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Gandhi's Teachers: Rajchandra Ravjibhai Mehta
attention, movement, etc. Soul sees all by own sight, knows all by itself, takes all kinds of forms, experiences all, and is visibly conscious. Intelligence, perception, discrimination, growth, and change are taken as further proofs of the existence of soul. Soul cannot be seen directly, but is inferred through its qualities, vitalities,24 and propensities. It is also known by comparison of jivas (living beings) and ajivas (nonliving beings).25 Wherever there is life, soul is also there. When life ends, soul also makes an exit. Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions describe the qualities, characteristics, and propensities of soul in its bonded and liberated states at length.26
180
Is Soul Ever-Present?
(Verses 60-70)
In these verses the disciple expresses further doubt that even if soul exists it is not clear whether it is mortal or immortal, because it is born in unison with the body and destructs with the body's destruction. Or, it is a momentary substance that changes every moment and through this experience also soul does not appear to be eternal.
The true teacher poses some counter-questions in order for the disciple to engage in reflection on the asked questions. He asks him to pay attention to the fact that body is born in union with non-living matter (which is without consciousness and cannot experience), then who experiences the birth and death of soul and through whose experience the knowledge of birth and death arises (i.e., soul and body have to be separate in order for this knowledge to arise)? The true teacher stresses that soul is the one that has the experience and knowledge of birth and death of itself. Moreover soul is not born of any combination of matter. Nobody has seen whether soul is born of non-living matter or non-living matter is born of soul. One whose birth is not possible through any union and whose death is not possible is eternal. Tendencies (such as, anger) in humans and animals are derived from past births and this phenomenon also indicates that existence of soul is
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