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Stages of Spiritual Development
209 then this labdhi means inclination towards the true nature of things on account of the impressions of previous births.1
4. The fourth labdhi, prayogya labdhi, means the capacity to so reduce the duration of all karmans, except āyuḥ karman, that they are squeezed in the time of crore into crore (koțākoți) years and this labhdi is possible for bhavyas and abhavyas alike.2
5. The first four labdhis are important only if they lead to the fifth, karaña labdhi. The karana labdhi is attained by a bhavya jiva only. The karaņa labdhi consists of the following three karaņas. Three karanas :
The soul, through its wanderings, feels sometimes inclined towards self-realisation, but because of the eternal force of passions it is wavering between the right path and the wrong path. This is called yathāpravsttikaraņa.4 During this process, whenever the intensity of the bondage of karnan is lessened the soul faces what is called granthi. Once the granthi is broken asunder, the soul is sure to get liberation.6 This process is called granthibheda or cutting of the Gordian knot. Some souls come out victorious from this struggle; some accept defeat; and some others remain engaged in the struggle for a considerable period. This struggle is the cause of development. The soul, if successful in this struggle, realises the emptiness of worldly enjoyments and a sense of dissatisfaction with them. The struggle continues in the
I. Keśavavarni on Labdhisära, Calcutta, 1916,6. 2. Labdhisāra, 7. 3. Gommațasāra, Jivakānda, 651. 4. Kotyācārya on Višeşāvasyakabhāsya, Ratalam, 1936, 1207. 5. गंठित्ति सुदुबोओ कक्खडघण रूढगंठिव्व । जीवस्स कम्म जणिओ घण रागद्दोसपरिणामो ॥
–Višeșāvasyakabhāsya, 1200. Also तीइ वि य थोव मित्ते खविए इत्थंतरम्मि जीवस्स ।
हवइ हु अभिन्नपुव्वो गंठी एवं जिणा बिन्ति ॥
---Srāvakaprajñapti, Bombay, Vik. Sam. 1961, 32. 6. भिन्नमि तंमि लाभो जायइ परमपयहेउणो नियमा।
-Ibid., 33
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