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88
Aptavani-8
with the notion of the world's existence as being eternal? Would you please explain this?
Dadashri: This world is without a beginning and without an end (anaadi-anant). The living entities (jivas) within it are constantly evolving. The living entities have been divided into three parts. Out of the three, there is one part, where absolutely no evolution occurs. Those living entities are just stored in a stockpile. They are called avyavahar rashi (without identity). They come here from that stock, into worldly interaction (vyavahar), where the living entities (jivas) in worldly interaction are continually evolving. The souls (jivas) carry on evolving all the way to final liberation (moksha). While they are evolving, they acquire all kinds of experiences and proceed to moksha.
There were four senses (indriya) initially, and the last to come are the ears. The very last to develop is ear. The jivas development prior to this, would be just holes where the ears would be; otherwise there would only be four senses.
The fourth sense (indriya) are, the eyes, so it becomes a winged insect, like a moth. As soon as its eyes open, it has an illusory attachment (moha) to light. So it dies from chasing the light. When the ear opens up, it dies from hearing. All day long, it searches for things to listen to, so it listens to the radio, or it goes to listen to songs. It is always like this for anything that has newly opened up.
As for these ants, because of their newly developed sense (sense of smell), they scurry around here and there. And if there is a pot suspended three feet from the ceiling, they would sense through the nose, from here on the ground, that there is ghee (clarified butter) in it. Now they know how to get to it. So they climb up the wall, then climb down and lick the ghee. They run around all day due to this newly developed sense they are born with.
