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I am the Soul
141
There are no chances of finding a Sadguru in person, good inspiration is hard to come by and the awakening of the soul is not to be overlooked. What should a worthy jiva do in such a situation? The answer is a recourse to good reading. Draw succour from those scriptures in which the existence of the soul and other substances has been proved and analysed. At the same time try to read, understand, contemplate upon the good literature wherein experimental and essential guidance is provided and try to solve the mysteries emerging from them.
The usage 31Tchifa atma etc.' is meant to reflect both the Soul and non-soul i.e. the inanimate and all other substances. In the Dashavaikalika Sutra too, it is said -
जो जीवेऽवि विणाणइ, अजीवेऽवि वियाणइ ।
जीवाजीवे वियाणन्तो, सो हु नाही संजमम् ।। One who knows the animate - jiva and the inanimate - ajiva, and can differentiate among them, is the one who can understand tolerance.
First of all know the animate. 'I am animate, I am the soul and my existence is permanent'. Along with the existence of the soul, the inanimate also exist.
In the Jain tradition, the existence of six substances has been accepted. Among those, Jiva alone is animate and the rest five are inanimate. Dharmastikaya, Adharmastikaya, Akashastikaya, Kal and Pudgal - all these are inanimate. Of these, the first two, that is, Dharmastikaya and Adharmastikaya are in the form of energy which is not visible to the naked eyes, but useful for both the jivas and ajivas.
Dharmastikaya is instrumental in causing movement. We walk with the strength of our legs. But to walk, ground support is necessary. However strong the legs may be, but in the absence of ground, we cannot walk on thin air. In the same way, along with the ground and the legs, if the invisible support of Dharmastikaya is not available, we just cannot walk. Whenever any animate or
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