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I am the Soul
बंध मोक्ष छे कल्पना, भाखे वाणी मांही,
at had9141, Yufinit at sifa .....4
These beings embroiled in the talk of wizened wisdom may be loudly discussing the fundamentals of the Soul and its related matters; they may even be claiming to be the sole authority on the subject of the Soul; they may even be authoritatively tabling the definitions of the nine tattvas including Jiva and the six dravyas; yet their irrationality remains. They are far removed from the truth. They are lost in the darkness of ignorance about the being and its true nature.
They keep saying that the Soul is independent. That it is a substance which is eternally pure. That it cannot be bound nor can it be freed. That all these are just the figments of our imagination. That the soul is in its true accomplished form - siddha svarupa. That their soul is just like the soul of the Siddha and hence they move about amongst us proclaiming “I am Siddha myself while the truth is that they have hardly experienced the nature of the Self.
All these beliefs, although they are true in view of the niscaya naya, they need to be considered in view of the vyavahara naya of the Soul residing in the body. As long as the jiva is not totally free of karma, is bound by karma, it has to go through the cycle of birth and death. It is bound by several ties to this material world. A soul residing in a body may as well be qualified to attain Moksa, but it is not liberated as yet. Had this not been the case, then no philosophy in India would have dealt in its scriptures about the liberation of the soul. All religions whether Jain or non-Jain, believe in the liberation of the soul. Their paths may well differ, yet they have all highlighted the effort for the liberation of the soul. Hence, it is not accurate to term the concepts of bondage (a) and liberation (H) as merely imaginary.
The great misfortune of those who so believe, is that their study of the scriptures is only superficial. They have never
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