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PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
285
THE ORDER OF THE CAUSES IS SIGNIFICANT
Why 'false belief is ranked first? Why attachment is mentioned second? Why “vibrations of the soul” is placed last ? Such questions are likely to be entertained and they should be replied.
Attachment cannot be removed till false belief prevails. The passions also do not disappear till attachment prevails and vibrations of the Soul also are not constrained till the passions are not subdued. Therefore, first false belief is mentioned, second comes attachment, then follows passions and the last is 'vibrations of the Soul”.
You will understand this very distinctly when you shall study the order of the merits of the Soul (Gunasthanaka). On arriving at the fourth merit of the Soul, false belief is destroyed, on arriving at the sixth merit of the Soul attachment is destroyed, on arriving at the twelfth merit passions are destroyed and finally at the stage of the fourteenth merit vibrations of the Soul are constrained.
This means that the order of the causes of Karmic bonds follows the order of the Soul's spiritual progress and hence the order is significant.
FIRST CAUSE : "FALSE BELIEF' False belief is compared with a great foe, great disease, dreadful poison and pitchy darkness; as it is the very root of all Karmas and proper belief does not arise till it exists. In the absence of true belief true knowledge cannot exist and without true knowledge right conduct does not arise. The learned scholars have openly declared that emancipation of the Soul is not possible in the absence of right conduct. Thus the sole blame of the Soul's wanderings in the universe lies with "false belief". The revered authors of the Scriptures have declared this truth thus-"False belief is the cause of multiplying existences in this world".
If false belief is eliminated, Karmas would begin to consume themselves and consequently they are destroyed. They would be destroyed in half the moment required for transformation of "Pudgala".