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arising from the dreaming state of the worldly soul that has been prevailing since the time without beginning....The discernment arising from these six Fundamentals is meant to enable the soul to realize its true Self."
Ätmä Chhe', 'Te Nitya Chhe', 'Chhe Kartä Nijkama'; 'Chhe Bhoktä', Vali 'Moksha Chhe', Moksha Upay Sudharma'.
Soul exists, it is eternal, it is Kartä of its own Karma, it bears the consequences, also there is liberation and the means of liberation constitute true religion. (43)
Explanation & Discussion:
The first Fundamental asserts the existence of soul. That assertion is very vital. The existence of soul makes the spiritual pursuit meaningful. If there is no soul, the question of spiritual pursuit would not arise. Many people tend to believe that soul does not exist. They contend that the existence merely consists of the physical body and brain, and that is produced by procreation or by division of cells. The invalidity of this contention will be explained later. Here it is enough to assert the existence of soul.
The second Fundamental states that soul is eternal. That assertion is meant to overcome the contention of the non-believers. Most of them do not dispute the liveliness of all animate beings, but they contend that such liveliness arises at the time of birth and disappears at the time of death. As such, it is not eternal and does not last forever. Till recently the people with scientific approach used to hold such beliefs. The trend, however, seems to be changing and many scientists, including some well known neurologists, have started believing that there has to be something beyond the body and the brain.
The third Fundamental states that soul is the Kartă (actuator) of its Karma. This is primarily stated while keeping in mind the worldly state. We happen to get in different situations; some of them are favorable and some unfavorable. We are used to experience a sense of pleasure and happiness with the favorable situations and a sense of pain and unhappiness by the unfavorable ones. In reality, no situation is capable of giving happiness or unhappiness. We are merely used to react to the different situations with the sense of craving or aversion. That reaction results in acquisition of Karma. We ourselves are thus responsible for that bondage.
The fourth Fundamental states that soul bears the consequences. The Karma that the worldly soul acquires stays with it and gives its consequences at the appropriate time. Such consequences arise in the form of various situations like the kind of species in which they are born, type of body and its surroundings etc. Different situations thus occur from time to time depending upon the type of Karmas that become operative. In those situations the worldly soul reacts with either craving or aversion and thereby it acquires new Karma. The worldly cycle thus continues to operate.
The fifth Fundamental states that there is liberation. It means freedom from the bondage of Karma. Since no situation stays forever, one should accept the given situations as consequences of his own Karma and should bear the same with equanimity without indulging in the sense of likes or dislikes. In that case one would not acquire new
