I am The Soul Part 01

Author(s): Tarulatabai Mahasati
Publisher: Shri Gujarati Shwetambar Sthanakwasi Jain Association

Page 79

Pitiable indeed, are the misled ones
Liberation is to be sought traversing the three-fold path of True Knowledge, True Faith and True Conduct. Total devotion to this noble path leads us on to the path of liberation.
Pursuing the three-fold path helps a jiva in breaking the hold of impious thoughts and to gradually settle down with devout feelings. True devotion invariably begets a true reward. For that matter one is properly rewarded for any worldly activity only when it is properly done. As you sow, so shall you reap. Doing anything, simply for the sake of it, without thinking whether it is proper or not, will not fetch any rewards.
You sow a seed in the soil and if it gets adequate air, water, light and manure, it germinates and grows. Yet when the soil is bad, in spite of getting everything else, it fails to grow or bear fruit. The inadequacies in the inputs will show up in the fruits. Thus both the situation and the circumstances have to be proper, only then can the desired fruit be gathered.
You get light when you put on a switch. But if the light fails to come on, you will try to find where the fault lies. Is the bulb failing to connect, is the wire cut, is the line faulty, is the switch damaged, has the bulb fused? Perhaps you do not know how to operate the switch. Brothers! In the course of the worldly life, such knowledge is gained naturally and you are always alert. You do not allow any fault to creep in for you know how necessary these things are.
But now we have to look at ourselves, at our soul and ponder. Why, in spite of practicing the religion so much, is the reward so meagre? Srimadji says -
मोक्षमार्ग बहु लोप
The path is lost in a maze of rituals. A person who has lost the way will walk miles upon miles and yet the destination will elude him. He will be running round in circles.