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I am the Soul
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mother say, “Son! If you are hungry then begin crying, only then will you get food!" No, on the contrary, the child taught the mother that when I cry you better understand that I am either hungry or I have some hurt in the body!' We have come in with such influences.
Why! Have you seen little pups of a dog? Even they start barking up on seeing a stranger? Who taught them to? Who taught the snake to hiss? Thus whatever specialities we see in all animals are because of the influences that are retained within.
A seed sown into the earth, starts absorbing nutrients from the soil, the moment it is in the soil, and it goes on doing so incessantly. We all know the result - a small banyan seed raises a giant banyan tree. And, not just one! It creates many banyan trees so that it becomes difficult to say which was the original. How did this happen? The tremendous sense of absorbing food in the seed developed and this was created.
Thus in the living creation of this whole world, it can be seen that whatever a jiva has brought along and as a result of which whatever variety is apparent in it, is all because of influences of the past births.
Through this gatha, Gurudev is trying to make the disciple understand - "O Child! The differences visible in all the jivas are the influences of the past births. It is proven therefore, that this is not its first birth. The jiva has taken birth in various species earlier before coming here. Now, if there was a past birth and its influences have been carried forward here, then it means to say that the soul, which is now residing in this body, is the same soul which was residing in the body of previous birth. If the soul were not the same in both the births, with whom could the influences travel? For, one soul does not suffer for the karmas of another. Whatever it does, goes with it and that is suffered.
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