Jaina Mysticism and Other Essays

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

Page 14

scepticism as regards matters spiritual prevails64. If there is the rise of the Anantānubandhi passion the soul sinks to the second stage known as Sāsādana Guņasthāna65. This is the intermediary stage of the self which has fallen from the peak of the mountain of Samyagdarśana, but has not arrived at the stage of the Mithyātva Guņasthāna“. In this stage the peculiar taste of the fall from Samyagdarśana like the peculiar taste of sweet food after its vomiting is experienced67. Lastly, when the pure piece rises up, it continues to be in the fourth stage, but has lost the purity of Upaśama Samyaktva. This is called Kṣāyopaśamika Samyaktva68
(3) Purgation or (a) Viratāvirata Gunasthāna and (b) Pramattavirata Gunasthāna.
After dispelling the dense and intense darkness caused by the vision-deluding (Darśana Mohanīya) Karma, the passionate and ardent longing of the awakened self is to purge the conduct deluding (Cāritra Mohanīya) Karma which now stands between it and the transcendental self. Only those who are in possession of sturdy will are capable of doing so, says Amstacandra“9. In the fifth Gunasthāna, the aspirant who is a householder is incapable of making himself free from all Himsā root and branch7o. In consequence, he adopts ihe five partial vows (Aņuvratas) along with the seven Sila vratas in order to sustain the central virtue of Ahimsā as for as possible. This state of the self's journey has been called Viratāvirata or Deśavirata Gunasthāna, since here the aspirant avoids intentional Hiṁsā of two to five-sensed Jivas, but he has to.commit the intentional Himsā of one sensed Jīvas namely the vegetable bodied, fire bodied etc. 72. Besides, the Hiṁsā which is committed in being engaged in a certain profession, in performing domestic activities and in adopting defensive measures, cannot be avoided by him?3. This shows that the householder's life is a mixture of virtue and vice?“, which obstruct the purgative way pursued by the mystic. Hence the aspirant, being motivated by certain incentives to spiritual life (Anuprekşās) gradually renounces the householder's type of living, becomes a saint in order to negate Himsā to the last degrees. In
Jaina Mysticism and other essays