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106 Illuminator of Jaina Tenets
[Lustre VI (iii) Purificatory conduct consists in a special penance conducive to the purification of the soul.
This is possible in the seventh and even in the sixth stage.
(iv) Conduct attended with subtle passions is possible only in the tenth stage.
(v) Perfect conduct is possible only for a person free from passions, in the 11th to the 14th stages.
(Note) In our note on the sūtra No. 3, we explained the importance of samyag darśana in the development of spirituality, identified with enlightenment (bodhi) in the fourth stage. From the fifth stage and onward upto the 12th stage, the most predominant factor is the purification of the conduct by means of samyama, samvara and tapas. The perfection of conduct achieved in the 12th stage is necessarily followed by kaivalya in the 13th stage, which is the state known as 'jivan-mukta' in Indian thought.
In this connection, the role of knowledge in the spiritual journey of a soul is worthy of mention.
The minimum requirement of the spiritual journey is the understanding of the "eight spiritual matrices" (aşta pravacana-mātā), which may dawn spontaneously (nisargād) or through the instruction from an enlightened person or his disciples (abhigamād). In both these cases, the special kşayopasama of the jñānāvaranīya karman is the essential condition of such understanding.
In the former case, the aspirant's spiritual journey is tortuous inasmuch as proper guidance is not available to him. In such cases the aspirant himself is the teacher. As a result, he has to pass through what is called the state of vibhanga jñāna attained by a long course of penances, the vibhanga jñāna ultimately changing into avadhi at a certain stage. His spiritual journey is now straightforward. The aspirant of the second category reaches this state directly on account of the initial advantage derived from the spiritual master's instructions.
The role of knowledge practically ends here.
६. अहिंसा सत्यमस्तेयं ब्रह्मचर्यमपरिग्रहश्च महावतम् ।
मनोवाक्कायकृतकारितानुमत्या हिंसा-असत्य-स्तेय-अब्रह्म-परिग्रहेभ्यो
विरतिर्महाव्रतम् । 6. ahimsā satyam asteyam brahmacaryam aparigrahaś ca mahāvratam.
manovākkāyakstakāritānumatyā hiṁsā-asatya-steya-abrahma-parigrahebhyo viratir mahāvratam.
(Aph.) The great vows are non-injury, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy and non-possession. (VI)
(Gloss) The great vows consist in abstinence from injury, untruth,
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