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I am the Soul
359 shishya is unaware of extra sensory - atindriya feelings. Since he is living like any common man in the experience of the gross feelings of the senses and the mind, he is being inspired to believe the senses etc., to be atma and has raised these questions. Yet, the fact that he is desirous of acquiring the extra sensory knowledge - atindriya jnana - is apparent from his curiosity.
Indeed, have we seen anybody's atma anywhere? What we call as jiva or atma is actually addressing his body. We see a human, animal, bird or insect living and moving about, and we say this is a jiva. This is only out of belief. But we have only seen the body, not the atma; we accept body itself as the atma.
If not so then we take the senses to be atma. You say that the characteristic of atma is knowledge, and isn't the knowledge of all things in the world acquired through the senses? Whichever sense fails, the knowledge pertaining to its subject is not gained. If a man loses his eyes, then the knowledge of things seen through the eyes is also terminated. If the ears stop hearing, then the knowledge of sound cannot be gained. Thus whichever sense fails, the knowledge pertaining to its subject is not gained. And jnana is the characteristic of atma, hence senses - indriyas - are the atma.
Well, if we do not treat the body or the senses to be atma, then at least the breathing can be believed to be atma. For a sick person may lose control on all his senses. He may even lose consciousness.
Yet so long as he continues to inhale and exhale, we believe he is living. Therefore, breathing is the indication of his life. So it should not be incorrect to consider breathing as atma."
We are being stubborn in trying to assume something other than these three. For body, senses and life are but the three options. There can be no indication other than these of the existence of atma. Therefore, it is only prudent to accept one of these three as atma.
Brothers! Here the disciple has expressed his doubts. The Gurudev will offer clarifications later. But do consider! How
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