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duration is six Avalikās and the minimum one is one Samaya. It is easily seen that from this stage the soul goes to the first stage of falsehood only.
3. Mixed Stage (Miśra Gunasthāna) –
This is the third spiritual stage, attainable by a soul on the ascendant as well as on the descendant. The soul with a traceable falsehood-stage can ascend to this stage directly from the first while the soul that descends from the higher stages, of rightbelief, passes this stage on its way down. This stage is attained when a soul that has attained temporary right-vision regresses from higher stages towards falsehood; there comes a stage when it is mixed up in the right as well as wrong beliefs. It has been compared to the state when someone who eats sweetened curds. His mouth if filled with the sweet and sour taste of sugar and the curds. This stage is not passed by a soul on the ascendant. Its duration is that of less than a Muhurta (a period of 48 minutes). Again, if the infinitely binding passions of the soul are not on the rise, it ascends to the fourth stage of a soul with right-belief but without restraint. If such passions are on the rise it descends to the first stage through the second.
4. Right-Beliefed Unrenounced Stage (Avirat Samyagdrsti Guṇasthāna) -
This is the fourth spiritual stage, attained by a soul on the ascendant as well as on the descendant. As has been mentioned above, a soul that has been able to overcome the infinitely binding passion quartet (Anantānubandhī Kaṣāya Catuska) and vision deluding (Darsan Mohanīya) karma, by either destroying them or suppressing or partly destroying and partly suppressing them, realises the right perspective. He is, then able to discriminate between the self (soul) and the other (body), as well as between the beneficial (upādeya), the knowledge worthy (jñeya) and the deplorable (heya). At this stage it believes in the true form of reality and has a steadfast belief in the fundamentals. It realises GUŅASTHANA (SPIRITUAL STAGES): 211
