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PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
to make it steady at once". We have to reply in this connection, "non-attachment and constant practice are chief means to make the fickle mind concentrated or steady". Therefore, one should resort to these means. There are multiple desires and cravings lurking in your heart and so your mind remains always agitated and fickle, reflecting on various objects of desires. If you relinquish these desires and cut down threads of cravings, your mind will attain peace and it shall not loiter here and there. Thereafter, steadiness of mind will be quite easy for you. Second means as mentioned above is constant practice. If you observe spiritual study, (samayik) daily and continue it further, without break, then your mind will acquire peace very soon and it will not be difficult for you to concentrate your mind.
We preach before you religion every day and explain to you futility of worldly affairs. The reason is your mind should be dyed in hue of non-attachment and should enjoy peace. but the present situation is sorrowful. Your mind sticks to worldly enjoyments and luxuries as a fly sticks to saliva. Your mind remains all the while uneasy to acquire worldly objects of pleasure and so you do not enjoy peace.
You worship God, you mutter the names of god, and you observe various religions rites and ceremony but your mind is unbalanced and you cannot pour your soul in worship and other rites, and consequently you cannot reap the rewards of such pious acts.
This is just by the way. Now we return to the topic under discussion.
Right faith or right belief is the merit of the soul and knowledge is also the merit of the soul. Comparatively speaking, knowledge is the more predominant merit of the soul as this merit is its distinguishing feature which discriminates soul from lifeless body. One jain saint appreciating the value of knowledge declares: "All substances of the universe possess innumerable attributes, similarly soul is also possessed of innumerable attributes."
Among these attributes, knowledge and intuition are chief attributes and among these two, knowledge is more prominent as with the help of knowledge, intuition or right belief is obtained. Therefore, Oh, worldly people, just pay heed to my statements and devote
