In Jain philosophy, “vitalities” (Skt. prāṇa, Prakrit pāṇa) refer to the functional capacities that make a living being alive and capable of activity. They are central to Jain ontology, ethics, and karmic theory. All living beings—whether one‑sensed or five‑sensed—possess some combination of these vitalities, and harming any vitality is considered a form of hiṃsā (violence). The doctrine appears across both Śvetāmbara and Digambara traditions and is foundational for understanding the gradation of life forms, karmic consequences of actions, and the ethical discipline of non‑violence.
Jain texts typically enumerate ten vitalities: five physical (bhāva prāṇa) and five psychical (dravyaDraft overviewDravyaIn Jain philosophy, **dravya** refers to the fundamental ontological category of “substance,” the basic building block of reality. Jain thinkers describe the universe as beginningless, eternal, and composed of six distin… prāṇa). The physical vitalities include the body, lifespan, respirationDraft overviewRespirationIn Jain philosophical and biological taxonomy, “respiration” (often discussed under terms such as *āsuvāsa*, *prāṇa*, and the broader category of *vitalities* or *prāṇas*) refers not only to the physical act of breathing…, and the ability to speak and move. The psychical vitalities correspond to the five senses. Higher‑order beings possess all ten, while lower‑order beings possess fewer. For example, a one‑sensed being such as a plant has only the vitalities of body, lifespan, respiration, and the sense of touch.
Vitalities are not merely biological attributes; they are karmically conditioned capacities. The presence or absence of a vitality depends on the soul’s embodied state, shaped by past karmas. Ethical conduct—especially carefulness (samiti) and restraint (gupti)—is evaluated by how one avoids harming these vitalities in other beings. Thus, the doctrine of vitalities forms a bridge between metaphysics, ethics, and everyday lay practice, guiding decisions about diet, occupation, and environmental interaction.