________________
314
Aptavani-8
entire liberation (moksha). Moksha means that you will never again have any worries - that is the kind of moksha I give!
Can You Light with a Real Lamp or a Picture of a Lamp?
Questioner: Without taking Gnan, if a person says, 'I am Shuddhatma (the pure Soul)' just from reading it in books, does he derive any benefit from it?
Dadashri: You do not receive any benefit whatsoever! Without taking Gnan, saying, 'I am Shuddhatma (the pure Soul)' is futile. Besides, you would never remember Shuddhatma.
Furthermore, in books it is written as, "The Atma is pure (shuddha) and you are the pure Soul' (Shuddhatma). You cannot be all this. Besides, in the worldly life (sansar), you would not be able to do anything as Shuddhatma. That dravya (element) does its work, and this dravya (element) does its work.' - that is all they are trying to say. But how can people maintain the awareness of the pure Soul (Shuddhatma)? This is egoism (ahamkar), and anger-pride-deceit-greed (krodh-maan-mayalobh) are all in it together, so how can one maintain the awareness of Shuddhatma? He can keep saying 'I am Shuddhatma' by heart all day long, but the awareness (laksha) of the pure Soul (Shuddhatma) would not sink in! Only when the Gnani Purush destroys one's demerit karma (paap), will the awareness of Shuddhatma be established. And that awareness will stay throughout the day; otherwise, it would not stay in one's awareness! Therefore, first the sins (paap) must be cleansed.
Questioner: If your Five Agnas were written down, and a hundred or two hundred years from now if someone reads them and thinks about them, can he attain the state of Shuddhatma (the pure Soul) or not?
Dadashri: No, no! There will be some Gnanis around, for two to five hundred years. Something or other is bound to
