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I am the Soul
207
Once a Sage, in his discourse, generally explained about the selfishness of the world. A young man in the audience misconstrued that principle owing to his own wrong notions. He went home. Threw out his parents and started beating his wife, asking her to leave. He was even preparing to pick up and throw away his children. It became a big racket. Hearing the shouting and crying, the neighbours came in. All began to ask, “What happened? Why this all of a sudden?” The parents, wife and children were not at fault at all. They said, “We don't know what our fault is." The young man said, “You are all selfish. So long as there is selfishness, there is attachment. The Sage has said in his discourse that all selfish relations are worth breaking. So I don't want any of you! You are all selfish. Go away, from here, I don't want to keep anybody selfish with me!"
Brothers! What did this man pick up from the discourse? What a misunderstanding? What will one, who does not understand such a simple thing, do if he is told the serious things about devoted practice of the soul? He will make a big mistake out of it. Hence, Srimadji has said that a Matarthi jiva converts the best things into the worst. As such, even when such a jiva gets an opportunity of Satsang, it does not prove beneficial for him. Therefore, Srimadji says -
होय मतार्थी तेहने, थाय न आतमलक्ष,
तेह मतार्थी लक्षणो, अहीं कह्यां निर्पक्ष
A Matarthi jiva is not thoughtful, that is, he does not have the capacity to think on his own. Hence, there is the attachment with the worldly affairs and detachment from spirituality. The interest that he has in attachment is not be found in achievement. He considers the means of achieving the soul as insignificant and is more engrossed in establishing the attachment with the world, in nurturing it and in spreading it. He considers all the means for achieving these as important and as beneficial to himself. Thus because of the feelings of interest and attachment
T.
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