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THE SEVEN TATTVAS
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5.12.4 Pratimas : Based on the degree of right faith, right knowledge and right conduct acquired by a householder, he is graded into eleven stages or pratimas. Since it may be difficult to follow the entire code of conduct, as given above, all atonce, these eleven stages have been so designed that one can start in a small way and may go on higher stages as more and more self control and spiritual power develops.
The right conduct, as described above, should be taken merely as illustrative and it is not possible to include all the situations in which one has to act. The underlying idea is that a conduct is right if it results in reducing our passions (causes of sin), gives control over senses, does not cause injury or inconvenience to others and does not exhibit laziness on our part. As the conduct gets improved, secondary causes of sin are also taken care of. As such, eating food which contains multi-one-sensed life e. g., potatoes etc., is also left. Restriction is also placed on green vegetables as far as possible for the same reason. Taking meals at night is also left out, as not only at night innumerable small insects fall in the food and get consumed inspite of all care, (thus resulting in avoidable himsa and even being harmful to health in may cases,) bųt discipline of the body requires that there should be some time free from attending to its needs and thus having a undisturbed period for spiritual needs. It can easily be available at night if work connected with meals is avoided. It is a sort of tapa. Mahatma Gandhi used to follow most of the above conduct inspite of his being involved in political and social struggles of the highest order. Infact, this conduct was the cause of his success and it raised his personality to the highest plane in this world. It will, therefore, be wrong to say that such a conduct is not possible in the present times and will interfere in our worldly pursuits. It only shows our weakness of will, unwillingness to control passions or to renounce worldly pleasures or a lack of faith in the philosophy behind the conduct.
After a man has perfected the householder's conduct and reached the eleventh Pratima, he is fit to start on the journey leading to Freedom and Immortality.
5.12.5 The 14 Spiritual Stages : All living beings can be classified into 14 groups depending upon the spiritual uplift of their soul i.e., freedom from passions and the resulting ability to free itself from karma prakritis. The 14 stages are : 1. Mithyatva (wrong belief, delusion) : Here the soul is engro
ssed in complete darkness and has no faith in the right path
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