The Victors and the Vanquished
By D. S. Baya
Summary
The article "The Victors and the Vanquished" by D.S. Bayas 'Sreyas' explores the inner spiritual battle that living beings must fight to achieve emancipation and liberation from worldly transmigration and its attendant pain and misery. The author argues that while the external struggle for existence is evident to the senses, the inner battle against the spirit's enemies is often overlooked by most, though it is the primary focus for the spiritually inclined. The essay outlines the parameters of this internal conflict and the means by which the spirit can emerge victorious. The primary enemies of the spirit are identified as passions, or *kasaya*, specifically anger, conceit, deceit, and greed, which disturb mental equilibrium and force individuals to act against good sense. The author describes a chain reaction where greed leads to deceit, successful deceit fosters conceit, and failed deceit results in anger. These passions operate at four levels of increasing persistence: transient passions, persistent passions that hinder complete renunciation, more persistent passions that hinder even partial renunciation, and the most persistent, infinitely bonding passions. The text cites religious lore and examples, such as lines drawn on water, sand, clay, and stone, to illustrate the fleeting or permanent nature of these passionate states and their impact on an individual's ability to practice renunciation. Beyond passions, the article discusses the delusion wrought by attachment and aversion, which clouds judgment and leads to false vision. The vanquished are those who succumb to these passions and delusions, failing to realize their faults or atone for their actions, thereby remaining trapped in the worldly pit. In contrast, the victors are those who follow the path propounded by the *Jina* seers, or *Tirthankaras*, such as Bhagvan Mahavira. The victorious formula involves achieving dispassion, which prevents the binding of new karma, and following the liberating quartet of right vision, right knowledge, right conduct, and penance. This path ultimately leads to the destruction of delusion, the attainment of *Siddhaloka*, and spiritual liberation. The article references several Jain scriptures, including the *Dasavaikalika*, *Uttaradhyayana Sutra*, *Samaraiccakaha* by Haribhadrasuri, and the *Tattvarthasutra*, to support its arguments.
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Conclusion
This article explores the inner spiritual battle for liberation, distinguishing between the victors who achieve emancipation and the vanquished who remain bound to worldly suffering. It identifies the primary enemies of the spirit as passions—anger, conceit, deceit, and greed—which form a destructive chain reaction, and delusion rooted in attachment and aversion. The text outlines a hierarchical progression of passionate behavior, from transient to infinitely bonding, which determines an individual's spiritual capacity. To become a victor, one must overcome these hindrances through the Jain path of right-vision, right-knowledge, and right-conduct. By achieving dispassion, a person ceases to bind new karma and purifies the soul, ultimately attaining *moksha* and eternal residence in *Siddhaloka*. This framework underscores that spiritual victory is contingent upon recognizing and systematically defeating internal passions and delusion.