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PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
bell on the cow's neck. Resort to such preceptors does not secure spiritual knowledge.
THE IDEAL PRECEPTOR
Who could be the ideal preceptor ? "Kalikala Sarvagna" Shri Hemachandracharya replies to this query in Yogashastra. Ideal preceptors can only be those who observe five great Vows, who possess great power of endurance and fortitude, who can withstand twenty-two kinds of obstacles in their path of asceticism and who maintain themselves only on begging arms. They do not maintain a kitchen nor do they cook themselves, they are constantly engaged in "Samayika" (Religious Practice). They possess equanimity of mind, who bear neither favour nor contempt for any one, who preach religion and who propagate the path of charity and non-violence enunciated by the omniscient lords for the welfare of all beings.
Such preceptors as described above are compared with a cow, a friend, a brother, a father, a mother or the wish fulfilling tree by the authors of the Sacred Scriptures. Moreover, they should be capable of imparting genuine self-knowledge and upholding you from the worldly bondage.
SELF KNOWLEDGE NOT AVAILABLE MERELY FROM BOOKS
Some believe that it is not necessary to approach a preceptor for acquiring self-knowledge. One can attain self-knowledge by reading books on philosophy at home, but this is a great blunder. Knowledge derived merely from books is incomplete and as the great authors on religion say that such knowledge does not impart distinction like an illegitimate child. How many persons attain self-knowledge by merely reading books ? At the same time one should not mean that we intend to prohibit reading of books or we object to the study of books on philosophy and religion. Readings of such books is called self-study, and it helps the destruction of Karmas performed by the soul previously. We on the contrary hold that it is erroneous to believe that self-knowledge can be had by merely reading books.
If books contain certain matter represented in a typical manner, then, such matter would not be easily understandable by the
