Atma Dharma

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

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flowers for its drop of honey, so should the seeker after divine bliss utilise them all, according to his own temperament and the need of the moment. The thing is to acquire a longing or passion for the Self, for no one who is not possessed by a longing for self-knowledge is likely to seek out his own soul. And, as a lover feels happy only when he is with his sweetheart, so is the true seeker after immortality and bliss constantly engaged in the contemplation of his self.
It is this longing for self-realization that is the most auspicious thing in the universe; it is the harbinger of the highest perfection, the bestower of the most exalted status and the source of the most excellent and ecstatic joy. And there is this great thing about it, that it is not confined to any caste, community, or tribe of men. It is as open to a resident of Europe, or Africa, as it is to one who belongs to Bharatvarsha (India); there is no dis tinction of black or white with it; it may even be acquired by a sweeper. Not concerned with the artificial conventionalities of men, its tranquillizing and purifying influence is directly felt by the
* Cf. "Whatever the mind is attracted by, faith or desire springs up within it for that thing; similarly, in whatever does one place one's faith, one's mind becomes absorbed in its contemplation."-Samadhi Sataka, by Pujyapâda
Swami.