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Chapter 16: Guru's Exposition about the Path and Means of Liberation
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vital importance of these characteristics in spiritual pursuit. Moreover, this stanza is meant to set the first stage on the path of liberation. Since that path starts from the earnestness to learn the truth, the characteristics of truth seekers have to be specified as the requisites for the purpose.
The fourth characteristic is presented a little differently. Instead of compassion for all living beings as in stanza 38, this one specifies compassion within. This can be interpreted in two ways. One way is to interpret it as compassion lying within one's heart for all beings. The other way is to interpret it as compassion for oneself which is more relevant here. It needs to be borne in mind that the worldly soul has been wandering on account of his own faults. If one thinks about the pain and distress that he might have suffered during the innumerable births that he has taken, it would cause him to shudder. It is rightly said that the bones of all the embodiments of one soul would make a mountain higher than the Himalayas. Similarly, the tears shed on the occasions of the departure of his relatives during different births would exceed the quantity of water in all the oceans. What a pitiable condition arising out of one's own fault! It is therefore necessary that one should take pity upon oneself, and decide to undertake what is required for averting the pain and distress of the worldly life.
It should be noted that the above two interpretations are in no way contradictory to each other. As a matter of fact, one who has compassion for all beings, would surely have compassion for the Self. Similarly one, who has true compassion for oneself, is bound to extend the same to others.
There is also a difference of terminology between the two stanzas. In place of specifying those four aspects as the state of Ätmärthi (as in stanza 38), this stanza calls them the attributes of Jijnäsu, which means one who is intent to know the truth. However, for all practical purposes, Ätmärthi and Jijnäsu convey the same sense, and both are therefore termed here as truth seeker.
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