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STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SŪTRA [Ch. VII spiritual attainment, viz. Pulāka, Bakuša, Kušila, Nirgrantha and Snataka, 1
This classification of the Jain monks as found here is also made in the Tattvārtha-Sūtra "Pulāka-Bakuša-Kuśīla-NirgranthaSnāta kā-Nirgrantbāh.""
They represent asceticism as manifested in the stages of their spiritual progress made by them through their meritorious acts of austerities and meditation.
Śri Abhayadeva Sūri explains that a Pulāka-monk is like a Pulāka (a species of edible plant or sapless) from the point of view of self-control (i.e. cccassinally he is subject to moral lapses), a Bakusa is endowed with spotted self-control (i.e. occassionally he yields to worldly objects and associates himself with worldly people and violates moral rules); a Kusila is a monk who sometimes deviates from the minor rules of conduct; a Nirgrantha is a monk free from all ties of deluding Icarmas and is destined to attain omniscience in immediate future ; and Snätaka is a monk who is purified or bathed (snāta) from the dirt of ghātikarmas, i. e. Jrānāvaraniya (knowledge obscuring), Darsanāvaranżya intiution obscuring), Molanżya (belief and conduct obscuring) and Antarāyika (power-hindering) karmas and has attained omniscience which is known as Jivianmukti in other schools of Indian thought.
They are again sub-divided into different groups according to their respective attributes from various aspects, such as, knowledge (fāna), application (or acquisition) of knowledge (abhoga) and non-application (anābhoga), enjoyment of prohibited things (pratisevanā), passion (Icasāya), intuition or attitude of mind (daršana), conduct (câritra), attachment (rāga = sarāga), non-attachment (vītarāga), etc.
The Pulākas are divided into five groups, viz. Jitānapulāka, Darsana-pulāka, Cãritra pulāka, Linga-pulāka and Yathās üksma.
i Bhs, 25, 6, 751.
Tattvartha-Sitra, 9, 48.
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