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64
Letter 10 This body is called to be alive when it is in association with the soul and is considered to be dead when separated from the soul.
This Atma is identifying himself with this body which is lifeless by itself, and then he is asking for the proof of the existence of the soul. Without that proof he is not ready to accept his own existence.
Therefore, it is our prime responsibility to prove the existence of this existence itself. The soul was existing in the past, is existing today, and will continue to exist when separated from this human body, that is after death. Thus we can prove the attribute of existence which tells us this eternal truth in the following manner.
(1) We find various kinds of living beings from possessing one sensory organ to five sensory organs. Even in human beings we find differences like some are poor and others wealthy, some blind and others lame etc. So much so, even in one family, we see one member very intellectual and another member mentally subnormal. Why is there such a difference ? : It is usually said that each one is enjoying the fruits of his or her past deeds committed in the previous births. This proves that the same soul which had committed certain deeds in the past is still there in the new form and is enjoying the fruits of those deeds. This is the proof of attribute of existence (अस्तित्व गुण).
(2) We have heard lots of stories about ghosts. The soul which was in human form may become a ghost after death. This means the soul continues to exist.
(3) There are many confirmed cases of rebirth. The same soul is proved to be taking another birth, in another family at a different place. Again the cases where persons have memory of the previous life's experiences, also go to prove the existence of the soul, despite changing different bodies and forms.
(4) There are many stories in the book Prathamanuyoga ( weergety ). There are descriptions of the various incarnations of one soul. There was one soul named Marichi in human form at the time of Bhagwan Adinath. After crores and crores of years that same soul became a lion, and after ten reincarnations, that soul became Bhagwan Mahavir. And at present that soul is existing in the Siddha Status. So it is proved that the soul substance exists forever.
(5) The same soul exists in the different stages of the body, like in the old age the same soul is there, which was there in the body when it was young as a child. So despite the major changes in the human body the same soul continues to exist.
