Jaina Acara Siddhanta aur Svarupa

Author(s): Devendramuni
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 55

IV
STAGES IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE SOUL
The soul is all powerful. It has limitless knowledge, conviction or faith and bliss. It is sinful karma which obscures and vitiates it. As delusion is attenuated, the soul is strengthened. As infatuation intesifies, the soul is necessarily debilitated. Its rise or fall is dependent on the ascending or descending order of deluding karma.
Stages in spiritual development are called 'Gunasthana' or Jivasthana. Kundkunda for the first time used the word 'Gunasthana' in his 'Samayasara, Prakṛtapancagraha and karma-grantha'. The difference is only of terminology, since the essence remains the same. Knowledge-obscuring, faith-deluding karmas and hindrance-producing karmas decieve the self. Other coverings help delusion which is the villain of the piece. Deluding karmas are of two kinds : 'faith-deluding and conduct-deluding. The first is a hindrance to right faith. This vitiates thinking, vision and attitude. The second obstructs discriminative action.
There are fourteen stages of which the first is the lowest and fourteenth the highest. We shall now take them one by one:
(1)
Mithya- It is affected by karma due to delusion or infatuation arising out of false belief or false conviction. It is a vision affected by attachment and aversion. Faith and conduct are completely obscured. One may shine in mundane affairs which, as a rule, darkens the soul. He may treat the East as West and vice versa. As a drunkard loses all sense of right and wrong, so also the wine of delusion inebriates him so much so that he does not realise what is good or bad for him. Its five kinds are:
(1)
Abhigrahika-It is to take a stand without reasoning, to stick to it and to oppose others without reason or rhyme. Those who are incapable of ascertaining the truth but act up to the instructions of a knowledgeable person do not suffer from false belief. Its example is the hermit Mastusi.
(2) Anabhigrahika---This is to take everything-even contrary views- for granted. This is resorted to by dullards who can never keep themselves steady. They are incapable of thinking for themselves, even though man is a rational animal.