________________
112
ETHICAL DOCTRINES IN JAINISM
Thus Mūlaguņas and Samyagdarśana may depict the 1st stage. Just a the conception of Mūlaguņas is dynamic, so the portrayal of the firs stage will also be dynamic in character. In other words, this stage i capable of involving the abandonment of newly evolved evil tendencie that may mar the spiritual and the moral progress of the individual If we subtract the attainment of Samyagdarsana from this stage we shall get the eleven stages of moral advancement in contradistinction to the eleven stages of spiritual advancement owing to Samyagdarsana It is of capital importance to note that the first stage is the stage of mental preparation accompanied by the initial training of the will by following the short course of ethical discipline. We regard the separate treatment of Mūlaguna as more correct, than the one along with Samyagdarśana, since they are capable of being observed even by the great majority of commonplace persons, by virtue of which the social structure may be morally defended.
VRATA PRATIMĀ: The second stage is called Vrata Pratimā! This second rung of the ladder of the householder's evolution of conduct comprises the scrupulous observance of Aņuvratas, Gunavratas and Sikşāvratas. We have already dwelt upon the nature of these vratas, so need not turn to them again.
SĀMĀYIKA AND PROȘADHA PRATIMĀS: The third and fourth stages bear the designations of Sāmāyika and Proșadha Pratimās respectively. A question may be asked: when Sāmāyika and Proşadhopavāsa have been treated as Sikṣāvratas, why have they been regarded as constituting the third and fourth Pratimās respectively? It is really a question and this becomes all the more puzzling when we find that Samantabhadra and Kārttikeya who recognise Sāmāyika and Proşadha as both Vratas and Pratimās have practically prescribed the same course of discipline to be observed. In Sāmāyika Pratimā, Kārttikeya has prescribed the resoluteness of mind, body and speech despite all perils to life, while Samantabhadra has represented this characteristic in Sāmāyika as Vrata, but has distinguished Sāmāyika as Pratimā by prescribing the
ain.
1 Abhayadeva prescribes only the observance of the Aņuvratas in this stage.
(Uvāsaga. comm. p. 76) 2 Ratna. Śrāva. 318. Vasu. Srāva. 207. 3 Abhayadeva also recognises the performance of Sāmāyika and the observance of
Proşadhopavāsa in these two Pratimās (See Uvāsaga. Comm. p. 76) 4 Kārtti. 371, 372. 5 Ratna.. Srāva. 103.
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
