Atmssiddhi

Author(s): Shrimad Rajchandra, Manu Doshi
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Sadhna Kendra Koba

Page 97

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Ätmasiddhi
animate beings, but they contend that such liveliness arises at the time of birth and disappears at the time of death. As such, it is not eternal and does not last forever. Till recently, people with scientific approach used to hold such a belief. The trend, however, seems to be changing and many scientists, including a few well known neurologists, have started believing that there has to be something beyond the body and the brain.
The third Fundamental states that the soul is the Karta (doer or actuator) of its Karma. This is primarily stated while keeping in mind the worldly soul. We all are in the midst of different situations, some favorable and some unfavorable. We are used to experience a sense of pleasure and happiness by the favorable situations and a sense of pain and unhappiness by the unfavorable ones. In reality, no situation is capable of giving happiness or unhappiness. We are merely used to reacting to different situations with a sense of craving or aversion. That reaction results in acquisition of Karma, and we ourselves are responsible for that.
The fourth Fundamental states that the soul bears the consequences. The Karma that the worldly soul acquires stays with it and gives its consequences at the appropriate time. Such consequences are in the form of getting various situations including the nature of species, type of body, and its surroundings. Different situations thus occur from time to time depending upon the type of Karma, which becomes operative. In those situations the soul reacts with either craving or aversion and thereby it acquires new Karma. The worldly cycle thus continues.
The fifth Fundamental states that there is liberation. It means freedom from the bondage of Karma. Since no situation stays forever, every soul should accept the given situations as consequences of its own Karma and should bear the same with equanimity without indulging in the sense of likes or dislikes. In