Jainism a Theistic Philosophy

Author(s): Krishna A Gosavi
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 87

JAINA THEISM AND CONCEPT OF SOUL
71
Karmas bind the soul due to perversity of attitude (mithyātva), non-abstinence (avirati), spiritual inertia (pramāda), passion (kaņāya) and also three-fold activities of body, speech and mind (yoga). The stages of spiritual development in which the jīva reduces inauspicious karma and develops auspicious karmas to get the final emancipation, is called states of virtue i.e. Guņasthāna. Here the word 'virtue' does not mean an ordinary moral quality but stands for the true nature of soul which is knowledge, belief and conduct." During the stages of spiritual development, the soul frees itself from all kinds of karmas and manifests its natural qualities of knowledge, belief and conduct in perfect form.
The State of Virtue 'Guņasthāna': The whole scheme of 'Guņasthāna’ is devised in a logical order to decrease sinfulness and increase purity of the soul. The detailed descriptions of these stages are as follows:
1. Mithyādęsti
This is the lowest stage of spiritual development of a soul. It is the state of perversity of attitude towards truth or wrong belief. At this stage, a soul (jiva) has very minimum indistinct enlightens. Even souls, which have experienced spiritual vision on account of absolute suppression and subsidence of the vision deluding karmas, can fall down to this stage on the rise of the relevant karmas.
2. Sāsvādana Samyagdrsti
Sādana means that which slackens or weakens. This stage is the stage characterized by the fall from right faith. When at the end of the dawn of right faith or enlightenment, the most intense passions rise, the soul falls down from the right faith (enlightenment) to this stage. Sometimes, the soul climbing up the
"Tatraguņāhjñānadarśanacāritraupanjivas vabhavvisesan” Karma Grantha, 11.2 (Commentary)