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Letter 6
43
But our aim is to study the true attributes of soul and experience our own soul and achieve Veetaragata. In the initial stages the external activities of the human form continue to be so. And gradually awareness creeps in that these activities are not the real activities of the soul and thereby that attachment or feeling that I am performing these activities for some ulterior gains ebbs away.
Here I would like to draw your attention to the example I had cited in my first letter, about water, and its components H2+0. We know that water has two elements Hydrogen and Oxygen. We are also aware of the fact that Oxygen is a gas and is highly inflammable and water on the other hand is a fire extinguisher.
Now if somebody happens to ask a question," how can water ever extinguish fire ? On the contrary it should be inflammable like Oxygen. Should water be inflammable ?" Such a question does not arise here. Because it is the attribute of water to extinguish fire and its characteristics are different from that of Oxygen alone. You have a confusion between the two if you ask the above question.
Similarly the characteristics and actions of human form are different from that of the pure soul. So the question whether the rituals like worship etc. are to be practised or not is futile and as absurd as the one asked earlier.
We have to thoroughly study the scriptures, and properly scrutinise the philosophical facts; then we must take firm decisions based on our rational thinking and intellectually scrutinise that these are the principles propounded by the omniscient ones. All this has to be done on the intellectual level.
In description of the Shodashkaran Pooja (GITECHTUNIT) it is said that those who are constantly countemplating and analysing the principles of Jain philosophy will never behave in irresponsible, irrational and sinful manner. Unless we know and understand what is Dharma, Punya ( Virtue ) and Paap ( vices ) we will never able to judge the validity of our actions and their fruits respectively.
We have to really know our own self with the help of scriptures. First of all we have to know that there are infinite numbers of substances in this cosmos. And I am one of them. I am a substance which is self sufficient and selfreliant and complete in all respects and have an independent exsistence from all the other substances. I have infinite attributes of my own.
But since the soul is non material and cannot be seen or perceived by the sensory organs its attributes are also not visible to us.
