Disclaimer: This translation does not guarantee complete accuracy, please confirm with the original page text.
## Gommatasara Karmakanda-661
**Chapter on the Causes of Bondage**
Saluting my revered teachers, Abhayānanda Muniśvara, Indramandi Guru, who is a master of the scriptures, and the excellent Vīranandisvāmī, I will now speak about the causes of bondage, which are the *pratyayas* of the karmic substances.
**The Different Types of *Pratyayas***
The four primary *āsravas* are: *mithyātva*, *aviramaṇa*, *kaṣāya*, and *yoga*. These are the causes of the karmic *skandhas* acquiring their karmic nature. Their further subdivisions are 5, 12, 25, and 15 respectively. Thus, there are 57 subdivisions of *āsravas*.
**Explanation:**
The word *pratyaya* has many meanings. Sometimes it refers to knowledge, as in the case of *artha*, *śabda*, and *pratyaya* (knowledge). Sometimes it refers to an oath, as in the case of someone taking an oath when accused of stealing another's property. Sometimes it refers to a cause, as in the case of *avidyā* (ignorance) being caused by *saṃskāras* (impressions). Here, the word *pratyaya* is used in the sense of a cause.
*Pratyayas* cannot be the *āsravas* themselves, because the definition of *āsravas* is different. *Āsravas* are defined as the gateways through which karmas, which are characterized by merit and demerit, enter the soul. *Āsravas* are like *āsava* (fermentation). Just as the ocean has many rivers flowing into it, similarly, the soul has many *āsravas* flowing into it.