Atmasiddhi

Author(s): Shrimad Rajchandra, Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 139

Enlightenment changes the entire outlook. In that light one clearly makes out the utter transitory nature of the worldly life. As such, the worldly objects no longer seem attractive to him. The absence of attachment for the worldly life is thus the sign of having overcome the delusion. Those, who think of the rise of enlightenment while being attached to the worldly aspects, merely delude themselves. Pitiable is the state of such deluded beings!
attract the sign of having hile being attached
Sakal Jagat Te Enthvat, Athavä Swapna Samän; Te Kahie Jnäni Dashä, Bäki Vächäjnän.
When the entire universe looks like left over (rejected) food or a dream, it is called the enlightened state; otherwise it is mere verbal knowledge. (140)
Explanation & Discussion:
This stanza gives other significant signs of enlightenment. To an enlightened person the entire universe seems like left over or rejected food. This concept can be better understood by analyzing the worldly phenomenon. It is now a scientific truth that the world consists of infinite atomic particles pervading everywhere. The physical bodies as well as everything else in the world are composed of such particles. The worldly souls adopt the particles at the time of body-formation and leave them at the time of death. Moreover, they also happen to adopt such particles in the form of Karma.
This process of adopting and leaving has been going on continually. During the infinite time that has elapsed, every particle in the world must have been adopted by each soul several times. As such, the entire world consists of the particles that have been adopted and released. Is that situation not comparable to the used or left over food?
To an enlightened person the entire universe therefore seems like the rejected food and is worthless. It is identical to the articles to be disposed off like vomited food. To take an illustration from routine life, if left over or vomited food is strewn over the dining table, who would like to occupy that place? To the enlightened persons every thing in the universe is comparable to that situation. On that very account when Rathnemi, brother of Lord Neminäth, displayed his attachment for Räjul, she brought him back to detachment by comparing his attachment to the vomited food.
As an alternative, the stanza states that the enlightened person looks at everything in the world as a dream. Quite a few fascinating objects or situations may appear in a dream and the dreamer may even