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I am the Soul
435 destroyed, but it is not so. The characteristic form of a jiva is knowledge. It remains with the jiva, just as coldness remains related to water. Just as the coldness of water cannot be totally destroyed even with millions of attempts; in the same way, this jiva even when it takes on the most minute life form like nigoda, the characteristic of knowledge that resides in the atma does not get lost.
In a minute body, there are no means of expression for the knowledge. Therefore, the knowledge remains unexpressed. Yet it does not mean that there is no knowledge. The living of the jiva is itself proof of knowledge being there.
Interacting with Karma, the jiva transits into the passion form of knowledge, yet it does not turn into passion. This is the permanence of guna - characteristic, and the utpad and vyaya (formation and abating) which is modifying in the characteristic. It is therefore, that just as atma is sat, its characteristics are also eternally existent.
The intention of all this analysis is to prove that atma is not momentary but an eternal substance. In the gatha, Gurudev says that atma in the form of substance is permanent, while transiting in its modifications it is impermanent. Even when the body changes form childhood to other, the atma never changes. Only one atma has the knowledge of all these states.
If atma were to be momentary, it cannot have any knowledge other than the present modification. If the one who knows the past and the future, is destroyed, then who will know? Therefore, atma is not momentary, it is permanent. More on this subject later....
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