Spiritual Stages or Stations of Shedding off the Karmas (Nirjarā)

When there is development of gradual purity of volitions due to factors like proper time etc., Any liberatable, five-sensed mind-endowed and completioned individual sheds the major part of karmas off while ascending the ladder of the spiritual stages of low-tended, unprecedented and similar volitions. This is detailed as below :

1.In the first instance, the same living being becomes right-faithed on getting the proper opportunity for the acquirement of the first type of righteousness and sheds the karmas innumerable times more than the earlier shedding.

This karmic shedding has been admitted to be innumerable times more than the living beings with acquirement of causes for subtending the earlier righteousnes.

2.Again, the same living being has innumerable times karmic shedding while becoming a partially avowed votary due to destruction-cum-subsidence of partial renunciation obscuring passion-a karmic subspecies of conduct deluding karma.

3.Again, the same living being has innumerable times karmic shedding while becoming an abstinent one due to the total conduct acquired on account of the destmction-cum-subsidence of total renunciation-obscuring karma.

4.Again, the same living being has innumerable times karmic shedding with respect to the votary when he dissociates the infinite-bonding anger,pride, deceit and greed.

5.Again, the same living being has innumerable times karmic shedding while becoming destroyer of faith-deluing karma due to the annihilation of the grasses of the triad of faith- deluding karma (Wrongness, right-cum-wrongness and righteousness).

6.Later, the same living being has innumerable times karmic shedding when he ascends the subsidential ladder while subtending towards ascendence due to destructional (Kṣāyika) right faith.

7.Later, the same living being has innumerable times karmic shedding when he becomes subsided-passioned.

8.Later, the same living being has innumerable times karmic shedding while being called as a ‘destroyer’ for the destruction of faith-deluding karma.

9.Later, the same living being has innumerable times karmic shedding when he acquires the twelfth spiritual stage of destroyed passions.

10.Later, the same living being has innumerable times karmic shedding when engaged in acquiring the designation of Jina (victor) on destruction of four destructive karmas.

All this means that the right-faithed being has innumerable times karmic shedding than the specific wrong-faithed one ready for acquiring right faith. As he moves further in spiritual stages, the karmic shedding also increases in geometrical series of innumerables.

Origination of Absolute Knowledge (Kevala-jnanaf)

The destructional (Kṣāyika) right-faithed living being first destroys the seven sub- species of deluding karma in one of the four spiritual stages of non-restrained right faithed, partial restraint, non-vigilant restraint and vigilant restraint (i.e. 4th to 7th stages) and gets ready to ascend the destructional ladder (Kṣapaka Sṛenī).

He acquires the low-tended volitions in the seventh spiritual stage and enters into the eighth spiritual stage of unprecedented volitions where there is leaning of duration and intensity of inauspicious karmic species and fattening of the intensity of auspicious karmic species leading to acquirement of the ninth spiritual stage of similar volitions.

In this stage, the living being destroys the eight passions and undergoes gradual destruction of neuter and feminine libiodo,. He, then, destroys the six quasi passions through transition in masculine libido.

He, then, undergoes transitions of masculine libido in gleaming anger, anger into gleaming pride, pride into gleaming deceit and deceit into gleaming greed through divisioned attenuation (Bādara kṛṣti). He also leans the gleaming greed here and acquires the tenth spiritual stage of ‘subtle passions’.

In this stage, he destroys the deluding karma in toto and attains the twelfth spiritual stage of destroyed passions. In the penultimate point of this stage, he destroys the karmic species of sleep and drowsiness and, then, destroys the fourteen karmic species-five of knowledge-obscuring, four of conation-obscuring and five of obstructing karma at the ultimate point of this state leading to the acquirement of omniscience which has a nature of self-soul.

All this means that the deluding karma is completely uprooted through detachmental and distinctionless absolute meditation. In the first instance, after destroying the deluding karma in the last of the tenth stage, the living being moves to the twelfth stage omitting the eleventh stage and becomes devoid of the karma of delusion, and completely detached.

At the ultimate point of this stage, he destroys the other three destructive karmas and attains omniscience.

Nine Super-attainments of Omniscience (Labdhis)

When the living being attains omnisicence, there is manifestation of nine super-attainments. Due to the uprooting of knowledge-obscuring karma, the destructional (kṣāyika) or infinite knowledge becomes manifest which leads all the universe and non-universe and the all-time modes of the entities therein to be reflected in his knowledge like the mirror.

Due to the uprooting of conation-obscuring karma, the destructional (kṣāyika) or infinite conation becomes manifest which leads him to be omni-visioned. The super-attainment of destructional (kṣāyika) assurance of security (Abhayadāna) leading to beneficiate the infinite living beings due to the total destruction of donation-obstructing karma.

Due to the complete destruction of the gains-obstructing karma, the super attainment of destructional (kṣāyika) gain becomes manifest in the omniscients devoid of morsel food intake. This super attainment causes the acquirement of never-acquirable or uncommon but supremely auspicious and fine infinite ultimate atoms every time which generate infinite strength in their bodies.

The total destruction of single consumable enjoyment-obstructing karma, the super-attainment of excellent and destructional (kṡāyika) infinite enjoyment is manifest which causes the wonders like the rain of flowers etc.

Due to the total destruction of repetible enjoyment obstructing karma, the super-attainment of destructional (kṣāyika) enjoyment of non-consumable things (Upabhoga) is manifest which causes to acquire the splendours of throne, Camvaras and three divine parasols (chatra) etc.

The super-attainment of infinite potency becomes manifest due to the destruction of potency- obstructing karma. The destructional (kṣāyika) righteousness becomes manifest due to the destruction of seven species of infinite bonding passions etc.

The destructional (kṣāyika) conduct becomes manifest on the destruction of twenty one sub-species of the conduct- deluding karma.

These supernatural attainments are dependent upon the physique-making karma of body and Tīrthankaraship. Hence they do not exist physically in the liberated beings. They are there only in the form of unperturbed supreme bliss like infinite potency in the form of absolute knowledge.

The omniscient Venerables possess these nine super-attainments of omniscience.The lords of deities (Indras) construct the holy assembly and they have their sacred wanderings on the earth for a maximum period of a little less than One-Koti-Pūrva years (roughly 7056xl017 years).

As soon as the omniscience is attained, the Venerable moves away 5000 Dhanuṣas (30,000 ft. ~ 900 meters) above the ground. He gets seated on the throne about four Angulas (5 cms.j above it. When the omniscient Tīrthankara undetakes wandering, the deities create golden lotuses below His feet. There are many other splendours unthinkable for us.

At the near-end of life-span, the omniscient Venerable absorbs himself in meditation with cessation of activities. The holy assembly is disintegrated at that moment.

Attainment of Liberation (Moksa)

The liberation is defined as the absence of causes of karmic bondage and complete destmction of all the karmas due to the process of shedding off.49 The new karmas are not influxed owing to the absence of causes of bondage like wrong faith etc.

And the already acquired karmas are destroyed in the presence of causes of karmic dissociation. The liberation is the total destmction of karmas.

In the pen-ultimate time of the spiritual stage of vibrationless omniscience, the living being destroys seventy two karmic species and the remaining thirteen species are destroyed at the last moment of this stage.50 There are only five volitions existing in the salvated state: