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The chapter on Sapta-tika is the first among those that deal with the seven stages of the soul's progress (guna-sthana). The first stage of bondage (bandha) is to the hellish existence (naraka-ayu), which is possible only in the state of false belief (mithya-drishti). The second stage of bondage is to the animal existence (tiryancha-ayu), which extends up to the second guna-sthana. Therefore, the second stage of bondage (bhang) occurs in the two guna-sthana of false belief (mithya-drishti) and the state of being attached to worldly pleasures (sasadan). The third stage of bondage also occurs in the guna-sthana of false belief and the state of being attached to worldly pleasures, because humans, like those in the animal realm, are bound to the human existence (manushya-ayu) up to the second guna-sthana. The fourth stage of bondage occurs in six guna-sthana, from the second guna-sthana to the seventh guna-sthana of perfect restraint (aprammat-samyata), excluding the mixed guna-sthana. This is because the bondage to the heavenly existence (deva-ayu) in the human realm is found up to the guna-sthana of perfect restraint.
There are four stages of bondage during the period of upward bondage (uparasambandha-kala): 1. The emergence of the human existence and the presence of the hellish-human existence, 2. The emergence of the human existence and the presence of the animal-human existence, 3. The emergence of the human existence and the presence of the human-human existence, and 4. The emergence of the human existence and the presence of the heavenly-human existence. The first three stages of bondage are found up to the seventh guna-sthana of perfect restraint. This is because, although the bondage to the hellish existence occurs in the first guna-sthana, the bondage to the animal existence occurs up to the second guna-sthana, and similarly, the bondage to the human existence also occurs up to the second guna-sthana, yet after being bound, such beings may adopt restraint (samyama), but they do not ascend in the hierarchy (shreni-aroha). Therefore, in comparison to upward bondage, the presence of the hellish, animal, and human existences is indicated up to the guna-sthana of perfect restraint. The fourth stage of bondage is possible up to the eleventh guna-sthana, because a human who has been bound to the heavenly existence can ascend in the hierarchy of subduing passions (upashama-shreni). Thus, in the human realm, there are a total of nine stages of bondage in relation to non-bondage (abandha), bondage (bandha), and upward bondage (uparasambandha), according to the karma of lifespan (ayukarma).