Answer

In Jain Dharma, the 9th guṇasthān is called Anivṛtti-karaṇa Guṇasthān, and the 10th guṇasthān is called Sūkṣma-samparāya Guṇasthān.

The main contrast is:

• 9th guṇasthān: Gross passions are being destroyed or suppressed, but very subtle passions may still remain.
• 10th guṇasthān: Only a very subtle form of greed remains.

Explanation

In the 9th guṇasthān, the soul is at a very advanced spiritual stage. It has intense purity and is progressing through deep inner transformation. The passions such as anger, pride, deceit, and greed are being greatly weakened through either:

• Upaśama — suppression of passions, or
• Kṣaya — destruction of passions.

However, the soul is not yet completely free from all subtle passions.

In the 10th guṇasthān, the soul becomes even purer. At this stage, anger, pride, and deceit are no longer active. Only sūkṣma lobha, meaning very subtle greed or attachment, remains.

This is why the 10th guṇasthān is called Sūkṣma-samparāya, meaning the stage where only a subtle passion remains.

Key Contrast

• Name:
  • 9th: Anivṛtti-karaṇa
  • 10th: Sūkṣma-samparāya
• Passions:
  • 9th: Subtle forms of passions are still being overcome.
  • 10th: Only extremely subtle greed remains.
• Spiritual purity:
  • 9th: Very high, but further purification is still occurring.
  • 10th: Higher than the 9th, with only the finest attachment left.
• Next step:
  • From the 9th, the soul rises to the 10th by removing grosser subtle passions.
  • From the 10th, the soul rises to the 11th or 12th depending on whether passions are suppressed or destroyed.

Spiritual Understanding

The difference between the 9th and 10th guṇasthān shows how refined Jain spiritual progress is. Even after conquering major passions, Jain Dharma teaches that the soul must remove even the most subtle inner attachment.

The 10th guṇasthān reminds us that liberation does not require only outward discipline, but complete inner purity.

Takeaway

The 9th guṇasthān is the stage of advanced removal of subtle passions, while the 10th guṇasthān is the stage where only extremely subtle greed remains before the soul reaches still higher purity.