Book Title: Selected 100 Letters by Shrimad Rajchandraji
Author(s): Shrimad Rajchandra, 
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Prabhavak Trust Hubli

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Page 45
________________ 66 SELECTED 100 LETTERS devotion and then realizing the pure self, have described it as it is found by them. They have put in herculian efforts to know both the self and the not self as they really are. They have tried to separate the pure self from its bodily and other external adjuncts in the state of their living bodies and they have seen their self as self living, self existing self-luminous and illuminator of every thing else. The Tirthankaras who saw their pure self became their pure self. Though distinguishing their self from their pure self is not possible, it is said because of the limitations of speech. Tirthankara has described this conscious living soul who is worthy to be known by all kinds of thinking soul and reflection in two ways, knowing which by the guidance of enlightened soul and welcoming it the living soul can settle itself in its true nature. All objects are of two kinds according to Tirthankaras and other enlightened saints. 1) Describable and 2) Indescribable. Whatever nature of the self is describable has been fully described by the Tirthankaras and other enlightened saints. Whatever they could not describe has still remained indescribable about the self. The describable qualities of the pure self and fully described in the couplet given at the beginning of lesson No. 38 before and also the same is elaborately explained in lesson No. 40 below. This is the nature of the soul. By the study of pure self, the definition of its qualities gets clearly understood by the spiritual aspirant and when so understood, the self manifests well. Still I have tried to explain the said couplets meaning below. *** 67 40 (438) SELECTED 100 LETTERS Mumbai, Chaitra Sud First, V-S 1949 "Samata Ramata Uradhata, Jnayakata Sukhbhasa Vedakata Chaitanyata E sab Jiva Vilas. Samata --Equanimity Shri Tirthankara says that in whatever ways the living soul or the self may have been described by any body let it be there but I am indifferent to all these descriptions. But I have described it as I have known it and my description is free from all defects and all characteristics of pure self are correctly described by me as I have seen them in all their fullness. I have known the self, seen it, clearly experienced it. I am the same manifested self. This self enjoys equanimity meaning that its qualities remain the same at all times showing no increase or decrease by any circumstance. The self is infinitely conscious at all places and times. Since it remains the same always it is called equanimous. Its qualities are inalienable from it. It cannot be separated from them or they never leave it. Ramata --Enjoyment Whatever attractive beauty we see in an animal, bird and man's body and in the trees etc or by which quality all these become source of inspiration to those who see them by which they appear beauty embodied - this quality is seen clearly in the self, the one without whom the whole world looks like a zero. The self manifests this beauty in full. Uradhata-Self Predominance: No knower can know anything without its own existence. All forms of knowing presuppose their knower. First the knower and

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