Dharma Shiksha - An Introduction (8 Types of Karmas)

Hello kids! Thank you for joining us in the first Dharma Shiksha class.

As we decided in the class, all of us should ditch Hi and Hello, and say Jai Jinendra instead! It shows everyone we are proud to be Jains.

Jai Jinendra is not just a beautiful greeting, it is a way of bowing down to Arihant and Siddha Parmatma.

These two simple words when spoken from heart have the potential of cutting a lot of karmas - something we will discuss in detail in this class.

So kids - "Hello hi chhodiye, Jai Jinendra boliye!"

Who Am I?

Have you ever thought, “Who am I? Am I this body I can see, or something else?"

Well, guess what? You are not just your body — you are a soul! A soul is like a tiny light inside you that you can’t see, but it’s always there.

Your body is like the clothes you wear. Just like you change your clothes every day, your soul also changes bodies when it moves from birth to another.

So kids, remember this: your soul is a living being - alive and special, but your body is just like your clothes — non-living.

FUN FACT: We all may look different from the outside, but our soul is the same. As a matter of fact, the soul inside an ant is no different from the soul of an elephant! Even Arihant and Siddha Parmatma's soul is like ours - the only difference is there are no karmas polluting their soul.

What are Karmas?

In our religion, karmas are like super tiny particles that stick to our soul when we do things. Some are beautiful, and some - not so good! But we cannot see them. Only keval gyanis can see these tiny particles.

Now these karmas can make us happy or sad, smart or confused, kind or angry.

And you know what - they can even change the way we think, how long we will live, and even how we look like! Interesting, isn't it?

Now the good news is that we can clean these karmas by being kind, telling the truth and doing good things.

Just like we wash our hands to keep them clean, we can also keep our soul clean from karmas!

But before we tell you how to get rid of karmas, let us first discuss what karmas are.

In Jainism, there are 8 types of karmas, and each one does something different. Let’s learn about them.

8 Types of Karmas:

1. Gyanavarniya Karma (Knowledge-Hiding Karma) – This karma hides knowledge, like a cloud covering the sun. It makes it harder to learn or understand things. So if you can't recall what you studied during an exam, that's Gyanavarniya Karma in action!

   
   

   

   
   
   
   

2. Darshanavarniya Karma (Vision-Blurring Karma) – This one is like fog on your glasses. It makes it hard for us to see or understand things properly. So, if you cannot read easily without your glasses, that's because of Darshanavarniya Karma sticking to you soul.

   
   

   

   
   

3. Vedaniya Karma (Feeling Karma) – This karma is the remote control of our feelings. It decides if we feel happy or sad. The warm feeling we get when we’re given a hug, or the pain we feel when we fall down - they're both the results of Vedaniya Karma.

   
   

   

   
   

4. Mohaniya Karma (Deluding Karma) – This karma is like a naughty monster in our head - telling us to be a bad person. It makes us angry like a lion, vain like a peacock, greedy like a pig, and cunning like a fox! In short, this karma makes us who we are not in reality. When you don't feel like sharing your new pencil with your friend - that's Mohaniya Karma in action.

   
   

   

   
   

5. Ayu Karma (Lifespan Karma) – This karma decides how long we will live. It’s like a timer of our life - ticking every second. So be a good person and make every moment count!

   
   

   

   
   

6. Naam Karma (Body-Making Karma) – Have you ever played a game where you can choose how a cartoon character looks? Well, this karma does something similar - it decides how we look! The shape of our body, our voice, our looks - everything is decided by Naam Karma.

   
   

   

   
   

7. Gotra Karma (Status Karma) – This one decides what kind of family we are born into. Some people are born rich, while others aren't. This is because of Gotra Karma.

   
   

   

   
   

8. Antaraya Karma (Obstructing Karma) – This karma stops us from doing good things like helping others or being happy. It’s like a wall that comes in your way when you want to do something nice.