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The spiritual stages have been described in Gommaṭasāra Jivakāṇḍa (3) as follows:
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jehim du lakkhijjante udayādisu sambhavehim bhavehim jīvā te guṇasanṇā ṇiddiṭṭhā savvadarasthim 8
The thought-activities caused by the operation, etc., of karmas determine the spiritual stages of the soul as has been stated by the omniscient.
miccho sāsana misso aviradasammo ya desavirado ya viradā pamatta idaro apuvva aniyaṭṭhi suhamo
ya 9
The spiritual stages are: Delusion, downfall, mixed, vowless rationalism, partial vow, imperfect vow, perfect vow, new thought activity, advanced thought-activity, slight delusion, and
uvasänta kşinamoho sajogakevalijiņo ajogi ya
caudasa jivasamāsā kameņa siddha ya ṇādavvā 10
Subsided delusion, delusionless, active omniscient conqueror and inactive omniscient. After the last spiritual stage, the soul becomes liberated (siddha).
The fourteen spiritual stages are steps taken by a worldly soul to gradually change its thought-activities from those caused by karma to its (soul's) natural characteristic ones. The karmas of various kinds undergo subsidence, become inoperative and are destroyed gradually. The process is basically one of attaining rational perception, rational knowledge and rational conduct which utlimately results in salvation (nirvana). This process has been described in the above gathā. (Also see Karmakaṇḍa, gāthā 257 cited above.)
Stoppage (samvara) and Shedding (nirjara) of Karma
Absence of all desirable and undesirable thought-activities, achieved through self-modification, leads to the stoppage of influx of karma particles. Self-modification, meditation and penance also lead to the shedding of karma particles by the soul. This type of shedding which is shedding without fruition is known as avipāka nirjarā. The karma particle are shed by the soul after their fruition as well. Such shedding is known as savipaka nirjara. It is evident from the discussion of the thought-activities (yoga) that the thought-activities like mental pain to
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