I am The Soul Part 01

SR No.: 006790
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Tarulatabai Mahasati
Publisher: Shri Gujarati Shwetambar Sthanakwasi Jain Association
Total Pages: 468
Language: English, Hindi
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 19 MB

Page 137

I am the Soul
79
understand how hollow we are within, although we talk of indifference on the outward. The possessive nature has not regressed even by an iota. On the contrary, we take pride in expanding our relations with people and things. But when vairagya awakens, affection and possessive nature disappear.
The next big strike of vairagya was on
सुख दुःख दोनों भाई happiness and sorrow both. 7 etei 7 dtai - Neither joy nor sorrow can affect the soul. In the circumstance of a favourable cause generating happiness, the Atma does not experience joy and neither does it feel the sorrow in an adverse circumstance. Then what is its nature? Sthitapragnya - compos mentis - balanced nature. The Bhagawad Gita says -
दुःखेष्वनुद्विग्नमना: सुखेषु विगत स्पृह ।
वीतराग भय क्रोधः स्थितिधीर्मुनिरुच्यते ।।
One whose mind is not perturbed, whatever may be the sorrow, who has no involvement with joy and who has conquered his attachment, fear and anger - one with such a stable intellect is called a Muni.
When do happiness and sorrow not bother us? When the soul has acquired stability. One who has the key to the happiness within the soul, does not have to go out in search of a reason. Normally a person becomes happy for reasons of joy and sorrowful for reasons of sorrow. We have all experienced this. But there are the rare jivas who rise above this and seek out the joy from within.
You might say, “Mahasatiji! You are taking us too deep.' But Brothers! Unless the depths are seen we cannot scale the heights. We have heard enough shop-talk. Now if the soul has to be elevated, then not only do we go deep, but deepest into the darkness within and make the tremendous effort to rise.