Jainism For Beginners Level 03

Author(s): Sayampurnashreeji
Publisher: Sayampurnashreeji

Page 34

substances possesses that property. The scriptures have described this as
results from the delusion of the soul about its true nature. Attachment gives rise to the disposition of craving for the desirable & of aversion for the undesirable. These craving & aversion are the causes of the bondage of Karmas.
“Upayoga Lakshano Jivah”
Every living being wants to be happy. The deluded sense of being one with the body however causes the soul to feel happy or unhappy depending upon the prevailing situation, as a consequence of its previous Karmas. Our ancient seers have dwelt deeply in search of true happiness. They tried to explore the Self by raising the question, Koham', which means 'Who am I? The appropriate answer that they obtained was "Soham', which means that I am that (soul). They also perceived that the T or the true Self is the source of true happiness & the abode of perfect bliss. They realized that lifeless matter does not have the property to make any one happy or unhappy & that happiness is the inherent property of the soul.
it means the capability to know is the characteristic of the soul. This attribute is inseparable from consciousness & therefore it is its basic characteristic. As such, the soul should simply stay aware of any given situation without in any way reacting to it because none of the situations really belong to it. This would result in a sense of detachment to any extraneous influence, which will ultimately enable the soul to exist forever in ultimate bliss. It is not surprising that the seers have called this bliss as indescribable.
Nav Tatva (Part - 1)
We however do not experience lasting happiness, because we do not realize the true properties of the soul. After thoroughly exploring the nature of the soul, the seers have concluded that the principal property of the soul that distinguishes it from lifeless matter is the capability to know or capability of being aware. None of the five lifeless
To sum up, the soul is pure consciousness. Infinite awareness & eternal bliss are its principal characteristics. Sanskrit words for eternity, consciousness & bliss are respectively Sat, Chit & Anand, Therefore a perfect soul is variously known as Sachchidananda, Chidanand or Sahajanand. It is intangible, invisible, colourless, odourless, tasteless, formless, & shapeless. It is therefore described by Neti, Neti (Not this, not that), it can however be experienced by dwelling deep within oneself.
24