Bondage of Karma (बंध)

मिथ्यादर्शनाविरतिप्रमादकषाययोगा बन्धहेतवः ॥१॥

Wrong belief, non-abstinence, negligence, passions, and activities are the causes of bondage.

Why does karma stick to us in the first place? There are five main reasons: not seeing the truth (Wrong belief), not controlling our impulses (Non-abstinence), being lazy or careless (Negligence), feeling strong emotions like anger or greed (Passions), and the basic vibration of our mind, body, and speech (Activities). These five things turn on the "glue" that binds karma to our soul.

सकषायत्वाज्जीवः कर्मणो योग्यान् पुद्गलानार्दत्ते ॥२॥

Being actuated by passions, the soul attracts particles of matter fit to turn into karma.

Think of your soul like a sponge. Normally, it's just a sponge. But when you feel "passions" (Kashaya) like anger or pride, it's like dipping that sponge into a sticky syrup. Now, when it moves through the universe (which is full of tiny karmic particles), those particles stick to the sponge. Our emotions are what make us "sticky" to karma.

स बन्धः ॥३॥

This is Bandha — bondage.

The actual moment when those particles interpenetrate and stay with the soul is called "Bondage." It's not just a flow of matter; it's a binding. Like dust sticking to a wall that has been painted with wet glue, the karma becomes part of your spiritual "coat" until it is shed or used up.

प्रकृतिस्थित्यनुभावप्रदेशास्तद्विधयः ॥४॥

Bondage is of four kinds: Prakriti (nature), Sthiti (duration), Anubhava (intensity), and Pradesha (quantity).

To understand any piece of karma, you look at four things. Prakriti is its "flavor" (what it does). Sthiti is its "timer" (how long it lasts). Anubhava is its "strength" (how much it hurts or helps). And Pradesha is its "weight" (how many particles there are). Together, these four decide exactly how a certain action will affect your future.

आद्यो ज्ञानदर्शनावरणवेदनीयमोहनीयायुष्कनामगोत्रान्तरायाः ॥५॥

The nature-bondage is of eight kinds: Knowledge-obscuring, Perception-obscuring, Feeling, Deluding, Life, Name, Status, and Obstructive.

There are eight main "jobs" that karma does. Some cloud your mind (Knowledge-obscuring), some make you feel happy or sad (Feeling), some confuse your beliefs (Deluding), and some decide what body you get (Name). Think of these as eight different types of seeds that can be planted in the soul's garden. Each one will grow into a different kind of experience.

पञ्चनवद्व्यष्टाविंशतिचतुर्द्विचत्वारिंशद्द्विपञ्चभेदा यथाक्रमम् ॥६॥

These eight kinds have many subtypes, totaling 148 specific varieties of karma.

While there are eight main types, they break down into many smaller subtypes. For example, Knowledge-obscuring karma has 5 subtypes, and Name-karma has 93 (grouped into 42 here). This shows how incredibly detailed the system of karma is. Every single variation of our character and our physical life has a corresponding type of karmic "coding" behind it.

मतिश्रुतावधिमनःपर्ययकेवलानाम् ॥७॥

Knowledge-obscuring karma has five types: sensory, scriptural, clairvoyant, telepathic, and omniscient.

These five karmas are like layers of dust on a mirror. They block the five ways we can "know" things — from our basic senses to the ultimate ability to know everything in the universe. Each layer makes our mental sight a bit fuzzier.

चक्षुरचक्षुरवधिकेवलानां... निद्राप्रचलास्त्यानगृद्धयश्च ॥८॥

Perception-obscuring karma has nine types, including ocular, clairvoyant, and five types of sleep.

Perception is the "general view" before we get into the details. This karma blocks that first glance. Interestingly, sleep is also listed here! Deep sleep or drowsiness are considered types of karma that "cloud" our perception and keep our soul from being fully awake.

सदसद्वेद्ये ॥९॥

Feeling karma has two types: pleasure-producing and pain-producing.

This is the most "obvious" karma. One type (Sata) makes you feel comfortable and happy, while the other (Asata) makes you feel pain or discomfort. It's like the weather of your life — sometimes it's sunny, sometimes it's stormy.

दर्शनचारित्रमोहनीयाकषायकषायवेदनीयाख्या... ॥१०॥

Deluding karma has 28 types, divided into belief-deluding and conduct-deluding.

This is the "villain" of karmas. It confuses your vision of the truth (Belief) and makes your behavior messy (Conduct). It includes things like anger, pride, and even smaller emotions like laughter or fear. It's the primary reason we stay stuck in the cycle of birth and death.

Deluding karma breaks down into 16 passions, 9 quasi-passions, and 3 types of belief.

The 16 passions are different levels of anger, pride, deceit, and greed. The 9 quasi-passions are lighter emotions like laughter, liking, disliking, sorrow, fear, disgust, and the three gender-based desires. All these "flavors" of emotion decide how we react to the world.

नारकतिर्यङ्मानुषदैवानि ॥१४॥

Life karma has four types: infernal, animal, human, and celestial.

This karma is like a jailer that decides which "room" you will live in for your next life. It locks you into one of the four realms — hell, animal world, human world, or heaven — for a set amount of time.

गतिजातिशरीराङ्गोपाङ्ग... यशःकीर्तयः सेतराः ॥१५॥

Name karma has 93 types, deciding your body, class, senses, and reputation.

This is the "painter" karma. It decides every detail of your physical self: how many senses you have, the shape of your body, your height, your voice, and even how people talk about you. It's like the DNA of your spiritual record.

उच्चैर्नीचैश्च ॥१६॥

Status karma has two types: high and low.

This decides your "social standing." One type brings you into a family or environment where you are respected and have resources, while the other puts you in a more difficult or humble position. It's about the environment your soul is born into.

दानालाभभोगोपभोगवीर्याणाम् ॥१७॥

Obstructive karma has five types: blocking charity, gain, enjoyment, re-enjoyment, and power.

Have you ever tried to do something good but just "couldn't" for some reason? That's this karma. It acts as an obstacle, stopping you from giving, getting, or using your own energy. It's like a spiritual wall that stands between you and your goals.

नामप्रत्ययाः सर्वतो योगविशेषात् ॥१८॥

The quantity of karma is determined by the activity (Yoga) of the soul.

"Quantity" (Pradesha) means how many bits of karma you attract. This depends entirely on how much "energy" or "activity" you put into what you are doing. A very intense action attracts a huge amount of particles, while a small, lazy action attracts only a few. Your activity is the volume control for karma.

सविपाकः ॥१९॥

The fruition (Anubhava) of karma is its ripening.

Just like a fruit on a tree, karma has to "ripen" before you can taste its result. This ripening process is called "Vipaka." You might have planted the seed a long time ago, but you only feel its effect when it matures and "pops." This is why things that happen to us now are often the results of things we did a long time ago.

यथानाम ॥२०॥

The ripening happens according to the nature of the karma.

This is the law of consistency. An apple seed always grows into an apple, never an orange. Similarly, if you plant "knowledge-obscuring" karma, it will always ripen into a moment of confusion or lack of clarity. Karma always stays true to its nature. You get back exactly what you put out.

ततश्च निर्जरा ॥२१॥

After fruition, the karmic matter falls off — shedding.

Here is the good news: karma doesn't stay forever. Once a piece of karma has ripened and you have experienced its result, it "falls off" the soul. This is called "Nirjara" (shedding). It's like a battery being used up. Once the energy is gone, the battery is empty and is discarded. This is how the soul eventually becomes clean again.

नामप्रत्ययाः सर्वतो योगविशेषात् ॥२२॥

The quantity of space-points is determined by the soul's activity.

This reinforces that your body's movements, your words, and your thoughts (Yoga) are the direct cause of how much karmic matter sticks to you. Every action creates a vibration that determines the "volume" of karma. It's a reminder that we are the architects of our own karmic weight.

स्थितिबन्धः कषायतः ॥२३॥

The duration (Sthiti) of bondage is caused by passions (Kashaya).

How long will a bad experience last? That depends on your emotions. If you act with intense anger or greed, the karma sticks for a very long time. If you act with only a little bit of passion, it sticks for a short time. Your emotions are the "glue" that decides how long the karma stays attached to you.

अनुभावः कषायतः ॥२४॥

The intensity (Anubhava) of fruition is also caused by passions.

How much will it hurt (or help)? This also depends on your passions. Intense emotions create intense results. Mild emotions create mild results. So, your inner state of mind actually controls both the "timer" and the "volume" of your future karma. This is why staying calm and balanced (equanimity) is the most powerful thing you can do.

प्रदेशबन्धो योगतः । प्रकृतिबन्धो योगतः ॥२५-२६॥

Quantity and Nature are caused by Activity (Yoga).

Finally, the number of particles (Quantity) and the type of karma (Nature) are decided by your basic activity — what you actually did with your body, mind, or speech. So, the Action decides the WHAT and the HOW MUCH, while the Emotion (Passion) decides the HOW LONG and the HOW STRONG. Together, they create the full map of our destiny.