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THE NINE PRINCIPLES (NAVTATVA)
We have already learnt in an earlier part of this book that this universe is made up of a collection of conscious objects and inert objects. Therefore, there are only two fundamental or main tatvas or entities namely, the conscious objects and the inert objects, but this knowledge by itself is not enough but intellectual curiosity impels us to know what we should do in our state of human existence. What benefits do we attain by carrying out certain actions ? What actions should we perform? Why do calamities occur in our life though we do not want them and though we always endeavour to prevent them from occurring ? Sometimes, even though we do not put forth earnest endeavours, we get comforts and amenities in abundance, why ? In order to satisfy this intellectual curiosity and also to carry out endeavours to attain spiritual elevation, it is absolutely necessary to understand the nine principles and their organisation, We can understand these nine principles with the help of an example. Let us say that there is a lake. It contains pure and pellucid water but through some passages some rubbish from outside gets into it. This rubbish is of two kinds : some rubbish has a fine colour and some rubbish has a dirty colour.
If we should prevent the pure water in the lake from being polluted by the rubbish, we should completely block the passages through which the rubbish flows into it. In other words, we should block the canals and then we should by means of chemicals purify the water that has been already polluted by the rubbish that has flown into it. In this manner, if we prevent the external rubbish from flowing into the lake and if we purify that water in the lake by removing the rubbish that has already flown into it, the water in the lake becomes absolutely pure. (1) The Jivatatva (The conscious principle) :
Our soul also is like a lake. Just as the lake has pure and pellucid water, the soul has infinite knowledge, boundless faith, limitless spiritual excellence and character and endless, ineffable felicity but through such canals as attach
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