Within the Jain Agamas, karma is treated not as a mere metaphor for moral consequence but as a subtle form of matter that actually adheres to the soul. This karmic matter binds to the jīva through activities of mind, speech, and body, especially when these are colored by passions such as anger, pride, deceit, and greed. As this binding takes place, the innate qualities of the soul—its capacity for infinite knowledge, perception, bliss, and energy—are obscured. The Agamas thus portray worldly existence as a continuous interaction between the soul and karmic particles, governed by a precise law of cause and effect in which intention and inner disposition play a decisive role.

These scriptures offer a detailed classification of karma, describing it in terms of its nature, duration, intensity, and effect on the soul. They distinguish, for example, knowledge-obscuring and perception-obscuring karmas, deluding karma that distorts belief and conduct, feeling-producing karma that yields pleasure and pain, and other forms that determine lifespan, bodily form, social status, and obstacles to energy and action. In this way, the Agamas present a comprehensive map of how every facet of embodied existence is shaped by specific karmic bonds. This systematic analysis is not merely theoretical; it is meant to sharpen discernment about how even subtle mental states contribute to bondage.

Equally important in the Agamic vision is the dynamic of karmic influx and its cessation. The inflow of karmic matter is linked to the restless activity of the senses and mind when guided by attachment and aversion, while its stoppage is associated with right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct. Ethical disciplines—such as non-violence, truthfulness, and non-possessiveness—are presented as concrete means of blocking new karmic inflow and refining one’s inner life. The texts repeatedly underscore vigilance over even the most delicate forms of harm and attachment, suggesting that spiritual progress hinges on a finely tuned sensitivity to the moral texture of everyday actions.

The Agamas also speak of the shedding of accumulated karma through austerities, meditation, and sustained equanimity. This process of nirjarā gradually loosens and burns away the karmic particles that have long encased the soul. When both the inflow of new karma is halted and the old stock is fully exhausted, the soul attains liberation, described as a state of perfect purity and omniscience. In this portrayal, the doctrine of karma is not merely a doctrine of retribution but a precise spiritual science, charting the path from entanglement in material bondage to the soul’s unimpeded radiance.