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GUNA-STHANAS
175
The next three stages from the 5th to 7th relate to steps in the evolution and development of full self-control. The individual having acquired right belief in the 4th stage struggles to gain mastery over his passions and acquires partial self-control. He passes on to the next stage with his partial self-control; he exerts to acquire full self-control but often fails in his efforts due to negligence. He is sometimes swayed by passions and emotions and he remains in a state of spiritual inertia. The march into the 7th stage marks his success in acquiring self-control. The spiritual inertia of the earlier stage does not confront him. There is spiritual strength to master the infirmities of the body. The further progress depends upon the ability of the individual to subdue or annihilate his Karmas. The spiritual heights to be reached by the subsidence of a Krmas is certainly lower than that to be reached by the destruction of the Karmas.
The 8th stage heralds the commencement of pure contemplation for greater purity of the soul. The Karmas are eradicated and subdued and due to the purity of soul, intensity and duration of the Karmas are shortened. The influx of new Karmas becomes quite limited. This is therefore a stage of very great purity of the soul. Then the individual steps into the 9th stage where he tries to conquer his grosser emotions and desires. With the success achieved, he ascends to the higher stage, that is, the 10th stage where the spiritual war waged is against greed or the subconscious attachment to the body. The 11th stage is reached when the individual is able to vanquish the Karmas by suppressing them. L'ist as a suppressed enemy is likely to rise again, so there is the chance of reappearance of passions and emotions with a probable descent to the tenth stage. The 12th stage represents the stage of complete destruction of all passions. When the soul goes to the ; 3th stage, it would have destroyed all the Ghāti Karmas and attained omniscience. The final or the 14th stage is reached when even the Aghāti Karmas are also destroyed and the soul reaches the stage of Siddha.
It may be added that the spiritual height which a layman or house-holder can reach would be the fifth Guñasthāna which
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