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 65

I am the Soul
Invocation i.e. Mangalacharun derives from Mangal. Mangal in turn is derived from ‘mam' () and gaľ (T) which mean ‘sins? and melt’ respectively. Hence, mangal means the melting away of sins. Salutation to one's deity is a mark of humility, and humility is a penance in itself, whereby our Karma withers away. The beauty of the invocation is in the fact that the work that follows naturally gets dedicated to the great Preceptor, and the author's ego, which in itself is a great hurdle, slowly effaces itself.
Thus praying, so that the 'Almasiddhi Shastra' be completed without any impediment, Srimadji begins -
जे स्वरूप समज्या विना,
Swarupa (true original form) of what? A soul in its several births, has perceived through its senses, seen, recognised and tried to understand the worldly objects infinite number of times. But never has it made an effort to understand the Self? How is the Self? What is the real nature of the Self? Understanding a thing in its original form and substance amounts to gaining True Knowledge. Soul is such a thing, merely understanding which does not suffice; understanding it in its correct form and real nature is knowledge.
The real nature of the soul is pure consciousness. It is independent and alone, absolutely by itself. If this is realised, then the misconstruing of body as soul will be avoided. This misconstruing of body as soul is the fundamental delusion. It is self-deception, sheer ignorance, a sin in itself and also the root cause of all sins. A being mistakes the body for soul, and then undergoes pleasures and pains of the body as if they were being inflicted on the soul. In this ignorance, the being gets preoccupied with securing such sensual pleasures and avoiding the pains. This ignorant pursuit naturally nurtures a sinful nature. Indulgence or the satisfaction of the demands of the five senses, is rooted in the ego and it is this ego and the egocentric desires that drive a being into sinful acts without hesitation. Then there is only a vicious cycle.