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 soul’s liberation will be hampered. Therefore, what is the critical to be liberated is to win the control over the passions where one’s 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.

1. 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.

2. Ajin Siddha: By this way a person does not gain the Tirthankar Nam karma but becomes Arihant and goes to the salvation. Example: Gautamswami.

3. Tirth Siddha: In this category, the individual attains the salvation, after taking the shelter under Jain Sangh, established by the Tirthankar.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Svaling siddha: sadhu goes to the salvation as a renounced sadhu. Example: Muni Shri Prasannchandra.

8. Purushling siddha: This is when a man attains salvation. Example: Sudharmaswami.

9. Striling siddha: A woman can attain salvation too. (Digambar sect does not believe that woman can get salvation) Example: Chandanbala, Mrugavatiji, etc.

10. Napusankling siddha: Jains also believe that even a person with neutral gender can attain salvation: Example. Gangeyamuni.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. Ek Siddha: Here one soul (person) goes to the salvation at a time among the group of the monks and nuns. Example: Lord Mahaviraswami.

15. 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.