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I am the Soul of attachment etc. is in the jiva alone. No substance other than the jiva has the ability to transform into the form of attachment etc. Indeed, the ability to transform into the state of veetaraag too is in the atma alone. In the inanimate substances, if there is no attachment, there is neither the state of veetaraag. In spite of both these strengths being with the atma, there is an external substance, which is in the form of nimitta. In the occurrence of the feeling of attachment etc. in the jiva, karma and other personthing-situation etc. would have been the nimitta and where the jiva came into the state of veetaraaga too, there Guru's advice and the diminishing of mohaniya are the nimitta. Thus, without nimitta neither the affected disposition nor the natural disposition of the jiva can occur.
In the practical life too, it happens the same way. There too, for any work to happen, upadana is our own, while nimitta is from another. But the inconsistency of the jiva is such that it believes that any good, which occurs in its practical life, is done by itself and that nimitta has done nothing to cause it. While it throws the entire blame on nimitta when anything goes bad. There it does not think that “I too have contributed to this'. Nimitta alone can do nothing.
Indeed, even a greater inconsistency of the jiva is that it absorbs the nimittas for anger etc. with a great alacrity. Ask your self! How many times could you remain peaceful when there were reasons to get angry? And how many times could you get active when there were nimittas for pursuing atma? When you get angry you say, 'How can I help! I do not want to get angry, but this person made me angry'. But have you ever said that the sages have taught forgiveness and through their nimitta I have learnt forgiveness? It does not take you long to absorb harmful nimittas, while you do not allow the good nimittas even to touch you.
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