________________ 14 STAGES OF SPIRITUAL ELEVATION 227 along with it. From the 5th stage onward the aspirant strives to gain control over the defilement so as to go in for the right conduct. By virtue of overcoming the indolence, he should have gained control over the instinct of anger by the end of 7th stage. During the 8th stage, he develops the capability to control other subtle defilements and semi-defilements, which he never did before. As such, this stage is termed as Apoorvakaran. It is hard to reach that level and only a few aspirants have attained it. The ascent from this stage is rather quick. The aspirant is now capable to go in for Shukladhyan, which is the superior level of meditation. Thereby he can rapidly rise to the next two stages. The progress on the ladder had so far been partly by eliminating the delusion and partly by pacifying it. The route for advancing from this stage to the 10th stage is bifurcated. One is termed as Kshapak Shreni, which relates to making the progress by destroying the subtle defilement; the other is termed as Upasham Shreni, which relates to making the progress by pacifying the same. NINTH STAGE: This stage is known as Anivruttikaran (no turning back) or Anivrutti Badar. The term Badar means gross, but here it is used in the sense that the subtle defilement obtaining at this stage is gross as compared to the one in the next stage. At this stage, the aspirant gains control over very subtle forms of Man (ego) as well as Maya (deception) and of certain semi-defilements. As such, he can stay above the subtle sexual instinct as well. The wholesome attachment, which can be termed as subtle Lobh (geed), still continues to operate at this stage. TENTH STAGE: This stage is known as Sukshma Samparay. Sukshma means very subtle and Samparay indicates here a finer sense of Kashay. As such, the aspirant at this stage reaches a very subtle Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org
