Dharam Shiksha - Class 25 & 26
- Pooja Jain
- Feb 3
- 5 min read
Jai Jinendra dear kids and parents!
Welcome to a quick recap of everything that was taught in the last two Dharam Shiksha classes. After we discussed the concept of "Punya" with kids, the next natural progression was talking about "Paap."
The kids learned what Paap stands for, different types of Paap, an interesting story to explain the concept better and an experiment to make them understand how intensely Paap karma impacts our soul.
What is Paap?
Paap is karma that is easy to commit but difficult to suffer the consequences of. Any bad deed or wrong action that causes harm to ourselves or others comes under the category of Paap.
Think of your soul like a clean white shirt --
When you do good deeds, the shirt stays clean ✨
When you do paap, it gets dirty 🟤
Paap makes our soul heavy and unhappy.
Now let us talk about different types of Paap...
18 Types of Paap
1. Pranatipaat (Violence)
Violence does not mean only ending someone's life. Our religion recognizes 10 forms of violence:
Hurting one or more of any other creature's 5 sense organs - ears, nose, eyes, tongue and skin.
Harming others through our mind, speech and body (man, vachan, kaya)
Stopping someone’s breathing
Ending someone’s life altogether
All these actions, when done with violent intentions or feelings, are called Pranatipaat.
2. Mrishavad (Lying)
Telling a lie for any reason—small or big—is Mrishavad
If a lie causes harm or suffering to anyone, it becomes paap.
3. Adattadaan (Stealing)
Taking anything that does not belong to us, without permission, is stealing. Whether it is a big item or something as small as a needle - stealing is stealing!
4. Maithun (Improper Conduct)
Children learn about good touch and bad touch in school. Maithun refers to bad touch.
But it is important to note that Maithun is not just about physical touch—it also includes wrong intentions and thoughts.
Looking at someone with wrong feelings or behaving inappropriately comes under maithun, which is a type of Paap.
5. Parigraha (Possessiveness)
Parigraha means constantly collecting and accumulating things.
Here, the real problem is attachment. The more we collect, the more attached we become—and that attachment leads to Paap.
6. Krodh (Anger)
Getting angry again and again over small or big matters is krodh.
We have already studied this as one of the kashayas.
7. Maan (Ego)
Maan means ego.
It is thinking, “Whatever I say must be right”, and feeling superior to others.
8. Maya (Deceit)
Maya means being clever in a wrong way. It refers to cheating, pretending, or manipulating situations with the intention of misleading others.
9. Lobh (Greed)
Lobh means greed. It is that feeling of “I want everything.”
Greed is the root cause of all other kashayas.
10. Raag (Attachment)
Raag is intense attachment or affection toward someone.
This attachment is so strong that whatever that "someone" says is accepted without thinking about consequences.
For example, if a friend says, “Jump into the well,” and a person jumps without thinking—that is Raag.
11. Dvesh (Hatred)
Dvesh means a strong feeling of hatred or dislike just by seeing someone or something.
Where there is Raag, there is also Dvesh. Between the two, Dvesh is easier to overcome, but Raag is harder.
One who conquers Raag is called Veetrag - like our Arihant Prabhus.
12. Kalah (Quarrel)
Unnecessary fights, arguments over small issues, bringing negativity to your surroundings and disturbing others—all come under Kalah.
13. Abhyakhyan (False Accusation)
Making false allegations against someone—knowingly or unknowingly—is Abhyakhyan.
For instance, if a chocolate goes missing and without knowing the truth we say, “Our maid must have eaten it,” that is Abhyakhyan.
Giving false testimony that sends an innocent person to jail is also Abhyakhyan.
14. Paishunya (Backbiting)
Gossiping, spreading rumors and talking negatively about others behind their back is Paishunya.
15. Par Parivaad (Criticism)
Speaking ill of someone, highlighting their bad habits or weaknesses behind their back is called Par Parivaad.
16. Rati and Arati
Rati: Excessive attachment to worldly pleasures is Rati.
Arati: Dislike or disrespect for samyam (self-discipline) and Dharma is Arati.
17. Maya Mrisha (Deceptive Lying)
Maya Mrisha means smart and clever lying.
It involves creating such believable fake stories that others completely trust them! So it is Maya mixed with Mrishavad!
18. Mithya Darshan Shalya (The Thorn of Wrong Belief)
Mithya = wrong
Darshan = belief
Shalya = thorn
Having wrong beliefs is one of the greatest sins.
Now you may wonder, "What is wrong belief?"
Any superstition or practice that goes against what the Arihants revealed through "Keval Gyan" is Mithya Darshan. For example, believing that sacrificing an animal will solve problems is paap.
The biggest Mithya Darshan is believing that the body and soul are the same.
Mithya Darshan acts like a thorn, constantly hurting the soul.
Difference Between Mrisha, Maya, Abhyakhyan and Maya Mrisha:
• Mrisha: Simple lying
• Maya: Hiding the full truth, acting innocent to save oneself
• Abhyakhyan: Putting false blame on someone else
• Maya Mrisha: Creating a completely fake, believable story
For example: Not wearing school shoes to school and telling the teacher a fake sob story about foot pain and swollen feet so that the teacher believes you is Maya Mrisha.
Even if no one is harmed in that moment, such habits can become dangerous and harmful in real life.
EXPERIMENT TIME
We explained Paap to the kids through a small experiment.
First, we told them when a soul comes into this world, it is completely free.
Just like at the moment, our hands are free too. With free hands, we can do anything, right?
But then we asked the kids to think…
What happens when we keep doing bad deeds? When we keep doing "Paap" karma, that "Paap" starts tying us up.
With every bad action, one knot is added.
After many bad deeds, our hands become completely tied and we lose our freedom.
🌊 The World as an Ocean
Next, we asked them to imagine this world as a big ocean. On the other side of the ocean is the shore, which represents Moksha — complete freedom of the soul.
But here is the problem…
If our hands are tied, we cannot swim.
No matter how much we want to reach the shore, Paap holds us back.
✨ Untying the Knots with Good Deeds
Then comes the happy part!💛
When we start doing good deeds like:
Swadhyay (learning good things)
Samayik (staying calm and peaceful)
Pratikraman (saying sorry for mistakes)
Tapasya (self-control)
Punya (helping others)
Something magical happens ✨One by one, the knots begin to open.
Our hands slowly become free again 🙌
And with free hands, we can finally swim across the ocean and reach Moksha. 🕊️
STORY TIME
Please click the link below for story on Paap:
That's all for this time! See you all again in the next Dharam Class :)
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