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Introduction
soul. In the second stage, that is during V. S. 1942 to V. S. 1946 Śrîmad experiences the existence of soul and after conducting a comparative study of Indian Philosophies and religions he leans towards Jainism. He is also developing detachment from worldly life. In the third stage, i.e. from V. S. 1947 to 1951, for the first time he has a direct experience of ātman as separate from body. This is called samakita or samyaktva. He now ardently desires to give up worldly life and become nirgrantha muni. However his fight with external ūpādhi becomes quite active here. So this stage is marked with terrific battle or conflict between the two opposite forces. He feels like assuming the role of religious teacher for which renouncing worldly life and becoming a monk is the precondition. Though externally he is a householder of the fourth spiritual stage (guņasthāna), internally he has reached the seventh spiritual stage of a monk called apramatta saniyata guṇasthāna. While in the fourth and the last stage of his spiritual development covering the period from V. S. 1952 to V. S. 1957 when he passed away, he almost overcame upādhi. But alas ! before reaching the culmination of the spiritual development, that is perfect vītarāgatā and Kevala jñāna, the span of his life was abruptly cut short and he met a premature death because of extreme weakness, when he was on
