Lessons for
seniors(19)
WHO CAN
BE SIDDHA?
Jains feel that every soul has a potential to
be liberated and it does not have any boundary of the religion,
country, or cast. Jains believe that till there are chances for
the bondage of karmas to happen, the souls liberation will
be hampered. Therefore, what is the critical to be liberated is
to win the control over the passions where ones activities
are not motivated by any of the passions and future bondage of
karma is left without any harmful significance. One should keep
in the mind that before attaining the salvation, a person first
becomes Arihant where the Ghati (destructive) karmas are
destroyed first and then the rest four Aghati (non-destructive)
karmas are destroyed by the end of lifespan.
Jains describe that the process of liberation
can happen in various different ways just as we can reach to New
York from the different directions. There are fifteen different
ways one can attain liberation, salvation.
- Jin Siddha: In this process an individual
builds Tirthankar Nam karma (gotra) in the third life
from the last and becomes Tirthankar in the last life and
reestablishes the Jain Sangh and then goes to the
salvation. Examples: All the Tirthankars, to name a few,
Rushabhdev, Ajitnath, Shantinath, Nemitath, parshvanath,
and mahavira, etc.
- Ajin Siddha: By this way a person does not
gain the Tirthankar Nam karma but becomes Arihant and
goes to the salvation. Example: Gautamswami.
- Tirth Siddha: In this category, the
individual attains the salvation, after taking the
shelter under Jain Sangh, established by the Tirthankar.
- Atirth Siddha: In this one becomes Arihant
even before the Jain Sangh is established by a
Tirthankar, and goes to the salvation after the Jain
Sangh is established. Example: Marudevamata.
- Gruhasthaling Siddha: These are the people
who from the outside may live the life of a regular
social person (householder) but from within they are
totally detached. They do not have any attachment or
hatred for the things happening around them and as their
level of spiritual attitude improves they destroy ghati
karmas and become Arihants. If their life span is short
then they go to the salvation in about in one antrmuhurt
or if the life span is longer, then they take up the
monkhood and oblige the world to bring the awareness
until their death. Example: Chakravarti king Bharat.
- Anyaling Siddha: Any saintly person
observing the right code of conduct, has the right faith
and the right knowledge, and puts them to practice can
get the salvation. Example: Vallakchiri who was the
ascetic of the other religious group.
- Svaling siddha: sadhu goes to the
salvation as a renounced sadhu. Example: Muni Shri
Prasannchandra.
- Purushling siddha: This is when a man
attains salvation. Example: Sudharmaswami.
- Striling siddha: A woman can attain
salvation too. (Digambar sect does not believe that woman
can get salvation) Example: Chandanbala, Mrugavatiji,
etc.
- Napusankling siddha: Jains also believe
that even a person with neutral gender can attain
salvation: Example. Gangeyamuni.
- Pratyek Siddha. In this case person by
self-awareness destroys the ghati karmas trigord by the
reason of the surrounding or old age and becomes Arihant
and ultimately becomes Siddha. Example: Karkandu muni.
- Svayambuddha Siddha. In this case a person
by the self-inspiration destroys the ghati karmas and
becomes Arihant (Kevali) and ultimately becomes Siddha.
Example: Kapil Kevali.
- Buddha Bodhit Siddha. When some one gets
enlightened by a spiritual teacher and then renounces the
world and the follow flawless life to become a siddha.
Example: Gautamswami, Vayubhuti etc.
- Ek Siddha: Here one soul (person) goes to
the salvation at a time among the group of the monks and
nuns. Example: Lord Mahaviraswami.
- Anek Siddha: As you might have read or
heard in many stories those many of monks went to the
salvation together at the same time. This means that it
so happened that those who went to salvation together
their lives ended at the same time as others. Example:
Lord Rushabhdev and other monks with him.
Therefore, from here it will be now clearer
that the salvation definitely does not have set boundaries. It
depends on the individual capacity and the surrounding which
makes things easier to attain the salvation. As Jainism teaches
us to be compassionate, honest, humble person and control
passions to achieve the salvation, anybody that may not label one
as a Jain but live this type of life can also achieve the
salvation. As per Jainism, it is the attitude that matters and
not the label.

