Awakening

Author(s): Padmasagarsuri
Publisher: Arunoday Foundation

Page 87

69
The True Jain
People talk of Dharma or righteousness excellently but they do not act according to Dharma and so, they fall into sorrow and misery.
" eraf eft fara: ”
Dharmo rakshaihi rakshithah
If we take care of dharma, dharma takes care of us. To act according to dharma, one will have to realise the self or the nature of his soul. The qualities of the soul are consciousness, joy, knowledge, insight and purity. Sorrow impels us to weep and anger impels us to entertain evil thoughts. On account of sorrow and anger the soul gets involved in Karma and falls into the cycle of birth, growth and death. On the contrary if man concentrates on dharma and purity to realize the nature of his soul, such a concentration will lead him towards deliverance.
From times immemorial, the jiva (man) has been existing within the limits of attachments on account of the effect of Karma. Only dharma or righteousness can release the soul from those limits. As the dust of karma