Samayasara

Author(s): Kundkundacharya, J L Jaini
Publisher: ZZZ Unknown

Page 22

SAMAYASARA.
And
Thus say the pure (from the standpoint of pure soul). indeed that which is the known is even the same (as knower, i.e., itself, in self-absorption).
5
Commentary.
The fourteen spiritual stages which trace the progress of the soul from delusion to a condition of perfection are useful as a practical preliminary. In its highest essence the soul neither needs nor is capable of any divisions or stages, it is always itself infinite. The soul gets rid of delusion in the 12th stage; while in the 13th and 14th it attains to the perfection emanating from perfect and permanent freedom from delusion.
In the first, and lowest stage, the soul is subject to right-conduct deluding and right-belief deluding karmas. The 25 kinds of rightconduct-deluding karmas, and wrong-belief, mixed-wrong-andright belief, right-belief clouded by slight wrong-belief, the 3 kinds of right belief deluding karmas all these 28 causes of delusion may be present in this stage. From here the soul always goes to the fourth, and may go to the 5th, or even the 7th stage. The soul, having fallen from the 4th, may go up to the third on the operation of mixed right-belief-deluding karmas.
In the second stage, the 3 kinds of right-belief-deluding karmas are existent, but in an inoperative condition. The remaining twenty-five are operative. The duration of this stage is the shortest, viz., at the most 6 Ávalis, or winks or twinklings of an eye. This is a stage, which is never touched by the soul in its progress. It is only one of the possible 3 stages, which the soul occupies if it suffers a downfall from the 4th stage. These 3 downward stages are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd. If the soul's rightbelief of the 4th stage gets mixed up with wrong-belief, by the operation of the mixed-wrong-and-right-belief-deluding karmas, the soul falls down to the 3rd stage. From the 3rd, it may come down straight to the 1st, or rise to the 4th stage. But the operation of the error-feeding passions without operation of wrong-belief brings about the downfall of the soul from the 4th to the 2nd stage. Hence also, it falls back into the first stage, the universal pit of Delusion and wrong-belief, in which rests the bottom rung of the ladder of Progress, and from which the soul once more rises to the 4th stage, to try to rise higher, if possible.
In the third stage, only 22 causes of delusion are operative, namely, 21, i.e., all except the 4 error-feeding passions of right