In Jainism, fourteen stages are indicated through which the soul progresses from impurifying matter on to final liberation. The psychical condition of the soul due to the rising. (Udaya), settling down and partly perishing of Karma matter (Kshyopasham) is called “Gunasthan”. It is impossible for a new born baby to have the knowledge, skills and capability of a brain surgeon. However, the child can go through a series of educational steps starting from the kindergarten and applying himself / herself to become an expert in its chosen field. Similarly, Jainism acknowledges that the soul advances to its liberated stage in various steps, called Gunasthan or “The Stages of Spiritual Development”. This liberation, as noted, is achieved in 14 steps as follows:
- Stage 1 (Mithyadrishti Gunasthan): The stage of wrong believer, the lowest stage with ignorance, delusion, and with intense attachments and aversions. The soul languishes in darkness, ignorant of its true nature, and a slave to passions and illusion. This is the normal condition of all souls involved in the mundane world and is the starting point of spiritual evolution.
- Stage 2 (Sasadan Samyagdrishti Gunasthan): The stage of one who has a slight taste of right belief, Indifference to reality with occasional vague memory of spiritual insight. The soul catches a glimpse of truth but is too mired in illusion to retain it.
- Stage 3 (Samyak-Mithyadrishti Gunasthan): The stage of mixed belief. Fleeting moments of curiosity towards understanding reality. The soul recognizes its own bondage and tries to break free but is still bound to attachments and illusion and falls backwards to Stage 1.
- Stage 4 (Avirata Samyakdrishti Gunasthan): The stage of one who has true belief but has not yet self discipline. Awareness of reality with trust developed in the right view, combined with willingness to practice self-discipline. The soul may be able to subdue the four passions namely anger, pride, deceit and greed. The soul, having recognized its bondage, yearns to break free again but is suppressing, rather than eliminating, its attachments and so remains bound.
- Stage 5 (Desavirata Gunasthan): The stage of partial self control. The soul now begins to observe some of the rules of right conduct with a view to perfect itself. With the discipline of introductory or minor vows, the soul starts on the process of climbing spiritual ladder. The soul has a flash of enlightenment and understands it must take the Five Vows and adhere to them in order to free itself from bondage.
- Stage 6 (Pramatta Samyata Gunasthan): The stage of complete self discipline. The soul is able to restrain its attachments and passions to a degree through the discipline of the Five Vows, although sometimes brought into wavering through negligence. Major vows taken up with firm resolve to control passions. There may be failures due to lack of full control over passions and carelessness.
- Stage 7 (Apramatta Samyata Gunasthan): The stage of self control without negligence. Intense practice of vows assisted in better self-control and virtually replaced carelessness with spiritual vigilance and vigor. The soul overcomes spiritual lethargy and is strengthened through meditation and observance of the Five Vows. Self-awareness grows as well as a grander vision of the nature of the soul itself and reality.
- Stage 8 (Apurvakaran Gunasthan): The stage of one in whom the passions are still occurring in a gross form. Closer to perfect self-control over actions, higher control over mind, thought and passions with the soul ready for reduction of the effects of conduct-deluding karma. Hurtful karma is discarded, self-control perfected, and deeper understanding achieved.
- Stage 9 (Anivrattikaran Gunasthan): The stage of one who practices the process called anivratti karana and in whom however the passions are still occurring. Higher control over removal of passions and elimination of conduct-deluding karma begins. More karmic debt is eliminated through conscious living and greater spiritual insight is attained.
- Stage 10 (Sukshama Sampraya Gunasthan): The stage of one in whom the passions occur in a subtle form. Complete elimination of all passions except for subtle degree of attachment. At this stage, one has eliminated attachments almost completely but is still attached to the concept of one’s body-as-one’s-self. This is understood as “greed for a body”, which one must overcome in order to progress.
- Stage 11 (Upshant Moh Gunasthan): The stage of one who has suppressed every passion but still does not possess omniscience. Suppressed passions and lingering conduct-deluding karma may rise to drag the soul to lower stages; fleeting experiences of equanimity. Here, one works on eliminating the identification of the self with the body and releasing all other attachments. One recognizes the transient nature of those people and objects one is attached to and releases them.
- Stage 12 (Sheen Moh Gunasthan): The stage of one who has annihilated every passion but does not yet possesses omniscience. This is the point of no return. All passions as well as conduct-deluding karma are eliminated. Permanent internal peace achieved. No new bondage from this point onwards. All of the karma-producing passions have been eliminated at this point, including one’s attachment to the body.
- Stage 13 (Sayog Kevali Gunasthan): The stage of omniscience with activity. All Destructive karma eliminated. Recognizing fully the nature of reality and of the soul, one engages in deep meditation. Omniscience achieved and Arihant stage reached. However the perfected soul is still trapped in the physical body (with right knowledge attained).
- Stage 14 (Ayog Kevali Gunasthan): The stage of omniscience without any activity. Siddha stage reached. Purest soul associated with no physical body. Now the soul is called SIDDHA and it is free from the cycle of rebirths. As one approaches death, one is freed from all karmic debt and experiences the liberation of moksha, complete understanding, wisdom, and total freedom from bondage.
✋🏻The first four Gunasthan are related to belief or rationality in perception. As and when the soul acquires rationality in perception it moves on to 4th Gunasthan. Stages 5 to 14 relate to conduct. The purity in conduct determines the Gunasthan from 5th stage onwards. Those who have taken the Anuvratas (minor vows) may reach up to the 5th Gunasthan. The 6th to 14th Gunasthan can only be attained by those who have taken the Mahavratas (Major Vows) of Jain ascetic.
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