________________
416
I am the Soul “That in whose experience exists the knowledge of generation and destruction of the body; if that is not independent of the body, then in no way can it know of the generation and destruction of the body. In other words, the one who knows of the generation and destruction of something, is always separate from it, for it does not happen to be the generation and destruction, but only its knower. Therefore, how can the two be the same?'
Why! Many a time a person on the death-bed can feel the impending departure. He will even say that, “That's it, now I shall be leaving. I shall not remain beyond such and such a time.' Our own revered grand Guruniji Motibai Mahasatiji had such a foreboding. The day she passed away, she had said in advance, 'I shall be departing at 2:20 this night'. She even took the death vow in the evening. She was even talking until 5-7-10 past 2:00 a.m. When there were just a few minutes left for 2:20, she even asked what the time was, and promptly at 2:20 a.m. she left the body.
Such awareness comes only to a few. But after leaving the body, it does not say, 'I am now destroyed'. Of course, if one has developed avadhijnana and jatismaran, one may know when in the previous births one entered and left the various bodies or what body and when one will enter and leave in future. But the atma can know only because it is separate from the body.
Here, the Gurudev is explaining to the disciple, ‘O Disciple! That, whose generation and destruction are to be learnt, can be so learnt only if the knower is independent. And since nobody can know of the generation and destruction of the atma, it is true that the atma is neither generated nor can get destroyed. Therefore, it is eternal.
Thus Gurudev has clarified the disciple's doubt about the eternity of atma. Further, to remove the doubt from its roots altogether the Gurudev offers more foolproof arguments.
Jain Educationa International
For Personal and Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
