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32 * The Path to Real Nature
soul emerges as a mass of consciousness, effulgent, indivisible and as embodiment of infinite properties, devoid of any blemish whatsoever. The soul transcends to oneness.
Stages in Purification of Soul (Gunasthan) - There is a unique process through which a soul passes both in mundane existence and on path to liberation.
A soul passes through various spiritual stages to achieve liberation. Spiritual stages occur due to varying types of delusions and vibrations. The empirical side is explained through changing nature of various types of karmic influx, bondage, stoppage and shedding and the real side is enunciated with different degrees of spiritual experiences and enhancement in the degree of stabilisation of experience of pure soul. In brief, it can be stated as follows: 1. The first stage is primarily explained in terms of
absence of right faith, not knowing the real nature of various substances in the universe and ignorance of the real nature of the pure soul. The first stage refers to complete ignorance of pure soul (false belief) and the fourth indicates belief and perception of pure soul and experience of the same. The journey to Moksha begins from this fourth stage. The third and second stages occur when a person is not able to stay in either 4th, 5th or 6th and falls below from those stages due to unretained or mix experience. 5th to 12th stages primarily deal with right conduct due to unretained or mix experience based on varying degrees of restraint, meditation and delusion of Karma. Right conduct commences primarily from the 5th stage and manifests fully in the 12th stage where there is complete absence of all passions and conduct deluding karmic particles.
