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I am the Soul
211
Let us ponder here awhile. A Sadhu too, has all the compulsions of the activities of a life, and it is hardly possible that such activity would not involve a sin or some violence. There too, it is perhaps possible to exercise control over the speech and body, but it is difficult to exercise control over the mind. In spite of it the Pachchakkhan - Go Glut - of all Sadhus is of nine grades! Why so? It is a deep mystery. In the first place, if there is such a vow and if the Sadhu is true to his vow, then he will avoid violence from the mind too. It is likely to occur unknowingly, but the thought of entering into a premeditated violence will never occur. He will try to keep away from any activity that involves violence. Secondly, such repeated efforts lead to a complete removal of the feelings of violence from the inner self. Then he can never get into violence. Not just that, he will not even be able to bear anybody being hurt in the slightest way. The elimination of the feeling of violence from the disposition is the highest form of non-violence.
The feeling of compassion that arises within such jivas, manifests itself in the form of physical compassion in their activity. Their external renunciation in the form of Mahavrata, becomes a means to the achievements of the knowledge of the
self.
But the jivas who, in spite of accepting the vows of the Mahavrata, are unable to remove the feelings for violence, falsehood, thievery, intercourse and possession from their chain of thoughts, may very well and strictly be following the rituals of Mahavrata, may be practising all the external customs and traditions, yet can never awaken their interest in the soul. And they can never make it to the grade of the Satpurushas.
Hence, the observance of the Mahavrata has been treated as only external conduct. External conduct is an important means of attaining the conduct of thought. If, in spite of following the external conduct, the conduct of thought in the form of stability
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