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I am the Soul Now the third characteristic mentioned is bereft of all illusions' - where there is illusion, there cannot be actuality. Both are diametrically opposite. Illusion is illusion, it cannot be actuality, while actuality is actuality, it is not illusion. Atma is always with chaitanya and knowledge. If we indulge in something which does not have these two characteristics believing it to be atma, then that is the greatest illusion. Until now, the jiva has believed the body to be the atma. It has developed a possessiveness for the body, it has increased the affection towards the body. If the body is inanimate and is bereft of knowledge then how can it be my true form? This contact has occurred on account of the karma sanyoga. Not once, but several times, such sanyoga occurred and even viyoga has happened. In spite of that, the feeling of possession over the body has not gone. Wherever the jiva has taken on a body, it has immediately developed the feeling of l’in it and has been feeding that belief.
Due to karma, along with the body, a lot else was attained, but that was all attained by the body and not the atma. The body may be beautiful on account of the rise of nama karma but the atma says, 'I am beautiful'. The body may be born in a high and mighty dynasty on account of the rise of Gotra karma, but the atma says, “I have a great pedigree'. The body may be healthy on account of the rise of shata Vedaniya karma, but the atma says, 'I am happy, I am fortunate, I am endowed with punya'. Thus it has been making an effort to prove every illusion as actuality and has been attaching the l’ with ‘mine’.
The sages say, all these are illusions. Atma is not man, it is not possessing a beautiful body, it does not belong to a high or low dynasty, it is not endowed with punya. All these are the symptoms of the perverse state of the atma. How can they belong to it?
Where there is illusion, there cannot be actuality, hence it cannot provide the desired result. Water in a mirage is not
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