Five Levels of Nescience

Five levels of nescience --

1. tamisra, rebellious rejection of the Lord's service;
2. andha-tamisra, considering death to be the ultimate conclusion;
3. tamas, ignorance of one's position as a jiva;
4. moha, the illusory bodily conception of life;
5. maha-moha, attachment for material enjoyment 

cloud the pure spiritual consciousness of the jiva. The sole cause of why the jiva becomes either liberated or conditioned lies in the proper or improper use of his minute independence.