The Living Substance (जीव)

औपशमिकक्षायिकौ भावौ मिश्रश्च जीवस्य स्वतत्त्वमौदयिकपारिणामिकौ च ॥१॥

The soul has five types of inner states: those from calming karmas, destroying karmas, a mix of both, the ripening of karmas, and its own inherent nature.

Think of your soul like water in a glass. Mud represents karmas. When the mud settles to the bottom, the water looks clear — that is the subsidential state (calming). When you pour the mud out entirely, the water is truly pure — that is the destructional state. A mix of settling and removing is the mixed state. When the mud is actively stirring and making the water cloudy, that is the rising state. And the water itself — its basic wetness — is the inherent nature that never changes no matter what the mud does.

द्विनवाष्टादशैकविंशतित्रिभेदा यथाक्रमम् ॥२॥

These five states have 2, 9, 18, 21, and 3 subtypes, respectively.

The calming state has 2 subtypes, the destructional has 9, the mixed has 18, the rising state has 21, and the inherent nature has 3. The next few sutras explain each one.

सम्यक्त्वचारित्रे ॥३॥

The two subtypes of the calming state are: right belief and right conduct.

When certain karmas temporarily settle down, two good things can emerge. Right belief means seeing reality clearly. Right conduct means behaving in a way that moves you toward liberation. Both happen when the karmas that block them are temporarily calmed.

ज्ञानदर्शनदानलाभभोगोपभोगवीर्याणि च ॥४॥

The nine subtypes of the destructional state are: knowledge, perception, giving, gaining, enjoyment, re-enjoyment, energy — plus the two from the previous sutra: belief and conduct.

When karmas are completely destroyed, nine qualities shine through. Perfect knowledge means knowing everything. Perfect perception means seeing everything. The power of giving means infinite generosity. The power of gaining means infinite abundance. Enjoyment and re-enjoyment mean infinite bliss. And infinite energy means limitless spiritual power. These are the qualities of a fully liberated soul.

ज्ञानाज्ञानदर्शनलब्धयश्चतुस्त्रित्रिपञ्चभेदाः सम्यक्त्वचारित्रसंयमासंयमाश्च ॥५॥

The mixed state has 18 subtypes: 4 kinds of knowledge, 3 kinds of wrong knowledge, 3 kinds of perception, 5 kinds of attainment, plus right belief, conduct, and partial restraint.

This is the in-between state. Some karmas are destroyed, some are just calmed. So you get a mix — like having four types of correct knowledge but also three types of wrong knowledge existing at the same time. It is a work in progress, not fully pure yet but not completely blocked either.

गतिकषायलिंगमिथ्यादर्शनाज्ञानासंयतासिद्धलेश्याः ॥६॥

The rising state has 21 subtypes: 4 states of existence, 4 passions, 3 sexes, 1 wrong belief, 1 wrong knowledge, 1 non-restraint, 1 imperfect state, and 6 colorations of the soul.

When karmas are actively producing their effects, 21 things can happen. You end up in one of four states of existence: hell, animal, human, or celestial. You experience four passions: anger, pride, deceit, and greed. You get one of three biological sexes. And your soul takes on one of six colorations called leshya — from black to white — depending on how intense your passions are. These are all the results of karmas currently in action.

जीवभव्याभव्यत्वानि च ॥७॥

The inherent nature has 3 subtypes: being a soul, having the capacity for liberation, and not having the capacity for liberation.

Every soul has a basic identity that never changes regardless of karmas. First, it is a soul — a conscious, living entity. Second, it either has the potential to reach liberation someday, or it does not. A bhavya soul can eventually achieve moksha. An abhavya soul, unfortunately, never will. This is not a punishment — it is simply part of that soul’s inherent nature, like how water is always wet.

उपयोगो लक्षणम् ॥८॥

Consciousness is the defining mark of the soul.

How do you know something is alive? Consciousness. The word used here is upayoga, which means active awareness or attentive consciousness. It is what separates a soul from lifeless matter. Just as heat is the defining quality of fire, consciousness is the defining quality of the soul. If it is aware, it has a soul.

स द्विविधोऽष्टचतुर्भेदः ॥९॥

Consciousness is of two kinds, and these have eight and four subtypes respectively.

The two kinds are knowledge-consciousness and perception-consciousness. Knowledge is detailed awareness — you see a dog and know its breed, color, and behavior. Perception is general awareness — you just sense that something is there. Knowledge has 8 subtypes: 5 kinds of right knowledge and 3 kinds of wrong knowledge. Perception has 4 subtypes: eye-perception, non-eye-perception, clairvoyant-perception, and omniscient-perception.

संसारिणो मुक्ताश्च ॥१०॥

Souls are of two kinds: the transmigrating and the liberated.

Every soul in existence falls into one of two categories. Transmigrating souls are still stuck in the cycle of birth and death — they keep wandering from one body to another across lifetimes. Liberated souls have broken free from this cycle entirely. They have shed all karmas and achieved moksha. The journey of Jainism is the journey from the first category to the second.

समनस्काऽमनस्काः ॥११॥

Transmigrating souls are of two kinds: those with a mind and those without a mind.

Having a mind means having the ability to think, reason, and tell right from wrong. Humans and some five-sensed animals have minds. But many living beings operate on instinct alone — they respond to the world without thinking about it. A plant reacts to sunlight but does not think about it. The mind is what gives a being the power to choose.

संसारिणस्त्रसस्थावराः ॥१२॥

Transmigrating souls are also of two kinds: the mobile and the stationary.

Trasa means mobile — beings that can move around, like animals and humans. Sthavara means stationary — beings that stay in one place, like plants, earth, water, fire, and air bodies. Mobile beings are mentioned first because they are considered more developed — they have more senses and more types of consciousness available to them.

पृथिव्यप्तेजोवायुवनस्पतयः स्थावराः ॥१३॥

Earth-bodied, water-bodied, fire-bodied, air-bodied, and plant-bodied beings are the stationary souls.

This is one of the most unique ideas in Jainism. Even earth, water, fire, and air contain living souls. A grain of sand has a soul. A drop of water has a soul. A flame has a soul. A gust of wind has a soul. And of course, plants have souls too. These beings have only one sense — the sense of touch — and they have four basic life-forces: touch, body-strength, breathing, and lifespan. This is why Jains are so careful about not wasting water, not playing with fire, and not uprooting plants unnecessarily.

द्वीन्द्रियादयस्त्रसाः ॥१४॥

The mobile beings are those having two or more senses.

Once a being has at least two senses, it can move. Two-sensed beings like worms have touch and taste. Three-sensed beings like ants add smell. Four-sensed beings like bees add sight. Five-sensed beings like humans and animals add hearing. The more senses, the more awareness, the more complex the life.

पञ्चेन्द्रियाणि ॥१५॥

The senses are five.

Five senses and no more. Jainism counts only five: touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. The mind is not counted as a sense — it is separate. These five are the windows through which the soul experiences the physical world.

द्विविधानि ॥१६॥

Each sense is of two kinds.

Every sense has a physical side and a non-physical side. The physical sense is the actual organ — the eyeball, the ear drum, the skin. The non-physical sense is the ability to use it — the power of sight, the power of hearing. You need both to work. A blind person still has eyeballs but the non-physical power is blocked by karmas.

निर्वृत्त्युपकरणे द्रव्येन्द्रियम् ॥१७॥

The physical sense has two parts: the formation of the organ and the instrument itself.

Take the eye as an example. The formation is the shape — the soul spreads into the shape of the eye using tiny particles. The instrument includes the eyelids, eyelashes, and everything that helps the eye do its job. Both internal and external parts together make up the physical sense.

लब्ध्युपयोगौ भावेन्द्रियम् ॥१८॥

The non-physical sense has two parts: attainment and active use.

Attainment means having the potential for that sense — the karmas blocking it have been reduced enough. Active use means actually using it right now. You might have the ability to see, but when you are asleep, your sight is not actively being used. Both together make up the non-physical sense.

स्पर्शनरसनघ्राणचक्षुःश्रोत्राणि ॥१९॥

Touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing — these are the five senses.

The order matters. Touch comes first because it is the most basic — every living being has it. Then taste, then smell, then sight, then hearing. Each new sense is added on top of the previous ones. A worm has touch and taste. An ant adds smell. A bee adds sight. A human adds hearing on top of all four.

स्पर्शरसगन्धवर्णशब्दास्तदर्थाः ॥२०॥

Touch, taste, smell, color or form, and sound are the objects of these senses.

Each sense has its own object — what it picks up from the world. The sense of touch detects touch. Taste detects flavor. Smell detects scent. Sight detects color and shape. Hearing detects sound. The sense and its object are like a lock and key — each one is designed for the other.

श्रुतमनिन्द्रियस्य ॥२१॥

Intelligence, or scriptural knowledge, belongs to the mind — not to the senses.

The senses can gather raw data — you see colors, hear sounds, feel textures. But understanding what it all means? That is the job of the mind. Intelligence processes the information from the senses and turns it into real knowledge. The mind can work independently too — you can think about things you have never directly seen or touched.

वनस्पत्यन्तानामेकम् ॥२२॥

Beings up to and including plants have only one sense.

Earth, water, fire, air, and plant souls all share one thing: they only have the sense of touch. That is their entire experience of the world. They can feel heat and cold, hard and soft, but nothing else. No taste, no smell, no sight, no sound. Just touch.

कृमिपिपीलिकाभ्रमरमनुष्यादीनामेकैकवृद्धानि ॥२३॥

Worms, ants, bees, and humans each have one more sense than the one before.

This gives a ladder of senses. Worms have 2 senses: touch and taste. Ants have 3: touch, taste, and smell. Bees have 4: touch, taste, smell, and sight. Humans and similar beings have all 5: touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Each step up the ladder brings a richer experience of the world.

संज्ञिनः समनस्काः ॥२४॥

The five-sensed beings that have a mind are called samjni.

Not all five-sensed beings have a mind. Some animals have all five senses but operate purely on instinct. Those that also have a mind — the ability to reason and discriminate between good and bad — are called samjni. Humans are the prime example. Having a mind is what makes moral choice possible, which is why the human birth is considered so valuable in Jainism.

विग्रहगतौ कर्मयोगः ॥२५॥

When a soul travels from one body to another, only the karmic body vibrates.

When you die, your soul does not carry your physical body to the next life. It only travels with the karmic body — the invisible body made of karmic particles that has been with you since beginningless time. Think of it like changing clothes. The physical body is left behind, but the karmic body goes with you. The vibration of this karmic body is what powers the transit.

अनुश्रेणि गतिः ॥२६॥

The soul travels in straight lines through space.

Space in Jain cosmology is made of rows of space-points running in all directions. When a soul moves from one life to the next, it travels along these rows — in straight lines, not randomly. This applies to both souls and matter. It is an orderly system, like trains running on tracks.

अविग्रहा जीवस्य ॥२७॥

The movement of the liberated soul is without any bend.

A liberated soul, free from all karmas, shoots straight up to the top of the universe in a perfectly straight line. No turns, no curves, no obstacles. Why? Because there are no karmic ties pulling it in any direction. It is completely free, so it moves in the most direct path possible.

विग्रहवती च संसारिणः प्राक् चतुर्भ्यः ॥२८॥

Transmigrating souls can have bends in their movement, but only up to three instants before reaching their destination.

Unlike liberated souls, worldly souls sometimes need to change direction during transit. Maybe their next birth is not in a straight line from where they died. But there is a limit: the soul can make at most three turns. After the third instant, the movement becomes straight. It is like navigating through a city — you might turn a few corners, but you eventually get on the highway heading straight to your destination.

एकसमयाऽविग्रहा ॥२९॥

Straight movement takes only one instant.

When there are no bends needed, the soul reaches its next body in a single instant of time. One samaya — the smallest possible unit of time. Even if the distance is the entire length of the universe, the soul covers it in one instant. That is how fast the transit is when the path is clear.

एकं द्वौ त्रीन्वाऽनाहारकः ॥३०॥

For one, two, or three instants during transit, the soul does not take in any new matter.

During the journey between bodies, the soul is in a state where it does not absorb any new particles. It is traveling light, so to speak. This gap lasts one, two, or three instants depending on whether the path is straight or has bends. Once it arrives at its new birth-place, it starts building its new body by taking in matter again.

सम्मूर्च्छनगर्भोपपादा जन्म ॥३१॥

Birth happens in three ways: spontaneous generation, from a womb, or in a special bed.

Spontaneous generation means the body forms directly from surrounding matter — no parent, no egg, no womb. Bacteria and many tiny creatures are born this way. Womb-birth is what humans, animals, and many other beings go through. Special-bed birth is for celestial beings and infernal beings — they just appear fully formed in their new world, as if materializing on a prepared bed.

सचित्तशीतसंवृतामिश्राश्चैकशस्तद्योनयः ॥३२॥

There are nine types of birth-environments based on combinations of: with or without life, cold or hot, and covered or exposed.

Every birth-place has three qualities that can go either way. Is the environment alive or lifeless? Is it cold or hot? Is it covered or open? Each combination creates a different type of birth-environment. For example, a mother’s womb is alive, warm, and covered. An egg is lifeless, can be hot or cold, and is covered. The nine combinations cover every possible birth-environment in the universe.

जरायुजाण्डजपोतानां गर्भः ॥३३॥

Womb-birth is of three kinds: with an umbilical cord, from an egg, or without any covering.

Humans, cows, and most mammals are born with an umbilical cord connecting them to the mother. Chickens, snakes, and birds hatch from eggs. And some young animals like deer fawns are born fully developed, able to stand and move right away without any membrane or shell covering. These are the three ways womb-birth works.

देवनारकाणामुपपादः ॥३४॥

Celestial and infernal beings are born in special beds.

Gods and hell-beings do not go through pregnancy or eggs. They simply appear. When a soul’s karmas send it to heaven or hell, it materializes fully formed in that realm — like teleporting into a new body. This instant birth is called upapada.

शेषाणां सम्मूर्च्छनम् ॥३५॥

The rest of the beings are born by spontaneous generation.

Every being that is not born from a womb or in a special bed is born by spontaneous generation. This includes all one-sensed beings like earth, water, fire, air, and plant souls. Their bodies form directly from the elements around them, without any parent or birth process.

औदारिकवैक्रियिकाहारकतैजसकार्मणानि शरीराणि ॥३६॥

There are five types of bodies: the gross, the transformable, the projectable, the luminous, and the karmic.

The gross body is the physical body you can see and touch — your flesh and bones. The transformable body lets celestial and infernal beings change their shape and size at will. The projectable body is an extremely rare body that advanced saints can send out to resolve spiritual doubts. The luminous body is a subtle energy body that radiates from the soul. The karmic body is made of karmic particles and travels with you from life to life. Everyone has the last two; the first three depend on your birth and spiritual stage.

परं परं सूक्ष्मम् ॥३७॥

Each body is subtler than the one before it.

The gross body is the densest — you can see it with your eyes. The transformable body is finer. The projectable body is even finer. The luminous body is finer still. And the karmic body is the subtlest of all — completely invisible, yet it is the one that truly defines your destiny. Think of it like layers getting thinner and thinner, from a brick to paper to silk to mist to something beyond perception.

प्रदेशतोऽसंख्येयगुणं प्राक् तैजसात् ॥३८॥

Up to the luminous body, each successive body has innumerably more space-points than the previous one.

Even though each body is subtler, it actually occupies more space-points. The transformable body fills innumerably more space-points than the gross body, and the projectable fills innumerably more than the transformable. This does not mean the body is bigger in size — the atoms just pack more tightly. Like how a heap of cotton and a ball of iron can be the same size but have very different densities.

अनन्तगुणे परे ॥३९॥

The last two bodies have infinitely more space-points than the ones before them.

The luminous body has infinitely more space-points than the projectable body. And the karmic body has infinitely more than the luminous body. These numbers are not just “very large” — they are literally infinite multiples. This shows how subtle and all-pervading these invisible bodies truly are.

अप्रतीघाते ॥४०॥

The last two bodies pass through all obstacles without being blocked.

The luminous and karmic bodies cannot be stopped by walls, mountains, or anything physical. They pass through everything. Just as heat passes through iron, these subtle bodies move through all matter without resistance. This is why the karmic body can follow your soul anywhere — nothing in the universe can block it.

अनादिसम्बन्धे च ॥४१॥

These two bodies have been connected to the soul since beginningless time.

The luminous and karmic bodies have been with every transmigrating soul forever. There was never a point when they did not exist. The other three bodies come and go with each lifetime, but these two are permanent companions until the soul achieves complete liberation.

सर्वस्य ॥४२॥

Every transmigrating soul has these two bodies.

No exceptions. Every soul that is still in the cycle of birth and death — from the tiniest one-sensed earth-being to the mightiest celestial — possesses both the luminous body and the karmic body. These are universal to all worldly souls.

तदादीनि भाज्यानि युगपदेकस्मिन्नाचतुर्भ्यः ॥४३॥

Starting from those two, a single soul can have up to four bodies at the same time.

Everyone has the luminous and karmic bodies. Some souls also have a gross body at the same time. Others might also have a transformable body on top of that. The maximum any single soul can have at once is four. The projectable body never exists alongside the transformable body, so five at once is impossible.

निरुपभोगमन्त्यम् ॥४४॥

The last body, the karmic body, cannot experience any enjoyment.

The karmic body has no senses. It cannot see, hear, taste, smell, or touch anything. It is not meant for experiencing the world. Its only role is to carry the karmic particles that determine your fate. Enjoyment — hearing music, tasting food, seeing beauty — requires the gross body and its physical senses.

गर्भसम्मूर्च्छनजमाद्यम् ॥४५॥

The gross body comes from womb-birth and spontaneous generation.

The physical body that you can see and touch is formed through either being born from a womb or through spontaneous generation. If you are a human or animal, you got your gross body from a womb. If you are a plant or earth-being, your gross body formed spontaneously from surrounding matter.

औपपादिकं वैक्रियिकम् ॥४६॥

The transformable body comes with special-bed birth.

Celestial and infernal beings who are born through special-bed birth get a transformable body. This body can change its shape, size, and appearance at will. That is why gods in Jain stories can appear in different forms — their transformable body allows it.

लब्धिप्रत्ययं च ॥४७॥

The transformable body can also arise through special spiritual attainment.

It is not only celestial beings who get this body. Advanced ascetics who have gained supernatural powers through intense austerities can also manifest a transformable body. This happens through spiritual attainment, not birth.

तैजसमपि ॥४८॥

The luminous body also comes through attainment.

While every soul has a luminous body, its full power also depends on spiritual attainment. Through supernatural powers gained by intense practice, the luminous body can become more active and powerful.

शुभं विशुद्धमव्याघाति चाहारकं प्रमत्तसंयतस्यैव ॥४९॥

The projectable body — which is auspicious, pure, and without obstruction — arises only in a saint of the sixth spiritual stage.

This is the rarest body of all. Only a saint who has reached the sixth stage of spiritual progress can create it. It is sent out from the saint to go resolve a philosophical doubt or verify a teaching. It is completely pure, completely good, and can pass through anything. Think of it as a spiritual avatar that the saint projects outward for a specific purpose.

नारकसम्मूर्च्छिनो नपुंसकानि ॥५०॥

Infernal beings and spontaneously-generated beings are neuter.

Hell-beings and beings born through spontaneous generation have no male or female gender. They are neuter. This is because their karmas produce the neuter-sex sign. They cannot experience the pleasures that come from male or female gender.

न देवाः ॥५१॥

Celestial beings are not neuter.

Gods enjoy rare pleasures because of their auspicious karmas. They are either male or female, never neuter. This is a direct contrast to infernal beings who are always neuter.

शेषास्त्रिवेदाः ॥५२॥

The remaining beings can be of all three genders.

Beings born from a womb — humans and animals — can be male, female, or neuter. These three genders have both a physical component and a psychological component. The physical sign comes from name-karma. The psychological sign comes from conduct-deluding karma called quasi-passions.

औपपादिकचरमोत्तमदेहासंख्येयवर्षायुषोऽनपवर्त्यायुषः ॥५३॥

The lifespan of special-bed beings, those with final superior bodies, and those with innumerable years of life cannot be cut short.

Celestial and infernal beings live their full lifespan no matter what — nothing can kill them early. Similarly, beings who are in their very last body before liberation, and beings who live for innumerable years, have lifespans that cannot be shortened by any external cause. Everyone else can potentially have their life cut short by things like weapons, poison, or accidents.