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I am the Soul
Indeed, jivas like us, who remain in dehabhava always, must be wondering how this dehatit state is attained. “How can the body be denied while it is present? How can one believe that the body is not there even while it exists? How can one remain aloof from the pain and agony that is happening in the body? How can the feeling of happiness and sorrow be avoided?' These questions are apt for all of us. But the sages too have given an equally apt reply to those questions. They have experienced, believed and they tell us the same that the jiva experienced the joys and sorrows of the body etc., infinite number of times in the infinite past, but that has not benefitted the jiva at all. All these experiences were momentary and perishable. Once the jiva has experienced the atma, then the infinite experiences of the body-happiness become inferior. Once the jiva stabilises in the experience of the self, it does not ever want to go away, whatever may happen to the body then. Someone may apply the paste of cool sandal or hundreds of scorpions sting together; all that is taken in the stride. To an atma which is immersed in the experience of the self, these experiences of joys and sorrow of the body are totally insignificant. They do not notice this at all. The ecstasy of selfrealisation is unique. Therefore, such experienced sages tell us to relinquish the vargana of the body. The atma needs to stay in the body. However, if it does not retain the vargana of the body, it is in its own bliss despite being in the body by going beyond it.
As long as the seed of coconut is attached to the shell with vargana, it cannot express its independent entity. However, when it breaks away from the shell and dries up the juices of vargana, it can immediately show the external world that it has a separate existence, despite being packed within the shell. When you pick up a mature coconut and shake it, you cannot miss the fact that the seed is independent inside.
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