Selected 100 Letters by Shrimad Rajchandraji

Author(s): Shrimad Rajchandra,
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Prabhavak Trust Hubli

Page 46

SELECTED 100 LETTERS
68
SELECTED 100 LETTERS
then is all that is known. The knower's existence is presumed in all acts of knowing, acceptance, renunciation or indifference. The self is therefore the starting point of all knowledge. Leaving it aside, nothing can be known. This is called the soul's or self's predominance, or quality of uradhavata.
hot, cold, happy or unhappy and such knowledge of feeling by the senses. This is called knowledge of experience and it can only be in the self and it is called a living being animal or a human being because it or he is capable of feeling sense-experience. This quality of the living self is known or called Vedakata on Vedanjnama and it is what the great Tirthankara has experienced.
Jnayakata - Knowing
That by which the material objects are separated from the spiritual self is known as the quality of knowability of the soul. Without this quality, the soul cannot know or understand anything and therefore this quality of knowability cannot exist anywhere but in the soul or the self. This knowability is the cause of all experiences of the self. Thus only the self knows. Sukhabhasa - Happiness
Whatever feeling of happiness a living being experienced while in contact with all objects of sense, has its source in the conscious self; so no happiness can ever be experienced in the absence of the self. In the day to day life of a living human being or animal, one expresses that he or it slept happily. Thus in sleep, one is totally free from all contacts with worldly objects and yet the living being expresses happiness enjoyed in sleep. This even in sleep the sleeper the self is the source of happiness. Thus quality is therefore called sukhabhasa. Nowhere else in any object of not-self, this quality of happiness can ever be found. Hence the self is the base of all happiness.
Chaitanyata - Consciousness
While considering the nature of the self it becomes clear that it is self illuminated and it illuminates all else e.g the lustrous or luminous candle, jewel, moon and sun etc. All these are incapable of lustre in the absence of the luminous self. Only in the self presence these objects spread lustre.
All the above characteristics of the self should be reflected upon in many ways. By knowing these qualities the nature of pure self can well be known and understood. This is clearly said by the great Tirthankara Vardhaman Mahavira.
*** 41 (454)
Mumbai, First Ashadha Vad Fourth,
Monday, V-S 1949 A man desiring clearly to lead worldly or family life with love has either not heard the teachings of a spiritually enlightened saint or has not seen him. This is what Tirthankara says.
One who has a broken waist loses his bodily strength. One who has been struck by the stick of the teachings of the enlightened saint has only diminishing or deteriorating strength or attachment to worldly life. This is said by Tirthankara.
OM
Vedakata - Experience
Only the conscious self or soul is able to say that he or it experiences the taste like tasteless, sweet, sour or pungent, or feels