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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
550
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailashsagarsuri Gyanmandir
Atman and Mokşa
separativeness. He becomes completely free from his selfishness, pride, vanity, narrowness of mind, passions and desires and remains always in the contemplation of Ìs'vara. When he has the depth and profundity of devotion in his heart he becomes qualified for the final stage of Prapatti, which consists in the complete self-surrender (s'araṇāgatirufa) of the jīva to the Is'vara. In this stage the devotee negates his private life and surrenders totally to Is'vara. It happens only once, at the death of the individual when even the Prarabdha karma has come to an end. Prapatti consists in the total surrender of the individual soul to God with a sense of absolute faith in Him, and in His goodness and power to lift it up, and make it free from the three kinds of pains. Rāmānuja recognises six factors that go to form prapatti: (i) acquisition of qualities which would make one fit for offering to God; (ii) avoidance of conduct not acceptable to God; (ii) faith that God would protect him; (iv) appeal for protection; (v) a feeling of one's own littleness; and (vi) absolute surrender. The last is one with Prapatti and others are means to it." Prapatti is open to the people of all classes and castes while the jñāna and karma yogas are confined only to the upper three classes. When an individual has already been qualified (fr) by means of jñāna and karma, prapatti helps him certainly to reach the final stage. Alvārs of the Southern school hold that prapatti is the
1 Radhakrishnan S.: Indian Philosophy, Vol. II, p. 705
(note).
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