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Ratnakarandaka-śrāvakācāra
From the empirical point of view, souls are divided into fourteen classes or spiritual stages (guṇasthāna).
Ācārya Pūjyapāda's Sarvārthasiddhi delineates the fourteen spiritual stages (guņasthāna) as under:
1. mithyādrsţi – deluded 2. sāsādanasamyagdssti – downfall 3. samyagmithyādrsţi – mixed right and wrong belief 4. asamyatasamyagdęsti – vowless right belief 5. samyatāsamyata - partial vows 6. pramattasamyata – imperfect vows 7. apramattasamyata – perfect vows 8. apūrvakaraṇa – new thought-activity 9. anivịttibādara-sāmparāya – advanced thought-activity 10. sūkşmasāmparāya - slightest delusion 11. upaśānta-kaṣāya – subsided delusion 12. kşīņa-kasāya – destroyed delusion 13. sayogakevalī – Omniscient with vibration 14. ayogakevalī – non-vibratory Omniscient
It is clear that real spiritual progress starts only after the acquisition of right faith. The sixth stage (guņasthāna), called pramattasamyata, is the first step in the life of a Jain monk (muni) as he embraces the great vows (mahāvrata). In this stage, the great vows are tinged with gleaming passions (samjualana kaşāya) which though do not hinder self-restraint but prevent the acquisition of perfect conduct (yathākhyāta cāritra).
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