encompassed) and protected by the teaching.

This sutra expresses the universal scope of the true teaching. Both the happy and the suffering — every state of existence — is encompassed and protected by the dharma. The teaching is not only for those who are already suffering and seeking relief, nor is it only for the philosophically sophisticated. The happy person who does not know they are in a temporary state of fortunate karma is equally within the scope of the teaching's protection. The protection comes precisely from the teaching's comprehensiveness — it describes the full range of existence so that no state of being is outside the map.

Simply put: The true teaching protects and encompasses every living being — whether happy or suffering — because it describes the complete reality of every possible state of existence.

एयं संखाइयं णाऊण, संजए सव्वभूयेसु ।
सम्मत्तमेव पडिवज्जह, इइ बेमि ॥९.३५॥

Having known this enumeration, be restrained toward all beings — embrace right conduct alone. — iti bemi (Thus I say.)

The chapter closes with the translation of metaphysical knowledge into practical conduct. Having enumerated the complete framework of reality — souls and non-souls, eight types of karma, the five causes of bondage, the Three Jewels, the fourfold community, the nature of liberation — the teaching immediately and directly converts this knowledge into action: be restrained toward all beings. Not merely understand the enumeration as philosophy, but let it change how you treat every living being you encounter. The final instruction — "embrace right conduct alone" — places conduct as the final word after all the philosophy. Understanding serves the practice, and the practice serves liberation. "Thus I say" closes the chapter with the transmission seal.

Simply put: Having understood all of this systematic teaching about reality, put it into practice: be restrained toward every living being — that is what this knowledge is for. — Thus I say.