________________ such a hurry to meet the ocean?" The river replied, "I feel a constant attraction towards the ocean." She wanted to reach the sky and attain great heights. She was told by the great ascetics that, to reach the sky, she should merge with the ocean. Thus, she felt that the ocean was her only support and became restless in order to merge with it. Why is this so? Why is the river so strongly attracted? What is the reason for her tremendous speed? When the soul begins its journey towards the Supreme Divine Soul, why does it experience Samveg? When a river branches into its tributaries, its speed decreases. Similarly when seekers branch off, their speed decreases. Those without steady thoughts split whereas dedicated seekers do not branch off. They are as solid as a rock. Their direction and goal is fixed. When the soul moves with speed towards Parmatma, a longing for salvation is born. Longing for salvation (Samveg bhaav) is the dedication and vigor to move ahead towards a single direction with the sole aim of meeting Parmatma. These are Parmatma's valuable golden words. The Gandhar Bhagvants (disciples of the Tirthankar's) have chiseled ornaments to these golden words of Parmatma. If these ornaments are easily available to us as a gift, should we not have a longing to possess them and make them our own, at the earliest? U 13 -
