Atma the Self

Author(s): Punyadarshanvijay
Publisher: Sanmarg Prakashan

Page 29

ĀTMĀ
The Self....
take an example of gold bangles broken and made into a necklace with the same gold, the substance persists (Dhrouvya), bangle is destroyed (Vyaya) and necklace is created, (Utpāda). Every material object in the same manner is changing constantly. Yet the basic attribute (Guna), essential character, remains forever.
The Five Constituents :(Karana)
There are five major constituents 'Karana' (causes, motives, reasons) for changes or modifications and different states of the soul : 1) Bhavitavyatā (Destiny). 2) Svabhāva (Nature) 3) Karma (Act, Karmic Energy) 4) Kāla (Time) and 5) Puruşārtha (Efforts- Endeavours)
At a time one of these becomes main in importance, the other four remain subsidiary, yet are complimentary to the main. 1) Bhavitavyatā : Fate - Destiny. The most important factor for the
soul to migrate from "Avyavahāra Rasi" (Non active division), the invisible Nigoda where a single body is for infinite souls, to "Vyavahārā Rāśi" (Active division), where each soul has an
individual body. 2) Svabhāva: Nature - Essential qualities of persons or things, e.g.
fire burns - goes upward, water cools - flows downward, Soul is conscious, sentient and is of three types. (a) Bhavya : possessing emancipative nature. (b) Abhavya : not possessing emancipative nature. (c) Jati Bhavya : possesses emancipative nature yet his destiny will
keep him in the invisible Nigoda (non active division) for eternity. 3) Karma : Act - Karmic Matter. The fusion of Soul with matter,
continuous process of assimilation and separation creates Karmic Energies, leads to cycles of birth and death in four types of existence - happiness and miseries, obscuring the attributes of the soul.