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I am the Soul
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manages to draw him into itself. But he has developed the awareness, the ability to turn back from it. When the situation arises where there begins an involvement in awakened passions, the Atmarthi thinks, 'Passions are not my true form. I am a passion-free, spotless Soul. Changing to forms of anger and the like is getting the disposition affected. Affected disposition brings in Asrava and in its wake the links of Bandha chain begin adding up. Hence, as I am not the form of passions that arise within due to anger and such feelings, I have to remain within my self. The udaya that has set in is bound to mature and end in its time and the Karmas will be dissolved'.
Whether or not a jiva experiences the Karmas that have arisen, they are of a withering nature and will certainly wither away. It is not necessary that all the Karmas that arise need to be experienced, need to be felt. Even if they are not felt, their Nirjara goes on. We have often heard in the lives of great men, that they were engrossed in the true disposition of the Self, enjoying the inner bliss, and hence they did not stray from their path in spite of any provocation whatsoever. They did not mix up in the udaya. They did not even turn and look at the Karmas. The miserable Karmas got eroded and went away.
Why! Even in practical life we would have experienced that if somebody is bent upon exciting us with an attack of harsh words, and if we make up our mind that 'I shall not get excited at all', and do not react, then how long can the other person go on alone! He tires out and goes away, loses. In the same way, Brothers! Our Karmas too are no different. They keep arising; not even for a moment does the process of their rise stop. They keep coming at a non-stop speed. But the Atmarthi jiva who is prepared to remain a witness, merely looks at them. Does not get mixed up with them.
So the first virtue is subjugation of passions. Once the passions are subdued the self will be at peace with itself and whatever provocation comes up like anger, pride, affection or
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