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ઇષ્ટોપદેશ The Struggle of Life
31. The great struggle of worldly life, Against pain, wants and ignorance, Is struggle against the physical bonds, Forged by foolish whims of self. 62
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Self and matter both are real, But differ in roles of cosmic plan, The one is subject, object other, To cast in forms the inner dreams. 63
The self is whole of space and time, Of charms, of beauty, joy and light, While matter is dark, dull, decaying, Ever on move for new combines. 64 Though highest charming truth is self, through his ignorance,
But self
Entangled in the outer meshes, Confuses matter with his self. 65
Thus there sets a servant's rule, Matter assumes the master's role, But self being the motive force,
It ever asserts the
will of soul. 66
As both belong to distinct realms, They ever differ in their trends, The self is astir for the whole, The matter tends to dingy cells. 67 Life is thus an eternal struggle,
To evolve freedom from the bonds,
