Atma Dharma

Author(s): Champat Rai Jain
Publisher: Champat Rai Jain

Page 15

( 8 ) to any one ; for no sooner is one desire gratified than there arises another in the mind. This goes on throughout life, with the result that when the senses are impaired by senescence, or disease, and can no longer extract pleasures from their surroundings, death is welcomed as a happy termination to the misery of an existence that sees nought but the embitterment of dissatisfaction and disappointment before it.
The usual forms of happiness being found to be unreal and false, the question arises : what is real happiness ?
This question being raised, it must be pointed out that happiness is an attribute or property of the soul, and that peace, too, is present in it by nature. It is a matter of daily observation that when the mind is strongly agitated by anger, one feels unhappy, with the whole body shaking and the features distorted with fury ; but when the passion subsides the agitation disappears and one becomes directly conscious of a great relief as if a heavy painful burden were lifted off the soul. is not appeased with fuel nor an ocean with the thousand streams that pour into it, so is the wandering sonl not gratified with the pleasures of the senses. The pursuit of sensous lust leads to ruin, and is the cause of a lot of troubles ; but there is neither ruination nor trouble in the enjoyment of the true happiness appertaining to one's own self, intelligently enjoyed."-sivakoti.