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I am the Soul
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pudgala that he has forgotten his self. He does not know what the true form of his self is like. He becomes a laughing stock by raising the doubt ‘Am I or am I not?'.
This is like accepting the image that is seen in the mirror but not accepting the existence of mirror. If the image in the mirror is accepted, be it that of the body or of any thing, then that in which this image is being reflected - namely the mirror, is assumed to be accepted. For the reflection is not in space. It needs some shiny surface. It could be a mirror, metal or water; but without such a thing there cannot be a reflection. Such a thing gets accepted along with the reflection.
O Disciple! The 'you' that you are doubting, is sitting right within you. The attribute of knowledge that is in it is itself raising the doubt. Had the atma not had the quality of knowledge, it would not raise any kind of doubt nor would it be curious. Whatever be the inanimate thing, it cannot raise a doubt or a question. The inanimate does not have the quality of knowledge. Therefore, the one who has raised the doubt is itself the atma. It is an animate substance which has done so through its quality of knowledge, try to understand this.
This is like a man who has lost his memory, doubting about himself or forgetting himself. Have we not heard this one - Ten friends went out on a stroll. They went a great distance roaming. There came a wide river on the way. Water was up to the banks, it was the rainy season, water was rising and floods were likely. But they were young and adventurous. All ten of them jumped into the river and swam across to the other bank quickly. They thought, “We had entered the river with its water rising, let's hope none of us got left behind. Let us count'
One of them began to count. One, two .. and reached nine. There was no tenth. Another said, “You do not know how, let me count', and he counted nine too. Thus all counted and they counted only nine. They looked at each other. “Oh, oh! Who was lost from amongst us? Just can't make out. The count is not ten, and can't
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