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KARMA AND THE
Every day he should be very careful to keep the six rules for daily life, which are described in a well-known śloka :
One must worship God, serve the guru, study the scriptures, control the senses, perform austerities and give alms.' Thirdly, while still on this step, he may advance to Utkrista deśavirati, eating only once a day, maintaining absolute chastity, resigning the society even of his own wife, eating nothing that possesses even one life, and finally forming the determination to become a sādhu. This is the highest step that a layman can reach as such, for if it be successfully surmounted, he will become a sādhu.
At this stage, too, moderate anger, deceit, pride and greed
are controlled and sometimes destroyed. vi. Pra We now come to the sixth step on the ladder, Pramatta matta gunasthānaka, which can only be ascended by the professed gunasthanaka. ascetic. Even slight passions are now controlled or de
stroyed, and only certain negligences (Pramāda) remain.
*These five Pramāda: Pride, Enjoyment of the senses, Kaņāya, Sleep and Gossip, torment the soul in this world' runs a Māgadhi śloka, and the Jaina believe that if a soul is to mount the next step, he must never indulge any of these for more than forty-eight minutes at a time; if he does, he will not mount, but on the contrary will descend to
the lowest step of all. vii. Apra. At the seventh step, Apramatta guṇasthānaka, anger is matta either absolutely quiescent or actually destroyed, and only gunas. thănaka. in a slight degree do pride, deceit and greed remain. The
soul's power of meditation increases, for the bad qualities which lead to sleep are absent, and lastly one is freed from
all negligence. viii. Niya- Among the Digambara some say that women can only tibādara mount as high as the fifth stage; others believe they can reach (or Apūrvaka. the eighth step, which is called Niyatibādara guṇasthānaka. raņa) gu- It is also called the Apūrvakarana, because the man who nasthā. naka. has his foot on this stair experiences such joy as he has
never known before in all his life. As anger disappeared
| SR No. | 011099 |
| Book Title | Heart of Jainism |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Mrs Sinclair Stevenson |
| Publisher | Mrs Sinclair Stevenson |
| Publication Year | 1915 |
| Total Pages | 365 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 29 MB |