Basic Principles Of Jainism

Author(s): Narayan Lal Kachhara
Publisher: Narayan Lal Kachhara

Page 67

contemplation. This is the stage where the soul acquires the unique psychic force which was never experienced before, that assist in the destruction of the Karmas. This is accessible to souls which are either in the upasama sreni or in the state of pacification of Karmas (ksapaka sreni) or the state of destroying the Karmas. The conduct is perfect and the soul is capable of engaging himself in holy meditation.
9) Anivrtti karana
In this stage, the soul acquires advanced thought-activity. Each instant only one thoughtactivity operates. On account of the purity and fullness of concentration, the thoughts work like the flames of fire and consume the forest of karmas. The advance in thought-activity and its purity is uniform. The soul either brings about the subsidence or destruction of all the 21 subclass of passions, and right - conduct - deluding karma with the result that gross desires and emotions are overcome. A person who has reached this stage has conquered all his desires for enjoyment of what he saw, heard or ate. He practices meditation on the true nature of the soul.
10) Suksma samparaya
This is a stage of slight delusion of the five kinds of knowledge obscuring karmas, four kinds of perception-obscuring karmas and five kinds of obstructive karmas. By his meditation, the soul acquires the strength to subdue or destroy even the subtlest of karmas. A subtle desire to obtain moksa persists. An unconscious attachment for the body still remains, though there has been great spiritual advancement of the soul. There is a slight tinge of passions of greed. The thought - activity is either subsidential (upasamaka) or destructive (ksapaka).
11) Upasanta Moha (Vitaraga chhadmastha)
This is a stage where the delusion (moha) or the kashayas have subsided due to the pure thought - activity, like the limpid waters of a pond in a cold season as all the muddiness would have settled to the ground. This is the upasama sreni or the subsidential stage of the ladder reached by a soul which is advancing further up. This sreni is not required to be passed through by a soul which has reached the sreni of destructive ladder. Since the soul is in a stage where the karmas have subsided but not destroyed, it is quite likely that the soul may descend to the lower stage when the passions rise again. In other words, the bhavas or the psychical conditions produced by the suppression of the infatuating karmas may change and lead the soul back on reappearance of the karmas. The soul at this stage is chhadmastha that is, enveloped by the influence of karmas other than the deluding karmas. The attachment is also suppressed. The soul does derive pleasure on account of the suppressed karmas and hence its stay at the stage is one antaramuhurta at the maximum. The person acquires the power to destroy the mohaniya karmas which have not been destroyed altogether.
12. Ksina Moha (Vitaraga chhadmastha)