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RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE JAINAS
strong-willed enough to resist the sense-pleasures even of youth.
(18) Polite, civil (vinayi).
(19) Grateful, anxious to make use of opportunities to repay kindnesses, and the opinion of Jainism is that there is no better way of repaying obligations than by steadying a man and leading him into a right life (krtajña).
(20) Bent upon the good of others, without expecting any return, the best good being to bring them to a right faith, as just mentioned above (parahita-nirata).
(21) Having a quick grasp, intelligent, able to learn without much trouble to himself or his teacher (labdha-laksya).
SIXTH STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT
(Sarva-virati-guņasthāna)
Sarva means complete. Virati means abstinence.
In this stage, the practiser observes complete abstinence from violence etc. In other words, his observance of the five vows, viz. non-violence, etc., is total. So his vows are called great vows (mahāvrata). He has reduced the intensity of kasāyas to such an extent that they are not able to prevent him from practising complete abstinence from violence, etc. Thus this is the stage of the mendicant.
Even while strictly observing the great vows, the mendicant is yet under some influence of pramāda (spiritual lethargy). So he commits some minor lapses which do not amount to the breaking of the great vows. Thus this is the stage of total selfcontrol with some spiritual lethargy.
1 The following portion of the subject, which was left unwritten by Gandhi
owing to his ill health is here completed by the editor.
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