Book Title: Gandhi Before Gandhi
Author(s): Bipin Doshi, Priti Shah
Publisher: Jain Academy Educational Research Center Promotion Trust Mumbai
View full book text
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GANDHI BEFORE GANDHI
material description could be used for it. Soul is having infinite existence, infinite knowledge, infinite bliss. It is real, conscious and has infinite happiness in its purest form.
a gentleman who was a great merchant and for smuggling certain articles into his store he was punished with certain duration of imprisonment. The next day his son was injured by another person who was also sentenced to the same imprisonment and was put into the same cell.
ब्रह्माहं सच्चिदानन्दं शुद्धोऽहममरोऽव्ययः । अमेयो निर्भयोऽकालो विरक्तो गतिवर्जितः। अदेहचित्तसंबन्धो निष्कर्माहमतीन्द्रियः ॥५॥
Relation of the soul and the body.
A beautiful illustration on this theme is given in our philosophy. There was
They were also chained in such a way that one could not move without the concurrence of the other. For some purpose, one person, whom we call "A" wished to go out of the cell, and said to the other, whom we will call "B". "I wish to go out." B complained and replied, "You gave me none of the food which was brought to you". "A" said, "Next time I will do so" and the next day when the food was brought "A" gave him a portion of it and continued to do so every day. "B" of course was required to stay in the prison one day longer than "A". Now, when "A" was released, he did not send the food for "B". Because there was no need of "B"now. Same is the story of the body and the soul; they are put together as these men were chained together, and as the one requires another to serve its purpose
We are to live just as "A", who gave the food, for a certain purpose so that he might live in his cell and move; The soul lives its own life, not for the purpose of the body, but the body lives for the purpose of the soul. If we believe that the soul is to be controlled by the body then soul misses its power. This is the way in which we understand the relation of the soul and the body in our religions and philosophies.
