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PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
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After a few days he called the young soldiers and asked them, "What should be the punishment for one who kicks me?” The young soldier immediately replied, “He should be hanged.” Thereafter, he called a meeting of old soldiers and asked them the same question. They promised to reply after sometime.
The old soldiers thought that none could be so impudent to kick the king. Only the queen or the prince could do so; so they should be respected. Now they openly replied, “Your majesty, such a a fellow should be respected." The king conveyed this reply to the young soldier and then again asked their opinion on the problem of maintaining old soldiers in service. The young soldier could not reply and appreciated the matured wisdom of old soldiers and the king.
We have finished with the discussion on Matignana. Now we shall deal with the varieties of Shrutagnana. (Scriptural knowledge)
VARIETIES OF SHRUTAGNANA (Scriptural Knowledge) What is scriptural knowledge ? That is scriptural knowledge which you obtain through books, through gurus' instructions and through verbal expressions. Most of our knowledge is derived through these sources. The authors of the scriptures have laid down that four types of knowledge are silent and scriptural knowledge is called expressive. The omniscient lords know every thing but can express only through words.
Scriptural knowledge has fourteen varieties and if you know them you will be fully conversant with technical terms of scriptural knowledge.
The knowledge which is obtained from different scripts and letters is called literal knowledge, and the knowledge acquired by gesture of different limbs of the body or by whistling etc. i.e. without the help of any letter is called non-literal knowledge.
Verbal knowledge of semi-sensed beings is called Asagsangni Shruta (Knowledge of the semi-sense beings).
Creatures right from one sensed up to unconscious five sensed ones are called Asangni beings i. e. semi-sense beings, while the rest five sensed beings are called Sangni Shruta (knowledge of the fully sensed beings).
