Niyamsara

Author(s): Kundkundacharya, Uggar Sain
Publisher: ZZZ Unknown

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THE SACRED BOOKS OF THE JAINAS.
activity of desirelessness, are (known) as the Preceptors (Upádhyáya).
वावारविप्पमुका चउव्विहाराहणासयारत्ता। णिग्गंथा णिम्मोहा साहू दे एरिसा होति ॥ ७५॥ व्यापारविप्रमुक्ताः चतुर्विधाराधनासदारताः।
rut a hier: Fa: gaiesti Hit II 99 11 75. Those who are free from all (worldly) occupations, auce always deeply absorbed in four kinds of contemplation. (Árád haná) and are possessionless and delusionless, are (said) to be the Saints (Sádhús).
Commentary. According to Jaina Philosophy there are 14 spiritual stages of thought-activities, which a soul, desirous of being liberated and of attaining perfection has to pass through. The first stage is of wrong belief: the second and third are the intervening progressive stages of thought-activities between wrong belief, and right belief of the 4th stage.
A soul which enters the 4th stage is said to have reached the thresh-hold of liberation. At this stage, the soul has got only right belief. As soon as that soul, begins to follow the practical vows of a layman, it is said to enter the 5th stage. Again when this very soul, rising higher up, renounces the world and observes the vows fully and wholly, it is said to have entered the 6th and 7th stages, where it is known as a saint. While a saint remains in these two stages and improves his qualifications, so that he has the capacity of controlling the whole ord er of saints and supervises their general conduct. he is said to be the Head of the order of saints or an Achárva, and as such he follows and practises the five kinds of conduct as given in Gatha 73, They are as follows:(a) Conduct of right belief (Darshanáchára) performance
of all those duties which keep right-belief firm. (b) Conduct of knowledge (Jnáná áchára) minute and detail
ed study of the scriptures, with the view of increas
ing right knowledge. (c) Conduct of observing saintly character, (Charitra
áchara). Thirteen kinds of rules of conduct have been described in Gáthás 56-70.