Word glossary

Terms and definitions

Every technical term used in this portal, with a short gloss, a longer note, and the chapters where it matters.

6 terms

Aṇuvrataअणुव्रत
The householder's partial vow.
Five in number, supplemented by three guṇavratas and four śikṣāvratas.
Chapter 7
Dravyaद्रव्य
Substance — that which possesses qualities and modes.
Six in number, eternal and fixed. Defined at 5.38 as guṇa-paryāya-vat.
Chapter 5
Guṇaगुण
Quality — a permanent, co-existent attribute of a substance.
Consciousness in the soul, colour in matter. Qualities never leave their substance.
Chapter 5
Guṇasthānaगुणस्थान
One of the fourteen stages of spiritual development.
From mithyātva (1) through samyag-dṛṣṭi (4), the vowed layman (5), the ascetic (6-7), the two ladders (8-11), kṣīṇa-moha (12), sayoga-kevalī (13) and ayoga-kevalī (14). Not named in the sūtra text but presupposed throughout.
Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10
Mithyādarśanaमिथ्यादर्शन
Wrong faith — the first and gravest cause of bondage.
Turns even correct cognition into wrong knowledge. Removing it is the beginning of the path and the fourth guṇasthāna.
Chapter 1Chapter 8
Śukla-dhyānaशुक्लध्यान
Pure meditation — the immediate cause of omniscience.
Four stages, carrying the soul from the eighth guṇasthāna through the annihilation of all karma at the fourteenth.
Chapter 9Chapter 10