Jain Center Minnesota MN 2007 07 Pratishtha

Author(s): Jain Center Minnesota USA
Publisher: USA Jain Center Minnesota

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enjoy faultless happiness and faultless joy; then only one can realize the infinitely divine and lustrous power of his soul.
Whatever is controlled by the soul makes for real happiness; whatever fetters this soul makes for real unhappiness. By turning attention to not-self i.e. body, senses etc., the soul's cyclic rotation increases; by returning from it, the soul becomes self-controlled, self-disciplined, self-knowing and self-seeing. That which is not of the soul, should be left off and that which really belongs to it, should quickly be accepted. This is the proved principle of noble living. Whatever is bringing misery in the end is no happiness at all.
Stanza 4: What deserves to be abandoned is told first, now is told what deserves to be accepted and adopted. This is real invaluable philosophical thinking. (1) Ask yourself who am I and by eliminating all what you are not, realize that you are pure Self. (2) Ask how are you born? Realize that you are eternal, you are not born at all, and only your body is born. You are beginning-less and endless and so you are eternal. (3) Ask what is your pure form? Realize that you are pure liberation. (4) Ask why are the adjuncts of the not self stuck to the Self? Here think of the soul as author and enjoyer of worldly actions. (5) Ask whether you should keep these adjuncts or abandon them for ever? Here think of the means to liberate the soul from its fetters. One can experience the philosophical truth of Self-knowledge if the above five questions are quietly raised by the mind discriminatingly and proper answers to them are obtained.
Stanza 5: Proper answers or solutions of the above stated five questions should be philosophically determined as their solutions are not easy to obtain. Now is told by way of suggesting the key to the solution of these five questions as to whose teaching or advice should one accept or follow. By way of reply it is said that you should accept with unshakable faith the saying of Sat-purusha or a completely truthful person who has realized his Self.
(Gujarati:Prathama Atma Siddhi Thava, Karie Gnana Vichara; AnubhaviGurune Sevie, Budha Janano Nirdhar; Kshana Kshana Je Asthirata Ane Vibhavik Moha, Te Jenamanthi Gaya, Te Anubhavi Guru Joy)
One having no Self interest in giving you advice, one who has experienced his Self, if the teaching of such a person is believed and followed, then one can easily turn one's steps to realize his Self. What does a truthful Guru or Preceptor say? The Self is really yours and yours only; know this Self.soon and all of you fix your gaze in this Self. If all souls are seen as equal in strength and power and are recognized as such philosophically, then such a person will not be attached to love and hate. Every person who sees his own Self will easily see and recognize similar selves in all living beings. Then there will not remain any love or hate, attachment or aversion. Keep this saying engraved on the slate of your heart so that it can never be forgotten or lost. One from whom unsteadiness and all attachment to not-Self have totally gone away is an experienced Self-realized Preceptor whose saying should be believed.
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