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96
PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
rites cannot attain spiritual development if he is devoid of this right conviction. The authors of the sacred scriptures say,
"Without this jewel of right faith, all vows prove futile like an army without the Commander. Without this right faith all rites give but scanty fruits like cultivation bearing no fruits without favourable climate."
Twelve vows of a Shravaka form the very fundamental of right faith as the person is initiated into right faith in the beginning and then only he is initiated for the acceptance of the other vows.
We are going to discuss a lot on this topic of right faith ahead, and therefore we do not want to enter into details for the present but here we would like to state only that right faith is the intrinsic characteristic of soul and therefore you should develop it fully. A person with correct and firm sense of propriety in faith is bound to attain final beautitude some day".
People hunt after joy and pleasure. Some seek pleasure in eating and drinking, some in singing and dancing, some in gold and woman, some in power and pomp. But this is all illusion. It is simply a miraze. All these entities bear no pleasure. They have no power to provide pleasure. You know well, about the musk-deer. It is infatuated with fragrance of musk lieing concealed in its own navel. To seek the source of this fragrance, the musk deer wanders throughout the forest but fails to realise the source of the fragrant substance. Thus for the source of this fragrance, the musk deer wanders throughout the forest but fails to realise the source of the fragrant substance. Thus, the source of pleasure flows within yourself and you hunt for it somewhere without; so how would you obtain it? You believe that there is pleasure in eating and drinking, dancing and singing and that is why they are pleasant for you. It means that the pleasure does not lie in eating and drinking or in dancing or singing, but it lies in your belief. If some, day, your belief is changed, then nothing from this would get you pleasure. A man suffering from bile would not love dishes loaded with sweet-meats. He would request you to remove them from his sight. Suppose a man has lost his young son, would he rejoice singing and dancing? He would certainly tell you to stop it at once and leave him alone. A man who is disgusted with worldly attachment would be pained to come across gold. Same is the
| SR No. | 023322 |
| Book Title | Atmatatva Vichar Or Philosophy Of Soul |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Vijaylakshmansuri, Ghanshyam Joshi, Kirtivijay Gani |
| Publisher | Mohanlal D Mehta |
| Publication Year | 1963 |
| Total Pages | 568 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 39 MB |