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8-9. The ignorant thinks the soul encased in the body of a man to be a man, in that of a bird to be a bird, in that of a god to be a god, in that of an inhabitant of the infernal regions to be one belonging to the infernal regione. The soul, however, never of itself,x becomes any of these, for, his intelligence and power are infinite, he is capable of being known only to himself, and remains eternally un, affected.
10. The ignorant argues from his body to the body of others, and though occupied by the supreme soul, regards that dead mass alone as the real soul of the man.
11. Thus, these, not knowing the real soul, from reasonings like these, become still further deluded in regarding different bodies as child, wife, and so on.
12. In this wise is engendered and nourished the latent power called avidyâ, by the force
x Of itself'i, e, the soul never takes on any form, is never affected by anything; it is only the forms of conditions imposed by karma that present it in the variety of forms described.
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