Studies in Indian Philosophy

SR No.: 001580
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Dalsukh Malvania, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 1981
Total Pages: 352
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, Epistemology, & Religion
File Size: 21 MB

Page 296

Sukla dhyāna
269 gunasthāna, and the arhats to the sages on the 13th and 14th gunasthānas. Both the Buddhist and Jaina concepts of spiritual stages are thus based on the common understanding that there are two kinds of sages, one who falls from the spiritual path and the other who can attain arhatship or kevaliship.
According to Umāsvāti's exposition above, it occurs exactly on the Ilth stage (stage of saksdāgāmi of the Buddhists) tbat a sage who hankers on the procured capacity of įddhis falls down but a sage who shows no kasayas as such destroyes all his mohaniya karmas and advances to the 12th stage (stage of anāgāmı of the Buddhists). Here the possession of such çddhis by the sages on these high stages of spirituality has a weighty implication that it is an indispensable tool or touchstone to see whether these sages are with or without kasāyas (klesas of the Buddhists and dosas of the Yoga school). In another word, it is a test to find out whether their spiritual purity has really satisfied the standard to proceed to the stage which assures their liberation. This is also quite evident from the Yogasūtra I[I. 50 above. The concept of the Jaina guṇasthānas involving two śreņis and the corresponding Buddhist concept were thus based on the common under standing of the ascetic practice involving ?ddhis.
Beside this, the possession of the capacity of Țddhis by the sages on the 11th and 12th gunasthānas is indispensable for the Jainas, because tbe sayogi kevali has to perform kevali samudghāta. In order to equalize the lengths of three other aghātika karmas with that of his āyuş karma, the sayogi kevali has to perform samudghāta by way of expanding his body as large as the universe. This capacity is no other than mahima įddhi, the capācity to expand a tapasvi's physical body as large as Mt. Meru (Yogasūtra III. 50 bhāsya...as large as the sky also), and the sayogi kevali has to have this capacity in order to attain liberation. Rddhi thus came out as an indispensable means of liberation for the Jainas. The aforementioned Umāsvāti's performance patently reveals the important position of rddhis played in the mechanism of liberation of the Jainas arrived at the Āgamic period.