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TRUTHFULNESS
I
average monthly income is twentyl-five hundred Rupees. The idol of Bahubali Swami, in the village Shravanabelgola situated in the Karnataka State is fifty-seven feet in height." These are conventional truths or factual information.
Now, the practice of truth in the day-to-day events of one's life or in all other matters is the cherished goal of an aspirant. One who is successful in this type of practice is conventionally recognized as a truthful person in society. This is all about conventional truth.
ATTAINMENT OF ABSOLUTE TRUTH Let us now turn to absolute truth, which dominates in the true spiritual progress (Sadhana). However, it is based on conventional truth. The ultimate aim of spiritual Sadhana is realization of one's true self. This true self is revealed in direct proportion to destruction of the amount of bondage to Karmas, and this in turn, is achieved by removing the two main causes of bondage to Karma : (a) lack of self-knowledge and (b) lack of self-control. Let us now examine, how this could be accomplished.
The way to self-purification is self-knowledge, and the way to self-knowledge, is through contemplation of the self. In order to be able to practice self-contemplation, the non-selfcontemplation should be curtailed. It is difficult to turn the flow of our thoughts inwards to our Soul (Atma), while we remain engrossed in the outward objects of the world and believe them to be true.
One should therefore have the clear conviction that only one's own pure Soul is truth and immortal, all other objects in the world are destructible and momentary. The latter are thus unreal when looked at from the salvation point of view. The aspirant (Sadhaka), who knows, believes and adores this fact, verily realizes the absolute Truth in stages. Thus the reward of the practice of truthfulness is self-knowledge and self-realization.
Persons desirous of attaining to absolute Truth should consider, to their advantage, that perfect truth is attained to by developing a sense of relativity oriented multi-dimensional vision. This is because all objects in the universe are multifaceted in their basic nature. It is essential therefore, to develop multi-faceted
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