Jaina Mysticism and Other Essays

Author(s): Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 10

1. Dark-period of the self prior to its awakening: Mithyātva Guņasthāna (First)
2. Awakening of the self : Avirata Samyagdssti Gunasthāna (Fourth)
Fall from awakening: (a) Sāsādana Gunasthāna (Second) (b) Miśra Guņasthāna (Third)
3. Purgation : (a) Viratāvirata Guņasthāna (Fifth); (b) Pramattavirata Gunasthāna (Sixth)
4. Illumination : (a) Apramattavirata Gunasthāna (Seventh); (b) Apūrvakaraṇa Guņasthāna (Eighth); (c) Anivșttikaraṇa Guņasthāna (Ninth); (d) Sukṣmasamparāya Gunasthāna (Tenth); (e) Upaśāntakaṣāya Guņasthāna (Eleventh); (f) Kșīņakaṣāya Gunasthāna (Twelfth)
5. Dark-period post illumination: Fall to the first or the fourth Guņasthāna.
: 6. Transcendental life: (a) Sayogakevali Guņasthāna (Thirteenth); (b) Ayogakevali Gunasthāna (Fourteenth)
(1) Dark-period of the self prior to its awakening or Mithyātva Gunasthāna:
In this Gunasthāna the empirical souls remain in a perpetual state of spiritual ignorance owing to the beginning-less functioning of Mohaniya (deluding) Karma. This Karma on the psychical side genders a complex state of 'Moha' having spiritual perversion (Mithyādarśana) and perverted conduct (Mithyācāritra) as its ingredients. Here the effect of Mithyādarśana is so dominant that the self does not evince its inclination to the spiritual path, just as a man invaded by bile-infected fever does not have liking for sweet juice22. This Mithyādarśana vitiates knowledge and conduct alike. In its presence both knowledge and conduct, however extensive and suffused with morality they may be, are impotent to disintegrate the hostile elements of the soul and to lead us to those superb heights which are called mystical. Consequently the darkest period in the history of the self is the
Jaina Mysticism and other essays