________________
I am the Soul
The creation of this masterpiece by Srimadji is the outcome of his realisation of the natural Self. He did not have to struggle long in this life to attain Self-revelation; he had come in equipped with an abundant store of knowledge and the virtue of penance from his earlier births.
Jnana and Darshan are such virtues that if a jiva were to perform penance and maintain its purity, they would be carried forward with the soul to its succeeding births. Several incidents from Srimadji's childhood go to prove this point.
3
A jiva that brings with it the impressions of its previous births, does not take long to pick up the worldly knowledge. Srimadji's gain of worldly knowledge was indeed in a very short span of time. His absorption of spiritual knowledge was also equally rapid. His early creations in prose and verse were always logical and brimming with spirituality. As he grew older, he began scaling greater heights in the realm of spirituality.
Some worthy spiritual aspirants had recognised the spiritual ability of Srimadji and looked unto him for spiritual guidance. One such was Shri Sowbhagyabhai, a unique soul yearning for liberation. Although much older than Srimadji, he had taken Srimadji as his mentor. When Sowbhagyabhai felt his 'end' approaching, he appealed to Srimadji in his letter -
"I feel my life is nearing the end. Please write me something that could enlighten my soul and help me in attaining a peaceful death in a spirit of equanimity and equipoise beyond attachment or aversion."
In reply, Srimadji wrote him the six basic tenets in prose. Sowbhagyabhai was greatly impressed with the precious contents of the letter, but wrote again,
"The contents of your letter are excellent, but difficult to memorise as they are in prose form. Please render them in poetry, so that I may commit them to memory and recall them all the while."
Jain Educationa International
For Personal and Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
