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of her child's aura. One may wonder how this is possible! Just as the crystal absorbs the colour of the object in its vicinity, so is the influence of leshya. As soon as the soul comes in contact with the mother's positive aura, it is influenced by the same.
If the mother's aura is pure and prosperous, it will have a positive influence on the child in the womb. This is the beginning of the sadhana. The child's leshya will undergo changes according to the mother's leshya. As the child's aura starts getting transformed, his life will also undergo transformation. This is not merely a Jaina dictum, it is stated in different words by most of the religious traditions of the world. The basic formula is that when a person's thoughts change, then his life starts transforming. And the method of transforming one's thoughts is to create a change in one's own aura.
If the entrant soul's aura is not pure, then the mother has only one goal in front of her - transforming the aura of the child. But the mother can do this task only when her own aura is pure. She can purify her aura by treading upon the path of sadhana. It is also possible that by practising sadhana, she can
purify her aura for a short while and bestow it upon the child in her womb. Even if her own aura does not stay pure for long, it will remain permanently with the child. Such is the receiving power of the soul when it is in the womb.
As we saw earlier, when Queen Vimala noticed the negative changes in her thoughts when the baby arrived in the womb, she attempted to change her child's negative energy by the practice of sadhana. On the contrary, Queen Chelana was prepared to fulfill the negative desires of the child in her womb. Both of them had a similar experience, but it led to differences in their thoughts and behaviour.
Based on the characteristics of the entrant being, one must undertake sadhana. The Ashtamangal is a path-breaking sadhana which has the power to transform negative into positive, and inauspicious into auspicious. This sadhana incorporates many others as well. For instance, the Srivatsa Sadhana when one is in a sorrowful state; Nandavartt Sadhana when one wants to increase one's happiness; Kalash Sadhana when one wants to collect pure energy.
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