________________
188
I am the Soul
Srimadji has explained to us the rejection of self-conceit. If by directing the attention towards the Atma, the goal of Atma is to be attained, then whatever is worth discarding, has to be discarded. There are ways of doing it. Now Srimadji tells us the surefire way of discarding self-conceit -
मानादिक शत्रु महा, निजछंदे न मराय,
ni haya PUTHİ, 3764 Yung Fr! .....8
Pride, prestige, hunger for fame, greed and such enemies, appear like enemies, and you may even be in the midst of an effort to uproot them. Determined you may well be, that you would not rest until you have removed all these shortcomings. But these 'will not be killed with your effort' - F751 ARR4 -. The effort that you put in with your method, your intellect will not eradicate them.
Consider, Brothers! A person may be very strong, courageous and persevering, a great brave. He may be endowed with the same physical and mental strength that is required for a soldier, and want to be in the army. But not knowing anything about arms, having never studied them at all, if he were to seek admittance into the army by paying money, would he succeed? Never. There money has no value. What is required is the knowledge of arms and combat. How to attack the enemy and how to escape their attacks, a knowledge of both the tactics is essential. Only then can there be victory in the war.
In the same way, to fight the enemies of the soul too, a knowledge is required. Who can teach us that art of warfare? The Sadguru. The total dedication at the feet of the Sadguru alone can offer the courage, expertise and strength to fight the internal enemies. Devoted practice is the internal warfare. There is no need to fight anybody else, one has to fight the passions of the mind. Hence it has been said -
Jain Educationa International
For Personal and Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
