Life of Shrimad Rajchandra

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 81

proportionately given major or ancillary importance as needed. The fanciful concept regarding any sect or viewpoint cannot be considered the right practice, nor is there any sense in talking about absolutism in absence of the manifest realization of Self.
All the enlightened beings of all the time have laid the same identical path of liberation. From the absolute point of view, all souls are like the liberated ones; that state can, however, be manifested by understanding that view in the right perspective and by resorting to the instrumental factors of Guru's instructions and the state of omniscience. The right practice is therefore a necessity. Those, who give up the right practice in the name of innate causation or do so from the absolute point of view, would continue to roam in delusion and would not attain the liberation. The wretched person, who talks of enlightenment while remaining imbibed with attachment, betrays the enlightened and indulges in utter disregard of their image.
A liberation-seeker remains awakened while observing compassion, tranquility, equanimity, forgiveness, truth, renouncement and detachment. Only he, who has destroyed or calmed down the delusion, can be said to have attained the state of liberation; others are deluded. He must feel the entire world as leftover food or dream-like. Those, who behave in delusion, merely display the verbal or bare knowledge, even though they might be uttering the words of absolutism. Those, who pursue the sixth fundamental by contemplating over the first five, certainly attain the fifth, the state of liberation.
In the end, obeisance is offered to the enlightened Guru by the following blissful terminating stanza.
Deh Chhatän Jeni Dashä, Varte Dehätit; Te Jnäninä Charanamän, Ho Vandan Aganit.
My innumerable obeisance be at the feet of the enlightened, who behaves transcendentally even though being embodied
There were 14 Poorvas in the last original Agam known as Drashtiväd. Atmapraväd was the seventh Poorva. Shrimad has composed Atmasiddhishästra as the summarized, simple and unbiased version of that Poorva after gaining Self-realization. We have thus got, in this hard age, a superb means, which can lead to self-realization at ease, if it is studied at length in the presence of a true Guide. I therefore recommend everyone to listen, to ponder over and to repeatedly contemplate about it in the presence of self-realized Guru with utmost earnestness Shrimad has contained the essence of all the scriptures in 142 stanzas of Atmasiddhishästra. That has been done in easily comprehensible way, with an unprejudiced mind and without entering in logical arguments for proving or disproving any theory.
Of the four copies of Atmasiddhihästra, one was sent to Saubhagyabhai and, as said earlier, he had attained a very high level by studying the same. Ambälälbhäi had very devotedly studied, pondered over and contemplated about the same as he was instructed to do. The great significance thereof, which he had realized, was expressed in a letter addressed to Shrimad, which can be seen from the following extract.
“Though it is not possible for me to understand at length Ätmasiddhishästra due to my low intellect; yet by pondering over that topmost scripture with my limited capability, my physical, vocal and mental faculties could prevail at ease within the contemplation of soul. By staying in that contemplation, my tendency easily remained involved in thoughts about the Self instead of being involved in external ones. As far as I can understand, the tranquility used to prevail within me. Earlier, my above-mentioned faculties could not remain steady within any object in spite of my best efforts. By pondering over this supreme composition, they could easily stay in contemplation of Self and remained devoted at the feet of true Guide. I guess with my humble intellect that if contemplation of the book at depth is continued for a long time, one can vigilantly