________________
136
Study of Civakacintamani
tollai nam piravi eņņir toļu katal manalum ārrā ellaiy avv avarrul ellām ētilan pirantu ninkic cellum ak katika tammut cēralan cērntu ninra
illinul iranțu nālaic currame irankal venta /
(If we count the number of our previous births they are even more than the grains of sand in the ocean. We did not have any connection in those births, We are not going to bave any connection in the births we are going to get after this birth. Therefore do not worry over the relationship we had only for two days [i.e. for short period)).
Having considered the interplay of the soul and its karmas and how Tēvar has developed the ideas regarding this poem, we shall now consider the process by which the soul sheds these karmas to achieve salvation. This clearly is the whole theme of the Cc. in which the successive stages of the soul's progress towards salvation are outlined through the life story of Civakan. These stages, fourteen in number, are called gumasthānas. These fourteen stages are : 1. Mithya-drsti (misbeliever) 2. Sāsvādana-sa-nyagdssţi (having taste of faith in downfall) 3. Samyag-mithyadsști (Mixture of Right and Wrong helief) 4. Avrata-samyagdísti (vowless right belief) 5. Dešavirata-samyagdsști (partial vow) 6. Framatta-samyata (imperfect vows) 7. Apramutta-samyata (perfect vows) 8. Apārva-karaņa (new thought activity) 9. Anivștti-bādara-sam parāya (advanced thought activity - a stage in which gross
passions still remain) 10, Sükşma-samparāya (slightest delusion) 11. Upaśāntu-kaşāya-vitarāga-chadmastha (subsided delusion) 12. Kșina-kaşã ya-vitarāga-chadmastha (delusionless) 13. Sa yogi-kevalin (omniscience with vibration) 14. Ayogi-kevalin (omniscience without activity)
During the first five stages the soul remains in the householder's stage. Then it ascends to the stage of an ascetic from where it attains salvation.
The birth of Civakan in this world is due to his karmas which were acquired in his previous birth. In his previous birth he separated a young swan from its parents for sixteen days and the karmas he acquired from this action cause his separation from his mother for sixteen years in his next birth.2 Most of his acitons in this birth 1 Ibid, v. 270.
2 Cc, vv. 2859-2888.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
